Whas is the UAD 1176ln Best For

[passionmax]

I am think of picking up a UAD 1176ln compressor for tracking my synths. Please give me you rinput on what this 1176ln is good for. What are the best instruments it was intened for or what sounds best through it. I also have the UAD card which has the plugin version. am I wasting my money buying this since I have the plugin version?

[Dave Martin]

Originally posted by passionmax
I am think of picking up a UAD 1176ln compressor for tracking my synths. Please give me you rinput on what this 1176ln is good for. What are the best instruments it was intened for or what sounds best through it. I also have the UAD card which has the plugin version. am I wasting my money buying this since I have the plugin version?

The 1176 is good for lots of things. You are aware, I hope, that the 1176 is a single channel unit - if you typically record synths in stereo, you might have a problem. And they don't track in stereo all that well, using the SA-76 adapter.

On a broader subject, the 1176 (and for that matter, 97% pf the compressor/limiters ever made) are not 'intended' to be used for any specific thing - though broadcast limiters were designed to be used at the end of the broadcast chain while more general purpose limiters would have been used in a wider variety of applications - but in general, they were designed to control the dynamic range of signals passing through them. The designers, at least the designers of what are now considered to be vintage compressors, tried to make them as transparent as possible. The fact that they aren't has more to do with the components and circuit designs available at the time than any desire for a 'sound'.

So all of the old compressor/limiters are compromises between the goal of transparency on one hand, and required performance on the other. The design choices made to meet these compromises are what gives the various compressors their sound. As to what sounds good through an 1176 (or for that matter, any piece of gear), it depends; Read the recent thread on dbx 160VU's - some folks love them some folks hate them. Who's right? Everybody!

I personally don't care much for the sound of an acoustic guitar or fiddle through an 1176, but I know lots of people who use them in that application every day. And there are many compressors I'd use for vocals before I used an 1176. But others do it differently, and we're all correct.

I'll sugest that the hardware 1176 will sound different than the UAD card, but you'll have to listen for yourself and see if (A)YOU hear a difference, and (B) you think that the difference is worth paying for.

[passionmax]

Hi,
thanks for the response. Basically I am strogling to find how to get more dpeth in my Synth sounds. Ex Kick drum & Bass). I have tons of syths. So I have great sounds. The 808 and low end bass sounds are phat and sound great but when I print them they sounds good but there is something missing when I hear my mixes back on CD. When I listen to the Crystal Method or Chemical Brother cd's there low end sounds so tight and has a 3d quailty. Maybe I should by a good analog eq to track with. I saw on Crystal methods website they were using a Avalon U5 direct box to track trhough. They also had a Joemeek SC2, Avalon 737 and Avalon 747. I have never spoke with them. I am not sure the tracking path. I just want to get these sounds to be fuller clearer and pop out of the mix more. I thought that compression would do this. People talk about the harmonic distortion on a pre-amp. PLease give me more advise. Thanks

[jazzius]

The best producer/programmers are freaks......they'll spend hours editing an FX or making a kick drum.......the gear they use is of secondary importance to the depths of freakiness they sink to......what i'm talking about is knowledge and experience.......buying a certain bit of gear is not gonna instantly give you that sound if you're not already getting close to it......
..

.....think about sound in terms of different planes or dimensions.....

...you've got the frequency plane going from trouser-shaking subs to hi-end sizzle...

..you got the loudness/dynamics plane ranging from ear pummeling loud to barely audible....

..you've got the front/back plane which ranges from totally dry next to your ear-ole to swimming in delay/verb somewhere about a mile behing the speakers...

you've got the stereo plane from totally mono to nausea-inducing phasiness.......

......think about exploiting all these different planes to the full and you'll get a bigger sound....

....(BTW, did i miss out some dimensions?)

[jbuntz]

Try "all buttons"/"british" mode on drum room mics for a zepplin type sound. It adds life to guitars and bass as well. To me, it's a rock compressor but obviously it's not limited to that.

[matucha]

Is it true, most people making electronic style music complaining about sound and looking for the gear are in fact "amateur" mixers? Don't know... and no offence, I'm far far from perfect mixer ;-)

One thing I can recommend you for better electronic mixes is the choice of sounds. For ex. there are certain combos of kick/bass you can't mix to your (and everyone elses satisfaction), there is something in the middle where you can make it work, but it requires high skills to do it "right". And finaly there are combinations that need almost no tweaking to sound fabulous. Try experimenting first with different kicks and you'll get what I'm talking about. Than you can blend them in the perfect one for the current bass

This applies to the rest too...

[passionmax]

Hi,
I agree with you alot of dance records are mixed like crap. I don't only do dance. I do jingles, tv work and major artist work. I am just trying to improve my skilss to the best I can be. I am combining kicks and layering. the sounds are cool. it is not the sounds it is a sonic thing. If you just run 2 kicks that sound great layered to gether through the board they sound good but they need to be compressed and eqed in the mix to stand out so they are not masked but other instruments. But I am trying to get the clarity in the sound. If I play the sound trhough the board directly the sound is good. If I track trhough my Avalon 737 there is more highs and fuller lows. I am trying to get the sounds to be even clear like I hear on well mnixed hip hop albums. they tend to jump out of the speakers more. I know it is not the sounds it is the equipment. if you have any tips please help thanks