User Manual

1.5. Arturia's approach to Comp FET-76
Our goal was to accurately model the sound of the most famous FET compressor in the
world, commonly known as the "1176." Of course, being an Arturia product, it was not enough
to simply model the vintage hardware and call it done. We wanted to push the envelope, so
we also added some tasteful new features that honor the original hardware while making it
more useful in a modern context.
The 1176 was meant to be a "true peak limiter" with a very fast attack (up to 20
microseconds) and lots of makeup gain after the compression (up to 45 dB). We have
captured this in all of its detail and we hope you will hear the subtle nuances of the original
hardware coming through our plug-in.
The original hardware was famous for having a small number of controls and we have
maintained that simplicity and look in our plug-in. We have large knobs for setting Input and
Output level, small knobs for setting Attack and Release times and a column of buttons to
set the compression ratio (including a dedicated button for the famous "all buttons in" trick
that resulted in a hyper-compressed output). Like the original hardware, Comp FET-76 has
a large VU meter with various metering modes to help you see what is going on with your
signal.
Finally, there is a large "mix" knob that was not found on the original hardware. This is
an Arturia addition that allows to set a blend between the compressed and uncompressed
sound, and opens up a lot of creative sound-sweetening possibilities.
Besides the classic features and small improvements mentioned above, Arturia has also
included several more substantial features. These appear in a separate "Advanced" panel
that opens below the main panel. Here, you will find things like Advanced Side-Chain
Control, a single band EQ with High Pass and Low Pass filters, a Time Warp function, a
Compression Range knob and a button that enables listening the side chain signal. We will
cover all this in depth later in this guide.
Now, it's time to check how it sounds. Let's go!
Arturia Comp FET-76
Arturia - User Manual Comp FET-76 - WELCOME 5