Manual

Front Panel

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NOTE: The left side of the 6176 front panel contains all preamp controls, while the right side

contains all limiter / compressor controls. All controls (except the Level, Attack, Release, Input, and

Output knobs) are stepped, allowing settings to be easily reproduced.

(1) Gain - Adjusts the gain of the input stage in 5 dB increments. Turning the Gain switch clockwise

raises the gain. Because this also has the effect of reducing negative feedback ( see page 25),

the Gain switch alters the amount of the input tube’s harmonic distortion, a major contribution to the

“warm” sound characteristic of tube equipment. The higher the Gain setting, the more coloration the

6176 will impart to the incoming signal.

(2) Input Select - Determines which of the following three inputs is active: Mic, Line, or Hi-Z. The

Mic and Hi-Z inputs each provide two different impedance settings.

Mic - Selects the signal arriving at the rear panel balanced XLR Preamp MIC INPUT

connection. ( see #7 on page 9) The impedance for the Mic input can be set to 500 ohms

or 2.0K ohms. Switching between these two positions while listening to a connected

microphone may reveal a different tonal quality and/or gain difference. Typically, a

microphone preamplifier should have input impedance roughly equal to about 10 times the

microphone output impedance. For example, if your microphone has an output impedance of

approximately 200 ohms, the switch should be set to the 2.0K position. However, making

music is not necessarily about adhering to technical specifications, so feel free to

experiment with the settings to attain the desired sound: you will not harm your microphone

or the 6176.

Line - Selects the signal arriving at the rear panel balanced XLR Preamp LINE INPUT

connection. ( see #6 on page 9) This connection has an input impedance of approximately

13K ohms and is intended to accommodate mixers, DAWs, tape machines, other mic

preamps, signal processors, or any device with a line level output, such as keyboards, sound

modules and drum machines. Using this input, the 6176 can act as a “tone box” for line-

level signals, offering a variety of sonic colors based on front panel control settings.