Manual

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project I'm currently mixing, I'm using both an 1176 and an LA2 on his voice, which is
not unusual for me.
“The 1176 absolutely adds a bright character to a sound, and you can set the attack so it's
got a nice bite to it. I usually use them on four to one, with quite a lot of gain reduction. I
like how variable the attack and release is; there's a sound on the attack and release which
I don't think you can get with any other compressor. I listen for how it affects the vocal,
and depending on the song I set the attack or release--faster attack if I want a bit more
bite. My preference is for the black face model, the 4000 series--I think the top end is
especially clean.”
Allen Sides has always been known for his golden ears when it comes to the sound of
equipment. The owner of Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles and Nashville, he's also a
speaker designer and engineer who is especially respected for his work with live
musicians, including orchestra and string dates. Among his recent credits are work with
the Goo Goo Dolls, Alanis Morissette and Green Day. Sides brings his different
perspectives into play when he talks about using the 1176.
“The 1176 is standard equipment for my sessions. I just used them last night, as a matter
of fact, on a project for singer Lisa Bonet that Rob Cavallo was producing at Ocean Way.
We were recording drums and I used them on the left/right overheads as effects limiters.
It's something I learned from (engineer) Don Landy, who worked with Randy Newman a
lot. I mult the left and right overheads and bring them back on the console, then insert a
pair of 1176s into a pair of the mults. Push in 20 to one and four to one simultaneously
and it puts the unit into overdrive creating a very impressive sound.”
Murray Allen is a veteran engineer and Director of Post Production for the San Francisco
Bay Area company Electronic Arts. He has a fascination for gear both old and new and
he explains why he thinks the 1176 has been so popular for so long. “It has a unique
sound to it that people like, it's very easy to operate, and it does a great job. You have just
two controls relative to the ratio of compression. You have input and output and you have
attack and release. That's all there is. It's still my favorite limiter for Fender basses and
string basses, because you don't know it's working. It doesn't change the way the bass
sounds, it just keeps the level at a more controllable place.”
Mixer Ken Kessie (En Vogue, Tony! Toni! Tone!, Celine Dion) is known for being
experimental. “Seems like everybody knows the basic tricks for the 1176,” he says, “But
here are two that might be lesser known. If you turn the attack knob fully
counterclockwise until it clicks, the 1176 ceases to be a compressor and acts only as an
amplifier. Sometimes this is the perfect sound for a vocal. And of course the unit can be
overdriven, adding another flavor of distortion in case your plug-ins are maxed out!”
“Then, for that hard-to-tame lead vocalist (the one that backs up from the mic to whisper
and leans in for the big ending chorus), try an 1176 followed by a DBX 165. Use the
1176 as a compressor, and the DBX as a peak limiter...it's guaranteed to be smooth as
silk.”
Jim Scott shared a Grammy for Best Engineered Album for Tom Petty's Wildflowers.
He's also known for his work with Red Hot Chili Peppers, Natalie Merchant and Wilco.
“I use 1176s real conservatively and they still do amazing things,” he comments. “I'm
always on the four to one button, and the Dr. Pepper--you know, 10 o'clock, 2 o'clock,
and it does everything I need. “
“I always use them on vocals. I use them on room mics, on acoustic guitars--sometimes
in mixing I'll sneak a little on a snare drum or a separated channel of a snare drum. I'm