IK MULTIMEDIA BLACK 76
Ride the levels with this issue’s free compressor plugin
In 1967, engineer and producer Bill Putnam changed the recording studio forever when he redesigned his hugely successful 1176 limiting amplifier, replacing the vacuum tubes at its heart with FET technology, to create the Urei (later Universal Audio) 1176, the world’s first solid state peak limiter or compressor.
An immediate hit thanks to its ridiculously fast attack and release times, unrivalled ease of use and energetic, punchy sound, it went through countless revisions over the years, resulting in a range of variations, some more sought after than others. Most importantly for us, though, it’s also been reborn in several software plugins, and among the best is IK Multimedia’s Black 76 – yours for free only with this edition of Computer Music.
Black 76 works as a module in IK’s T-RackS 5 mixing and mastering host ‘shell’, as well as an individual plugin in any VST/AU/AAX-compatible DAW. Like the real 1176, it’s a feedback compressor with four ratios (plus the ‘all buttons in’ mode), attack times from 20-800 microseconds and release times from 50-1100ms. It sounds uncannily like the real thing, capturing all of its fabulous bite and distortion, and adds in a useful mid/side option for advanced stereo mixing.
If you like Black 76, you can upgrade to the full T-RackS 5 for €180 to add a further nine modules to your rig, T-RackS 5 Deluxe for €360 to net yourself 22 modules, or T-RackS 5 Max for €600 to secure the full roster of 38 superb effects. All three versions also add a number of features to the T-RackS 5 host itself, too, including advanced metering and the Master Match reference matching module.
In this tutorial, we’ll cover every aspect of the 1176 – using Black 76 as our stand-in – from what each of its controls do, to some of the specific techniques for which it’s known. www.ikmultimedia.com