MusicRadar Verdict
A great combination of classic plugins – we’re surprised by how much we like the preamp. It’s a decent buy if you own none of them already .
Pros
- +
The UA 610 is absolutely amazing.
- +
‘All buttons in’ is just as good as we recall on drums!
- +
The LA-2A sounds fantastic on anything.
- +
Lovely and different colour from all the plugins on offer.
Cons
- -
Quite expensive.
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Universal Audio LA-6176: What is it?
Universal Audio’s LA-6176 is a channel strip comprising three emulations of classic gear in one.
You get the 610 mic preamp, designed to give the warm, smooth tube sound of an original UA 610 console, as used by artists ranging from Van Halen to Frank Sinatra. The second device is an emulation of the classic 1176 FET compressor, known for its fast attack and release times, and great for adding punch to any sound.
The final piece of the LA-6176 is the LA-2A, a very different kind of compressor next to the 1176, an optical unit with a more gentle release, and ideal for adding a smoother, less aggressive feel.
So that’s three classics, all in one box, and potentially a heavenly combination of vintage gear you might have previously only dreamt about.
Why are the 1176 and LA-2A classics?
The 1176 compressor was released by Bill Putnam – famous for his Urei, Teletronix and UA brands – and one of the first transistor alternatives to tube compressors. It features attack and release controls, a novelty in 1967, plus four selectable threshold options offering ratios of 4:1, 8:1, 12:1 and 20:1.
Famously these could all be switched in at once for what became ‘British mode’ or ‘all buttons in’ and sounds great when used on drums. The 1176 has been used on many recordings and by producers including Bruce Swedien (Michael Jackson).
The LA-2A is another compressor that ended up (via a quite complicated history) under Putnam’s wing, but is very different to the 1176, and perfectly capable of adding a touch of magic dust just used as a preamp. It has hardly any controls but a very smooth and natural sound – with character, rounded lows, and added polish – and is great for bass and vocals. It has been used by everyone from Nirvana to Shakira.
Universal Audio LA-6176: Performance and verdict
Interestingly this is not the first version of a 6176, as a hardware unit exists but ‘only’ has the UA 610 preamp and 1176 compressor (hence the lack of an ‘LA’ before it). That is still available to buy new, but will cost you around £2,300.
• UAD Spark
All the UAD classic emulations, the all-new Verve Analogue Machines and more.
• Arturia FX Collection
Many a classic is also found in this fantastic collection.
Starting with the 610 mic pre and you have a selectable mic, line and hi impedance input control to give you the option of mimicking the cleaner line level input of the hardware, or getting an overdriven signal with more colour via the mic input. There are also high and low EQ dials with three selectable bands, a -15dB Pad button to reduce input distortion, plus a polarity switch (to invert phase) and a high pass filter (to reduce bass rumble). It’s pretty straightforward to use, and something that, as we’ll see applies to much of the 6176, works great with vocals, particularly driving them to that Garbage/Butch Vig style of saturation, with the mic input option offering the most drama and the Gain dial allowing you to control it, and make the saturation way more subtle. It’s good for drum loops too. The EQ here also does its job well, but not too dramatically.
Next up is the 1176, a unit well known for adding a certain pleasing distortion thanks to those fast attack and release times, and also the all-buttons-in mode – see above – which, as expected, sounds fab on drums. Of course, the unit was originally designed as a leveller, to reduce peaks and troughs and give a smoother result, and this can be achieved on vocals with a slow attack, fast release and medium to high ratio. We found these settings not only helped smooth out the dynamic but add a clear punch to the sound. There’s also a handy filter option to select a sidechain filter to emphasise low-end punch, which is great for drums and bass sounds.
Finally, the LA-2A. You only get a couple of controls here, as on the original, so it’s simple to get its silky sound on vocals or your entire mix. In fact it sounds good on most tracks, but the neat option here is to be able to switch between it and the 1176 (you only use one compressor at a time) to hear the different character they bring, with the 1176 noticeably more aggressive.
Does three go into one?
The LA-6176 is undoubtedly a great set of tools in one plugin, but it’s priced so that any owners of any of the individual plugins won’t want to spend $299 on getting the other two. And this is especially relevant as UA actually gave the LA-2A away last year, so a large number of those downloaders will not be queuing up any time soon.
You can get some wonderful and different textures, both subtle and more creative
The three plugins do complement each other well, though, each offering different colouration on the signal, and are particularly flexible on vocals and drums. You can get some wonderful and different textures, both subtle and more creative. But we do think the asking price of $299 is excessive for a set of tools you might either have individually under other brand names, or as plugins that work similarly. $299 will also get you a couple of years of UA’s Spark subscription which nets you an increasing number of the company’s plugins. Or grab LA-6176 in one of UA’s frequent sales.
MusicRadar verdict: A great combination of classic plugins – we’re surprised by how much we like the preamp. It’s a decent buy if you own none of them already.
Universal Audio LA-6176: The web says
"In use, the LA‑6176 plug‑in sounds just like you’d expect it to, and I mean that very much as a compliment! These are all classic circuits that we know and love, and the plug‑in emulations behave exactly as you’d hope."
Sound On Sound
Universal Audio LA-6176: Hands-on demos
Universal Audio
Mixing With Mike
Matty Harris
White Sea Studio
Universal Audio LA-6176: Specifications
- macOS 10.15 Catalina or newer.
- Windows 10 and 11.
- CONTACT: Universal Audio
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