1176: Un clásico (Parte 3/3)

Por último, quisiera hablar un poco sobre los intentos que se han hecho para replicar el sonido del 1176. Es muy común encontrar versiones DIY de un 1176. Éstas están basadas en diferentes revisiones y muchas veces son sometidas a modificaciones.

Además de estas réplicas DIY, también están las emulaciones digitales (plug-ins). Se pueden encontrar diferentes plug-ins del 1176. Universal Audio ofrece emulaciones de las revisiones A, E y AE, Bomb Factory ofrece una emulación del MC77 de Purple Audio, además de otra del 1176 original, Waves ofrece una versión “Bluestripe” y otra “Blackface”,  las cuales fueron desarrolladas a partir de las mejores unidades del estudio del famoso ingeniero de mezcla Chris Lord-Alge, IK Multimedia ofrece su versión y Roland también ofrece su versión.

Para cerrar con esta serie de posts, les comparto lo que los grandes tienen que decir sobre este compresor:

“I love them on vocals. All of the Michael Jackson and James Ingram vocals that everyone has heard so much were done with at least one of those 1176s. I couldn’t part with them for anything. They sound fabulous.”

Bruce Swedien

“I grew up using 1176s—in England they were the compressor of choice. They’re especially good for vocals... most anything else I can do without, but I can’t be without at least a pair of 1176s and an LA-2A. 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 4:1 [ratio], 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.”

Producer/engineer Mike Shipley (Def Leppard, Shania Twain)

“I find that I actually use 1176s more now than I ever did,” he says. “I like them because they bring out the brightness and presence of a sound—they give it an energy. It seems like when I’m mixing I end up using an 1176 on the vocals every time.”

Producer/engineer Mike Clink (Guns N’ Roses, Sammy Hagar)

“I use 1176s real conservatively and they still do amazing things. I always use them on vocals.... I’m always on the 4:1 [ratio], and the Dr. Pepper [Attack/Release settings]—you know, 10 o’clock, 2 o’clock, and it does everything I need... They have an equalizer kind of effect, adding a coloration that’s bright and clear. Not only do they give you a little more impact from the compression, they also sort of clear things up; maybe a little bottom end gets squeezed out or maybe they are just sort of excitingly solid state... The big thing for me is the clarity, and the improvement in the top end.”

Grammy-winning engineer  Jim Scott (Tom Petty)

“I’ll always place one big mic, like a U47 (Neumann) or a ribbon mic such as a Coles or Royer, five or six feet in front of the drums. I try to get the whole drum set to sound good through that one mic and then put it through an 1176. That’s the secret weapon track. The 1176 compresses and makes it sound bigger and more present and a lot more exciting without having to crush it. I just it give a healthy 3 - 5 dB of compression and turn up the gain a little bit—it sounds great! If I have that mono track, where the whole drum kit sounds balanced, then I can build a decent drum sound with whatever else I have.”

Grammy-winning engineer Jay Newland (Norah Jones)

“The 1176 is standard equipment for my sessions. I mult the left and right [drum] overheads and bring them back on the console, then insert a pair of 1176s [in All-button mode] into a pair of the mults. [That] puts the unit into overdrive, creating a very impressive sound.”

Studio owner / engineer and well-known industry “golden ear” Allen Sides (Goo Goo Dolls, Green Day)

“What you do is, you run your room mics through a couple of 1176s, just so that they are nudging a bit. This brings up the decay time of the room when your guy hits the bass drum or the snare. If it’s a very quick tempo it won’t work, but at medium or half-time tempo it brings up the room. It’s wonderful and there is not another compressor that will do it the same way as an 1176.”

Andy Johns

“The original [1176] was often... celebrated as a compressor for bass, and I certainly found the re-issue’s compression to cope wonderfully with the wildest excesses of electric or acoustic string basses, without changing the inherent sound or losing the essence of the player’s dynamics.”

Hugh Robjohns (Sound on Sound magazine)