This pedal‑format compressor doubles up as a serious studio tool.
Pedal‑style versions of UREI’s classic 1176 solid‑state peak limiter have proved popular with gigging guitarists since Origin Effects’ original Cali 76 model first made the FET‑based circuit available in a compact, footswitchable form. Many others have followed, not least Origin themselves, with ever more compact versions, and, of course, Universal Audio (who still make the 1176 rackmount hardware) with their own digital emulations in pedal form. They’re joined now by Warm Audio, with an all‑analogue, relatively large‑format, footswitchable unit designated the Pedal76 Limiting Amplifier.
Overview
Of course, Warm Audio are no strangers to the 1176‑style circuit, having produced one of the most popular reproductions over the last decade in the form of their highly regarded WA‑76 rackmount compressor, and they’ve recently announced more 1176‑inspired outboard too. The Pedal76 is said to utilise the same high‑grade components and custom Cinemag output transformer to offer the same level of audio performance in a ‘pedalboard‑friendly format’. It is actually more compact than the original Cali76 model, but it would still use up a bit of space on a smaller board, with dimensions of 160 x 115mm, and a casing height of 58mm, or 78mm to the top of the control knobs — it wouldn’t actually fit under the lid of my gigging pedalboard. Ironically, however, the very characteristics that make it perhaps a slightly awkward pedalboard companion make it a great desktop recording unit. The larger dimensions allow for larger control knobs somewhat in the style of the original hardware, and with some size differentiation of function that just make it easy to use for creative on‑the‑fly adjustments, whilst still being small enough to keep close at hand, especially compared to something that you have to rackmount.
The control line‑up is the usual Input, Output, Attack and Release setup, but with a rotary control for Ratio rather than the switch bank of the original design. The Ratio control has the expected 4, 8, 12 and 20:1 options, with further settings at either extreme that I take to be 1:1 or Off (but still passing signal) at fully anticlockwise, and at the other end perhaps something to replicate the infamous ‘all‑buttons‑in’ setting? Although not identified as such, it certainly seems to exhibit something of the same program‑dependent distortion, transient punch and idiosyncratic two‑stage release of the ‘nuke’ setting. The Attack and Release controls have Fast and Slow idents rather than the arbitrary numbers of the original hardware, which should help those less familiar with 1176s to remember that the controls give you faster operation as you turn the controls up (clockwise) as opposed to setting a longer attack or release time by turning them up.
There is nothing that conveys what a compressor is doing quite so well as a real mechanical meter deflecting left from the 0VU position.
Dominating the front panel is an illuminated VU meter for gain reduction. I can, if necessary, get by with just an LED ladder, or even a single LED that changes colour to indicate GR, but in my experience there is nothing that conveys what a compressor is doing — when and how much it is working — quite so well as a real mechanical meter deflecting left from the 0VU position. Full marks to Warm Audio for including one in a pedal version. The illumination goes out to indicate that the pedal is bypassed via the footswitch, using either buffered or true mechanical bypass, switchable from the rear panel.
Other options on the back include an input sensitivity adjustment, slightly inconveniently rendered as a recessed, screwdriver‑adjustable trim pot, plus mic or line output level and high and low drive settings to determine how much you want to saturate the transformer. Instrument input and amplifier output are on unbalanced jacks, with an additional balanced TRS output jack with switchable ground lift also available. Input impedance is 1.1MΩ, which will help preserve the tone of directly connected instruments with passive pickups.
There’s the possibility of powering the Pedal76 from an internal 9V battery if you need to, but it’s important to be aware that you won’t be getting the full performance from the unit if you do (I should note that Warm Audio are very clear that this is the case). Using an external DC supply (minimum current capacity 125mA) automatically activates a DC‑DC voltage converter upping the internal supply to 18V, thereby increasing headroom — highly recommended when working at line level for recording or with high‑output active pickups on an instrument.
The rear‑panel features include a high/low drive switch that lets you decide how hard to hit the Cinemag output transformer.
Sound Opinions
When the 1176 was launched in 1967, using FETs in place of the tube‑based circuitry of its predecessor model 176, it was notable for its very fast attack and release times, and the fact that the latter were both to some extent program dependent. The circuit’s threshold value is nominally ‘fixed’, with the input gain determining how far above it you want to push the signal, although, in reality, the threshold changes a little with the ratio setting. The result of all these program and setting interdependencies is that it is quite hard to make an 1176 sound ‘wrong’ to any significant degree, with the subjective impression of transients somehow always being preserved. Even using the fastest attack and release will just distort a bass in a musically useful way or give you a nice aggressive edge to a vocal. Although always characterful, an 1176 is not really an ‘effect’ compressor, which is perhaps why people sometimes resorted to using the ‘all‑buttons‑in’ setting never envisaged by the designer!
Warm Audio have given us a very nice‑sounding rendition of the classic 1176 circuitry, with enough level flexibility to operate as a pedal for a guitar player, a clean or saturated compressor/DI for a bass guitar, or indeed an insert effect for a vocal or instrument in a recording setup. The unit has very low self‑noise even with the sensitivity jacked up whilst offering fine‑resolution control over the amount of saturation and character generated within. There’s no onboard facility for mixing in a parallel ‘dry’ path, but as an all‑analogue unit, that is not too hard to rig for yourself using a simple signal split. In common with the ‘real thing’, there’s also no side‑chain access, which is understandable given the primary applications envisaged.
Priced competitively with other premium pedal compressors and with an audio performance to match expectations, I think the Pedal76 has something a little extra to offer with its format — I have rack compressors, mostly just out of reach when I need them, and pedal compressors that really belong under my feet, whilst this just might be the perfect ‘in‑between’ to sit on the desktop. I think this one has found a new home.
Pros
- A great‑sounding 1176‑style circuit.
- Cinemag output transformer.
- Can be a clean comp, a ‘dirty’ DI or anything in between.
Cons
- A bit large for some pedalboards?
Summary
This analogue, transformer‑balanced, single‑channel FET compressor is footswitchable but also ideal for desktop use. With all the expected sonic characteristics of the classic 1176 circuit, it loses nothing in comparison to dedicated studio units.
Information
£259 including VAT.
$269
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