Universal Audio has done it again! They’ve released another free compressor plugin—at least for a few more days until the end of February 2025. If you haven’t grabbed it yet, now’s the time.
As you can see in my video, I love using this plugin on drum tracks. Since this free version doesn’t come with a dry/wet mix knob or a sidechain filter—both essential features in my opinion—I blended the compressed signal in parallel using Reaper.
But here’s the standout feature: the All-In Mode. This setting delivers rich, colorful overdrive textures, making your drums sound grittier and more aggressive in the best way possible. (* you enable the All-Buttons-In mode by holding Shift and clicking on the ratio buttons to engage all of them at once.)
This mode creates:
Extreme compression with a nonlinear, overdriven character.
Distortion and harmonic saturation, making sounds more aggressive.
A pumping effect, often used on drums for a huge, explosive sound.
A Classic Brought to the Digital World
In 1967, Universal Audio (then UREI) introduced the 1176, one of the first solid-state FET compressors. It became a recording studio staple and remains widely used today in its original hardware form, through countless clones, and as a software plugin.
Even though it's called the "1176 Limiting Amplifier," it's most commonly used as a fast, aggressive compressor rather than a true brick-wall limiter.
UA has been offering 1176 plugins since the early 2000s, staying true to the original’s simple and powerful controls:
Input & Output – Set your gain staging.
Attack & Release – Shape the dynamics.
Ratio (4:1, 8:1, 12:1, 20:1, and All-Button Mode) – Control compression intensity.
VU Meter – Switch between output level and gain reduction monitoring.
Don't sleep on this plugin if you want punchier, dirtier drums.
Download it while it’s still free!
Cheers,
Marcus
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