The Magic of Universal Audio's Vintage Plug-Ins

Turning a vintage piece of hardware into a great sounding plug-in is no easy task. Combining years of experience making a handful of outboard ‘industry favorites’ with the latest advances in DSP technology, Universal Audio now offers a trio of potent plug-ins; the UA 1176, LA-2A and Pultec EQP-1A. Previously only available for their UAD-1 card, these plug-ins are now available for Pro Tools | HD and Pro Tools 24 | MIX systems.

Compressors of the Gods: 1176LN & 1176SE Let's first take a look at their 1176 compressor. Wisely, UA offers two software versions of this classic. The 1176LN, based on the analog model designed in the 1960’s, features just what you remember from the original; FET Gain Reduction Emulation, the famous "All Buttons Mode", a fast attack time and Input & Output Gain Adjustment Knobs with adjustable Attack and Release Settings. It also offers a Custom Output Transformer Emulation Design for that warm sound. Add to this list several modern conveniences such as full automation capabilities, flexible VU meter modes and mono/stereo operation.

The famous UA 1176LN compressor, now available on your desktop.

The second version is the 1176SE. Nearly identical in sound (and behavior), the SE version is lighter on the DSP requirements (see their website for specifics). For those who work in resolutions, the SE version also runs up to 192kHz. Both versions do require Mac OS 9.2.2 or OS 10.2.3, with Pro Tools 5.0 and up on a 24/Mix or HD rig, with Windows versions reportedly coming soon. Few compressors sound better on electric guitars than this one, and I have found it to kick butt on bass and vocals as well. It’s become a standard ‘go to’ plug-in for my mixes.

The 1176SE plug-in. Deja vu all over again. While both the 1176LN and 1176SE models support high sample rates on UA's UAD-1 card, only the SE model offers 88.2 and 96k for Pro Tools systems.

Vintage Defined: Teletronix LA-2A Next in line is the LA-2A offering. The Teletronix LA-2A leveling amplifier is certainly the definition of vintage audio gear. UA modeled this classic to include such goodies as Frequency-Dependent compressor behavior, Distortion-Free Optical Attenuator Emulation and Input Gain and Peak Reduction Adjustment Knobs just like the original. It also has the Limit/Compress function switch and +4, -10 or Gain Reduction Metering. As you would expect in a plug-in, it provides full automation capabilities and Mono or Stereo operation. The requirements are the same as the 1176’s from above. Try it out on kick drums, both acoustic and sampled. It can pump the kick drum right out of your system, so be careful! I tend to use it on fat analog synths as well, for that warm, in-your face thing when you need it. One of my favorite tricks is to combine it with UA’s next offering, the Pultec EQ.

Classic! The hardware verion of this LA-2A plug-in was the secret to the fat, warm sound on hundreds of hit records. Today, you can plug it into your Pro Tools system or host-based DAW using the UAD-1 card!

Pull up the Pultec! UA’s Pultec EQ is modeled after what they call a "highly prized Golden Unit". It’s a highly musical plug-in and you can play with the unique simultaneous boost/cut to narrow in on your desired effect. It also has the same frequency adjustments as the original, so you’ll feel right at home if you’ve used one! I tend to regularly use this on kick in combination with the LA-2A, for awesome results. As it does take a lot of processing power to make something sound this good, it’s a bit heavy on the DSP (a full chip for a stereo instance), but it’s worth it!

The Pultec EQP-1A was (and remains) truly a magic box. Music sounded better just passing through it. Users of the hardware version will love the sonic faithfulness of UA's plug-in emulation.

How Do Dey Do Dat? Last but not least, I asked Dave Berners, Director of Algorithm development at Universal Audio, how they approach the task of learning from the ‘sound’ of hardware units. "We actually disassemble and study the gear, piece-by-piece," he noted. "This is sometimes an essential step, because we need direct access to internal components to characterize their behavior." Berners continued, "We like to have our present-day plugins capture the character of the hardware so well that a seasoned user would not miss it, were it to be replaced by our plugins. For many users, we are achieving that." I couldn’t agree more.