Related Manuals for Universal Audio 2-1176
Summary of Contents for Universal Audio 2-1176
- Page 1 Model 2-1176 Dual 1176LN Limiting Amplifier Universal Audio Part Number 65-00047 Universal Audio, Inc. Customer Service & Tech Support: 1-877-MY-AUDIO Business, Sales & Marketing: 1-866-440-1176 www.uaudio.com...
- Page 2 2-1176, 1176LN, 6176, 2-610, LA-610, LA-2A, 2-LA-2, LA-3A, 710, 4110, 8110, SOLO/110, SOLO/610, 2192, DCS Remote Preamp, UAD and the Universal Audio, Inc. logo are trademarks of Universal Audio, Inc. Other company and product names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective...
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Page 3: A Letter From Bill Putnam, Jr
“vintage” sound that has become treasured the world over. Most of us at Universal Audio are musicians and/or recording engineers. We love the recording process, and we really get inspired when tracks are beautifully recorded. Our design goal for the 2-1176 was to build a stereo compressor/limiter that we would be delighted to use ourselves—one that induces that... -
Page 4: Important Safety Instructions
Important Safety Instructions ___________________________________________________________ Before using this unit, be sure to carefully read the applicable items of these operating instructions and the safety suggestions. Afterwards, keep them handy for future reference. Take special care to follow the warnings indicated on the unit, as well as in the operating instructions. 1. -
Page 5: Table Of Contents
Table of Contents __________________________________________________________ A Letter From Bill Putnam, Jr......................... Important Safety Instructions ........................ Two Page, Two Minute Guide To Getting Started ..................Front Panel ............................Rear Panel ............................Interconnections ..........................Insider’s Secrets ..........................The Technical Stuff ..........................History of the 2-1176 ........................ Compressor / Limiter Basics ...................... -
Page 6: Two Page, Two Minute Guide To Getting Started
It will tell you everything you need to know to get your Universal Audio 2-1176 up and running, without bogging you down with details. Of course, even the most expert of us has to crack a manual every once in awhile. As the saying goes, “as a last resort, read the instructions.”... - Page 7 The Two Page, Two Minute Guide To Getting Started __________________________________________________________ Step 7: Set the Attack and Release knobs for both channels fully counterclockwise (to their SLOW position). Step 8: Set the Ratio knobs for both channels to their 4 position, thus selecting moderate compression (at a 4:1 ratio) for both channels.
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Page 8: Front Panel
Front Panel __________________________________________________________ NOTE: The 2-1176 provides two channels, each of which have identical front panel controls. (1) Attack - Sets the amount of time it takes the 2-1176 channel to respond to an incoming signal and begin gain reduction. The 2-1176 attack time is adjustable from 20 microseconds to 800 microseconds (both extremely fast). - Page 9 Front Panel __________________________________________________________ When operating the 2-1176 in LINK mode, the left channel’s Attack and Release knobs affect both channels and the right channel’s Attack and Release controls become non- functional. ( For more information, see page 20.) (4) Meter - A standard VU meter that displays either the amount of gain reduction or output level for ...
- Page 10 Front Panel __________________________________________________________ Engineers typically use the ALL Ratio on drums or on ambience or room mics. It can also be used to “dirty” up a bass or guitar sound, or for putting vocals “in your face.” see page 20 for more information) ...
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Page 11: Rear Panel
Rear Panel __________________________________________________________ NOTE: The 2-1176 provides two channels, each of which have identical rear panel controls. (1) Line INPUT Connect line-level input signal for each channel to these balanced XLR connectors. Pin 2 is wired positive (hot). This signal will normally be arriving via a patchbay from a channel or bus insert send. -
Page 12: Interconnections
Interconnections __________________________________________________________ - 8 -... -
Page 13: Insider's Secrets
Insider’s Secrets __________________________________________________________ Whatever you can do with an 1176LN, you can do with a 2-1176... two times over. In addition, Link mode allows the 2-1176 to process not just monophonic signals, but stereo signals such as drum or backing vocal submixes. You can even strap the 2-1176 across the stereo bus, using it as a premastering tool. - Page 14 Insider’s Secrets __________________________________________________________ Jim Scott, who won a Grammy for Best Engineered Album for Tom Petty’s Wildflowers, adds, “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...
- Page 15 Insider’s Secrets __________________________________________________________ “When I am mixing,” Johns adds, “I mult the bass drum and the snare. The bass drum will not be even, so the first bass drum track—the one that doesn’t have the 1176 on it—gets to breathe. Then I put another bass drum next to it with an 1176 at a 4:1 [ratio setting].
- Page 16 Insider’s Secrets __________________________________________________________ “Treating some electric guitar sounds that had been previously recorded,” Curwin added, “allowed the opportunity of experimenting with the different ratios and the attack and release controls, and with careful positioning it was possible to give the guitar a lot of punch and an apparent sense of urgency in the mix.”...
- Page 17 Insider’s Secrets __________________________________________________________ Controlled Distortion The unique sonic characteristics of the 2-1176 make it an effective tone shaper as well. One of its features is ultra-fast attack and release times, and used correctly (or incorrectly, depending on the way you look at it), you can use it to add distortion to any otherwise pristine audio track. Running most sources through a distortion device can cause the signal to lose some of its definition as you increase the effect.
- Page 18 Insider’s Secrets __________________________________________________________ mode. Adding a bit of slam-compressed audio to the mix produced a brighter mix without high- frequency overload. It also really helped both drums and guitars maintain a strong place in the mix without overwhelming vocals and bass. For even more control, I also hooked up the 2-1176 as an aux send ‘effect,’...
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Page 19: The Technical Stuff
__________________________________________________________ History of the 1176 The original Universal Audio 1176, designed by Bill Putnam, was a major breakthrough in limiter technology – the first true peak limiter with all transistor circuitry offering superior performance and a signature sound. Evolved from the popular Universal Audio 175 and 176 vacuum tube limiters, the 1176 retained the proven qualities of these industry leaders, and set the standard for all limiters to follow. - Page 20 Angeles all preserve elements of his room designs. We here at Universal Audio, have two goals in mind: to reproduce classic analog recording equipment designed by Bill Putnam Sr. and his colleagues, and to design new recording tools in the spirit of vintage analog technology.
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Page 21: Compressor / Limiter Basics
The Technical Stuff __________________________________________________________ Compressor / Limiter Basics The function of a compressor is to automatically reduce the level of peaks in an audio signal so that the overall dynamic range—that is, the difference between the loudest sections and the softest ones—is reduced, or compressed, thus making it easier to hear every nuance of the music. - Page 22 The Technical Stuff __________________________________________________________ Input Signal and Threshold The first and perhaps most significant factor in compression is the level of the input signal. Large (loud) input signals result in more gain reduction, while smaller (softer) input signals result in less gain reduction.
- Page 23 The Technical Stuff __________________________________________________________ maximum value. At very high ratios of 20:1 or greater (some limiters even offer a theoretical infinite ratio of Infinity:1), “brick wall” limiting kicks in—that is, almost any change in input, no matter how great, results in virtually no increase in output level. Note that the 2-1176 has been designed so that selecting higher ratios also raises the threshold level.
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Page 24: About "All-Button" Mode
The Technical Stuff __________________________________________________________ Output (Makeup Gain) Finally, output controls are employed to make up for the gain reduction applied by the gain reduction circuitry; on the 2-1176, this is the function of each channel’s Output knob. Makeup gain is generally set so that the compressed signal is raised to the point at which it matches the level of the unprocessed input signal (for example, if a signal is being reduced in level by approximately -6 dB, the output makeup gain should be set to +6 dB). -
Page 25: Making A Custom Insert Cable
The Technical Stuff _______________________________________________________________________ 1. While in Link mode, send stereo signal to the 2-1176 but monitor the left channel only. 2. In the left channel of the 2-1176 only, set the Ratio switch as desired and adjust the Input and Output knobs until the desired amount of compression or limiting is heard. - Page 26 The Technical Stuff __________________________________________________________ To make such a cable, first acquire the following components: (1) Female XLR cable connector (1) Male XLR cable connector (1) 1/4" TRS cable connector A suitable length of light gauge unbalanced microphone cable A short piece of 22 gauge bus wire Then follow these steps to assemble the cable: 1.
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Page 27: Maintenance Information
The Technical Stuff __________________________________________________________ Maintenance Information Meter Calibration The 2-1176 meters may occasionally need to be calibrated. This is accomplished by adjusting the Zero Set potentiometer, located through a small hole on the front panel between each channel’s Input and Output knobs. The procedure for adjusting the meter is as follows: 1. -
Page 28: Changing Fuses
The Technical Stuff __________________________________________________________ Changing Fuses The AC power fuse is located on the power supply circuit board inside the 2-1176, directly behind the AC power connector, accessed by removing the top panel of the 2-1176. Always remove the power cord before checking or changing the fuse! The required fuse is a T2A 250V, 5mm x 20mm. -
Page 29: 2-1176 Circuit Details
The Technical Stuff __________________________________________________________ 2-1176 Circuit Details The fundamental problem facing Bill Putnam Sr. when he began designing the 1176 limiter was how to keep its FET operating within its linear region in order to keep distortion sufficiently low. After much experimentation he eventually hit upon the simple and elegant idea of using the FET as a voltage- controlled variable resistor, forming the bottom half of a voltage divider circuit, across which the audio signal was applied. - Page 30 The Technical Stuff __________________________________________________________ Input Section Figure 2 - Input Section As shown in Figure 2, the 1176 input section is comprised of an adjustable passive attenuator followed by a transformer. The purpose of this section is to reduce the signal level so as not to overdrive the FET based gain reduction stage.
- Page 31 The Technical Stuff __________________________________________________________ As shown in Figure 3, gain reduction is achieved by a Field Effect Transistor (FET) which is used as a variable resistor. In the 1176, the FET acts like a resistor whose resistance is controlled by the voltage applied to its gate.
- Page 32 The output amplifier is a Darlington pair followed by a class A stage based on a 2N3053 transistor. The 1176 output stage was essentially the same as the Universal Audio 1108 pre-amplifier. The output transformer is a custom transformer designed by Bill Putnam Sr. Aside from offering output impedance matching, the transformer forms an integral part of the feedback network used to stabilize the output stage.
- Page 33 The Technical Stuff __________________________________________________________ As shown in Figure 5, this circuit controls the amount of compression as well as the attack and release times of the limiter. The input to this circuit is taken from the output of the preamplifier section, just before the volume control potentiometer (R23).
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Page 34: Glossary Of Terms
Glossary of Terms __________________________________________________________ Ambient noise - Low-level noise created by environmental factors such as fans, air conditioners, heaters, wind noise, etc. Attack time - Describes the amount of time it takes compressor circuitry to react to and reduce the gain of incoming signal. - Page 35 Glossary of Terms __________________________________________________________ dBm - Short for “decibels as referenced to milliwatt,” dissipated in a standard load of 600 ohms. 1 dBm into 600 ohms results in 0.775 volts RMS. dBV - Short for “decibels as referenced to voltage,” without regard for impedance; thus, one volt equals one dBV.
- Page 36 Glossary of Terms _______________________________________________________________________ Peak reduction - A synonym for compression or limiting. Program dependent - Refers to a parameter that varies according to the characteristics of the incoming signal. To some degree, the amount of 2-1176 gain reduction is program dependent. Ratio - see “Compression Ratio”...
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Page 37: Recall Sheet
Recall Sheet __________________________________________________________ - 33 -... -
Page 38: Specifications
Specifications _______________________________________________________________________ 15 kΩ, 600 Ω selectable Input Impedance 600 Ω (floating) Output Load Impedance Frequency Response 20 Hz to 20 kHz ± 1 dB Gain 40 dB, ± 1 dB Distortion > 0.5% T.H.D. from 50 Hz – 15 kHz with limiting, at 1.1 seconds release setting. -
Page 39: Additional Resources/Product Registration/Warranty/Service & Support
Warranty The warranty for all Universal Audio hardware is one year from date of purchase, parts and labor. Service & Support Even gear as well designed and tested as ours will sometimes fail. In those rare instances, our goal here at UA is to get you up and running again as soon as possible.
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