The aesthetics alone of this one caught my attention. When I learned it was FET-driven and CineMag transformer-equipped and I knew I had to get my hands on one. The fact that it is priced at just $269 seemed too good to be true. Well, is it? Read on. With the Pedal76 Compressor, Warm Audio seeks to accurately reproduce one of the fastest and most powerful studio compressors of all time — the UREI 1176 — in a pedalboard friendly format. One look at the pedal and its apparent that careful design direction gives off the UREI 1176 vibe. The knobs, the enclosure, and the meter that illuminates orange all pay homage to the original.
Just like the UREI 1176 the Pedal76 has Attack & Release, Ratio, and Input controls.
The official manual says the ratio knob has a range of 4:1 to 20:1 going from less to more compression. Higher ratios also slightly raise the compression threshold, so at 20:1, more of the signal remains uncompressed while transients above the higher threshold are heavily compressed. At ratios of 12:1 or 20:1, Pedal76 acts more as a limiter than a compressor. There is a little more range of motion on the dial prior to the 4 indicator (more counterclockwise than the 4 indicator) but the lowest ratio is in fact 4:1.
The Attack knob sets the amount of time it takes for the circuit to respond to an incoming signal level and start compressing. The design of the 1176 style compression is to be "fast" meaning the use of FETs allows the 1176 to achieve fast attack times. As fast as 20 microseconds, which is much faster than many other compressor types, such as optical or tube compressors. The implementation here with the Pedal76 is that increasing attack speed can control the dynamics to the point of perfectly even signal level, regardless of playing style. The Pedal76 attack time is adjustable from 20 microseconds to 800 microseconds. It can get squishy.
The release control sets the time it takes for the signal to return to its uncompressed level and is adjustable from 50 to 1100 milliseconds. It is possible to cause a “pumping” and “breathing” effect with fast release. A slow release can make a loud signal slowly become quiet, making the performance sound more dynamic.
With 1176 style compressors I personally tend to like dialing in a slower attack and mid to faster release. That's totally a preference thing though. There is plenty of versatility here. The input control determines the level of the signal entering the Pedal76, as well as the compression threshold. Higher settings will result in increased amounts of compression. Think of it like this. The higher (more clockwise) you set the dial the stronger the impact of your input signal on the compression engine. You are driving the engine harder, lowering the threshold at which the compression kicks in. As you rotate the dial more clockwise, and therefore adding more input gain, you will need to adjust the output control to compensate. The output control is there to regulate the signal leaving the Pedal76. Once the desired amount of limiting or compression is achieved with the use of the Input control, the Output control can be used to make up any gain lost from the gain reduction.
On the back of the pedal, the standard output is ¼" unbalanced TS cable output for amplifiers and unbalanced input sources. There is also a separate balanced (DI) out that sends proper signal to the mixer or live recording rig, with an available high gain mode adding a level boost with more grit and richness. High gain is selected with a toggle switch. Setting the switch to high gain mode does introduce a bit more harmonic content but it is very sensitive to the intensity of the input signal.
It is possible to push the Pedal76 to breakup, but it is dependent on gain settings, how strong of a signal you are feeding into the compressor, and how high you have the input gain set.
Lower ratio and very high input setting is the path to this result. It's easy to avoid breakup though. That said, I do like the added excitement that setting the switch to high gain introduces. Be aware that there will immediately be a substantial increase in volume when switching from low to high gain. You will need to lower the output volume to compensate. It is also highly interactive with what you have feeding into the compressor at the input.
The balanced output is loud and is designed to go to the line input of an interface or mixer. If the balanced output level is set to "Mic" (selectable via the pad engagement toggle switch on the back of the pedal) then it will output a level good for microphone preamps or microphone inputs on interfaces. The balanced output is not intended to be connected to other guitar devices. You should use a TRS (balanced), not TS (unbalanced) cable. There is a ground/lift switch for the balanced output. I asked the folks at Warm Audio about the signal path and whether the on board CineMag transformer was part of both the balanced output path and the standard output path. They promptly responded saying the CineMag transformer is indeed connected to both outputs with isolated windings. To my ear though, the effect of the high gain setting is more noticeable when running balanced out. Note: CineMag is legit. They own all of the original datasheets & specs from Reichenbach Engineering, the company that built the original transformers in the vintage 1176 studio compressors. One thing worth noting: It is important to get your gain staging right when using the balanced output. In other words, the balanced output is very loud. And then when switching between from high to low gain output (via the toggle on the back of the pedal) you manipulate the gain staging even more. So be mindful of this with at your audio interface or console or wherever you are connecting the Pedal76 to via balanced out. It could easily distort a console input. Also, on the back of the pedal you will find a switch to set true and buffered bypass operation when the pedal is deactivated (using the footswitch on the face of the pedal). This is to help ensure the compressor plays nice with whatever is downline in your signal chain.
There is a dial to adjust input sensitivity which is a -16dB pad between the input buffer and preamp. You can use this to attenuate how hot the input side of the compressor hits the output stage to prevent unwanted distortion from cascading gain staging. This is a real nice feature to have though the standard range of the input control is plenty versatile already.
Lastly, there is a dial to adjust the calibration of the VU meter on the face of the pedal should you ever need to. I have not. The enclosure itself is a nice light weight brushed aluminum with white lettering that is easy to read. It feels solid but not as heavy as I expected, based on its size.
The dials have a nice feel to them and turn with satisfying resistance. The VU meter lights up orange and is plenty bright. I did find the meter to be quite responsive in a good way. For overall accuracy and precise metering multiple LEDs is still better in my opinion but this more analogue style meter is the best implementation of a more vintage style gauge I've seen yet on a compressor pedal. It is definitely useful. So just how big is it? I think photos on the web make it look bigger than it really is. The Pedal76 Compressor is a little less than 6.5" wide. But it is 3.25” tall. Not exactly small, but not as big as the likes of the Origin Effects Cali76 big box compressors either. It is definitely doable on a pedalboard. Here's a picture comparing to a couple of other compressor pedals.
How does the Warm Audio Pedal76 Compressor sound and respond? Like a great 1176 style compressor should.
Overall, its ability to liven your sound is impressive. This is definitely not a sterile or boring compressor by any means.
The introduction of harmonic content can be subtle (unless driven hard as mentioned earlier) but in a real nice way. Compared to my Origin Effects Cali76 Bass Compressor (a very popular 1176 style pedal compressor) I find the Cali76 to be smoother sounding and feeling overall. The Pedal76 might be thought of as the more aggressive option. There is a little bit of sparkle and bite to it that is pleasing. On the other hand, the high pass filter aspect of the side chain of the Cali76 Bass Compressor easily offers more refinement of how lows trigger the compression circuit. You can dial in the Cali76 Bass Compressor to have an almost bottomless low end feel which isn't possible with the Warm Audio Pedal76. That's not a necessarily a bad thing, just an important observation in functional differences. Lows sound great through this compressor and definitely tighten up.
Another comparison would be the Pedal76 and the Origin Effects Cali76 FET Compressor which offers the same functional controls. In this comparison too I would qualify the Pedal76 as being the livelier sounding and feeling of the two. I'd use descriptors like "smooth", "polished, "warm", and "pleasing" to describe the inherent quality of the Cali76 FET Compressor. The Pedal76 is certainly pleasing too, for sure. I'd describe it as brighter, less refined, and having more snap. Depending on your preference, this could really be a good thing.
I do appreciate the added Dry/Wet blend control found on both Cali76 devices. I have come to prefer parallel style compression where I can blend in a bit of my dry, uncompressed signal which can help make using a compressor feel more natural. It involves blending a heavily compressed version of a signal with the uncompressed (or lightly compressed) version of the same signal. The result is a more impactful sound while preserving the nuances and transients of the original performance. Personally, I'd love to see a v2 of the Pedal76 with a wet/dry blend or variable HPF control. The addition of either would definitely make the Pedal76 more versatile and useful. Maybe someday. Another recent addition on the compressor market that is based on the 1176 style is the Wampler Ego76. It too is a FET compressor design and offers a punchy and lively feeling with enough color and effect to put a smile on your face. It definitely makes your tone feel bigger but not in a boomy or muddy sort of way. To my ear, there is more similarity to tone, feel and response of the Warm Audio Pedal76 and the Wampler Ego76 than either of the Origin Effects Cali76 devices. The Ego76 includes a blend control, which allows you to blend as much or as little as your original uncompressed (dry) sound. It also has a shelving tone control that helps restore highs that can be lost with more aggressive compression. Rotate the dial clockwise to introduce more high-end frequency to the signal. Rotating more counterclockwise removes high end presence. The Ego76 is also much smaller than the Warm Audio Pedal76. I suspect many of my readers will wonder about how the Pedal76 and the old big box style Origin Effects compressors compare. Because of the transformer in the Pedal76 and inherent tonal qualities I think the Pedal76 is in the ballpark of those big box Cali's but at a much lower price point and smaller form factor. In my review where I compared the Cali76 TX big box to the now discontinued Cali76 Compact Bass (which was replaced by the above mentioned Cali76 Bass compressor) I said this:
The Cali76 TX comes across as sweeter in the mids and highs, maybe a little rounder. The Compact Bass is more neutral or, dare I say, sterile in the highs and mids. It is still very musical, just not as sweet. It is subtle, but there is more harmonic content in the overall tone and feel of the Cali76 TX.
To my ear, there are similarities between the Warm Audio Pedal76 and the Cali76 TX. I'd use words like "punchy", "full", "lively", and "fun" to describe the Pedal76 and having sweet mids and highs in a similar way to the Origin Effects big box compressors. The Warm Audio Pedal76 has a rich tonal experience that is a little rawer sounding. From subtle to squished, it sounds great to me.
Considering the Origin Effects Cali76 Bass Compressor and FET Compressor come in at $369 (and the Origin Effects big box compressors are far more than that on the secondhand market) I think the $269 price of the Warm Audio Pedal76 makes it a bargain. The Wampler Ego76 can be had for $199 retail price but does not offer the balanced output and any type of gain reduction metering.
There is also the Universal Audio 1176 compressor pedal released recently. If you are considering an 1176 style compressor in pedalboard format, then my review of the UAFX 1176 is worth the read. For a variety of reasons noted in that review I would recommend any of the other compressor pedals already mentioned here over the UAFX 1176.
I found the Pedal76 it to be generally quiet. Not the most silent of all compressors but not at all bad either. Gain staging will have a lot to do with your experience.
The Pedal76 requires 9 volts and125ma and internally increase voltage. It can also run on a 9-volt battery though on battery power you are getting 1176 compression but no transformer and less analog "mojo" or warmth. The pedal has the full range of compression, but not the same output amplifier color. Bottom line: The Warm Audio Pedal76 sounds great, works well, and is definitely a more affordable path to satisfying your 1176 craving. The inclusion of the CineMag transformer adds nice weight to the tone and lively sound and feel. The overall package makes it a compressor I would recommend trying for yourself. Pedal76 is a fun compressor and despite its size, it will be in regular rotation on my pedalboard.
Pros: • Sound • Transformer • Vibe: Design and aesthetics (in my opinion anyway) • Balanced output • High/Low gain selection • Easy to use • Price Cons: • Size (you might consider it too big) • No parallel compression or side chain control Retail Price: $269