1176 history

Billed in the 1968 release as a “true peak limiter with all transistor circuitry and superior performance on all types of program material," the 1176’s major selling point was its ultra-fast attack time — a mere 20 µS (.00002 seconds) at its fastest setting. It also offered contemporary design, featuring knobs with clear surrounds, pushbuttons, and a brushed aluminum face panel with a blue stripe near the VU meter — none of those then typical big Bakelite knobs in sight. The initial price in 1967 was $489.00. Similar to the 176, the 1176 featured no threshold control — just input and output controls — and included a continuously variable attack and release, which was a novelty at the time. The amount of compression was determined by setting the input level — the hotter the signal reaching the detection circuits, the greater the resulting compression. Another unique feature was the selectable ratios of 4:1 and 8:1 for compression, and 12:1 and 20:1 for limiting.