The 175B & 176 are an iconic pair of tube compressors designed by Universal Audio founder, Bill Putnam Sr. Introduced in the early 1960s, Universal Audio’s 175B & 176 were the first audio compressors purpose-built for studio recording and mixing music. In the new UAD V9.10 update, these fabled units make their way into our DAWs.

The legacy of the 175B and 176 dates back to the ’60s when compression technology had just started being translated into the musical world. What started as repurposed radio station hardware came a pair of tube compressors that changed recording forever. These two units would go on to be responsible for seminal recordings from Elton John, Van Halen, and Miles Davis.

The pair that pioneered the compression world are now available in software form. Universal Audio Devices V9.10 makes owning a piece of history easy.

The 175B comes with a concrete 12:1 compression ratio whereas the 176 has the option between 2:1, 4:1, 8:1 and 12:1. Each has the fast attack time and independently variable attack and release controls indicative of the systems. Although, possibly the biggest advantage with the new plugin format is the ability to utilize the dry/wet mix and parallel processing that you could with a usual compressor plugin. As a result, this new format opens up a whole new avenue of sonic possibilities audio treatment.

Hardware like these would easily sell for thousands and are exceedingly rare, considering only 1000 were made. This is not to mention to hundreds that are already locked away in the world’s best studios. Now you can now enjoy that classic tube sound on all your vocals, drums and guitars with a fraction of the price and in an all-digital format.

The 175B and 176 Tube Compressor Collection is available here.