For those stations that want to sound a little different, here might be a piece of equipment to play with — Klark Teknik’s take on the venerable 1176 compressor.
Those familiar with classic studio recording practice will recognize the moniker — originated with UREI’s late 1960s–early 1970s FET peak limiter, the 1176LN. It is said to have been the first complete solid-state limiter.
The Klark Teknik 1176-KT is modeled after the D and E revisions of the original line. But it offers some interior component updating along with adding input and output transformers from Music Group stablemate Midas.
Compression ratios are notched at 4:1, 8:1, 12:1 and 20:1 with adjustable attack times of 20–800 microseconds and release times of 80–700 milliseconds.
Big knobs, pushbuttons, toggle switch and a VU meter make for a classic retro look. Price: $689 (a lot cheaper than a working original 1176 would run).
