Review of Universal Audio LA-6176 plugin and why you might not need it.

[@mixedbymatty]

FYI. When I was testing the unit and getting ready for the video, I was A/Bin'g the Limit and Compress modes on the LA2a Section. Somehow, when the video was recorded, I forgot to switch the LA-610 back to compress mode. 😑Sorry about that all.....As always, do your own testing before buying a plugin, and make sure to compare it in compress mode....lol

[@VoortVlugtend]

It's the only way to get a 610 for native plug-in users (who don't own UA interfaces)

[@Pummelfay]

Ua doesnt fkn care. They could have given us switchable versions of those plugins years ago

[@Drfresh1402]

UAD needs to revamp some of their old reverbs.

[@levondarratt787]

You need to revamp 90% of their stuff. Just lazy

[@elStevobass]

Im pretty convinced at this point you could make the best possible mixes with a dozen or so plugins. That said, do you want to try to dial in the 610 or Pultec or SSL or Neve curve on a FabFilter ProQ? Nah man, have fun with the plug ins. I have a hardware 6176 and I kinda dig that I could get the plug-in and switch between the compressors and have a mix control for parallel processing, while looking at a familiar and pleasing GUI. Let's face it, these are all fun toys to have in our luxury bedroom studios - studios that are more powerful now than the gazillion dollar studios our heroes made their masterpieces in. Just get it if you like it and have your fun. I think it's cool.

[@BakerSynth]

Great straight forward review. If this plugin is Unison then it could be placed on a unison slot for the 610 pre and 1176/LA2A. Using one slot with four regular console slots left if one needs to fill all the slots. But the Unison slot will be recorded, not monitored.

[@DMMirval]

Thanks for the review. We don't "need" any plugin, at all ;-) I can see this more as a faster and streamlined workflow. I don't like having multiple windows on a screen, specially when they don't have the same size or layout like a 610 and 1176 (but it's me). I tend to use more and more plugins like Voxbox or VT 737sp, because of that. Also, it can be useful to quickly listen the difference on a vocal between an LA-2A and a 1176. But, it's just a matter of convenience. Nothing crazy.

[@G_handle]

Pretty negative review considering You pointed out the obvious reasons to get it: - it's virtually Identical to 3 existing plugins, so you get the Quality - you get all 3 for 1 Price, likely discounted - you can quickly Switch between 3 different sounds faster than 3 separate plugins. I like you have Everything from UA already, but the speed & convenience alone would be worth using it, particularly when quickly deciding between an LA2A or 1176 on say a Vocal. Parenthetically, I also view mixing as a performance, and our gear not so much as Tools but rather Instruments. And different Instruments speak to different Artists differently. Objectively, we don't "Need" any of this stuff. But what is Objective about music?

[@mixedbymatty]

That's why I said at the end. If you don't have any of those plugins it's a great deal. If you do I don't think you really need it.

[@hinky7729]

Very good comment

[@bresk13]

@@hinky7729 apParenthetically ;)

[@gaborkiss1425]

Also, takes one Unison slot only on the Apollos.

[@YuzoTibi]

On your LA2A comparison one instance is set on „comp“ the other on „limit. Maybe that is what caused the little differences.

[@martijnvandongen]

The switch within the 1176 would be indeed amazing! I would say the same for the LA2A. Thanks for the review!

[@danymalsound]

Absolutely!

[@joesalyers]

I had the same feeling until I saw one difference. The real benefit of this plugin is the Impedance switch which has a 47Kilo-ohm option and that is the only way for active bass/guitar pickups and acoustic piezo pickups to get the correct impedance on an apollo interface. The standard impedance is 2.2 mega-ohms which is a bit too high for an active pickup but perfect for a passive pickup. But UAD still haven't fixed the bandwidth issue with sampling rates above 48k they are still just running plugins at 48K internally and using oversampling this is why they give such a strange latency reading. But if you work at 48K or 44.1K its fine but if you work at 88.2 or 96K this can be an issue. But thats a story for another day.

[@linusmarron]

Love the straight forward no BS review, Matty!

[@mikehunt576]

yeah im not confused though, its to sell more plugins, best to get them all free as they are CRACKED and coming to the USA soon lol!!!

[@bco0t6]

It’s a cash grab people are literally begging for a native SSL strip and bus comp, but they don’t listen to their community unfortunately.

[@hlgrf8876]

Did you every think about they might do it if they could? SSL is in the market with their own native plugins and might have something agains native UA versions. Could be a licensing thing as it is with native Neve versions.

[@harpoleon6806]

​@hlgrf8876 facts lmao 🤣 this jack ass just sounded like a jack ass😅😅😅

[@bresk13]

Pure cash grab and if these are the new DSP releases promised it's even worse

[@bco0t6]

@@hlgrf8876 we have a native 1073 and the 84 is supposedly coming soon, doubt it’s licensing, SSL approves of PAs Brianworx SSL being sold natively

[@frankymino8773]

@@bresk13 Took the words right out of my mouth. Totally agreed!

[@russcontact]

In todays plugin world transformers are well modeled, so if you want “vintage” character all you have to do is use a good eq or clean compressor and then add in the transformers afterwards. Same with distortion, saturation, etc Sure, some analog gear is still slightly better than plugins, but the idea that you need digital copies of tons of different vintage gear is silly

[@andrehines]

The reason people get confused with the LA-610 sound is because it is really based around the original LA-2, not LA-2A. The LA-2 attack reacts slower than the LA-2A's. This, however, is exactly why the original LA-2 is highly coveted as a tracking compressor. If you redo this experiment, you will see that the LA-610 and LA-2 have the exact same sound.

[@gaborkiss1425]

"LA-2 is highly coveted as a tracking compressor" Because it flatters the singer's voice more than LA-2A?

[@andrehines]

@@gaborkiss1425 No, because it has a slower attack which is more suited for tracking

[@gaborkiss1425]

@@andrehines So it would be actually better for singing practices too, thanks. :)

[@Beautiful7]

It would be cool to invent an empty box (Rack) where we can drag and drop two or more plugins together to get that effect instead of opening a few plugins at once. I like the convenience of the plugin. I have 98 UAD plugins and 2 Octo's, it wouldn't make sense for me to buy this, but I would be lying to you if I said that I am not going to purchase this. (For $50)

[@salvodipiazza88]

I already have the LA2A and 1176 plugins. I wanted to buy the LA610 for €163, but I ended up buying the 6176 for €70.

[@Beethovan]

1176 sounds so brighter, much clearer & analogish than LA-6176 which sound muffled. May be worth the 1176 difference, if we can buy LA-6176 for $24 with a coupon. I did a comparison on Male vocals between LA-6176 with preAmp & 1176, LA-6176 sounds excellent. It looks like 1176 in LA-6176 donot have saturation & 610 PreAmp saturation should be switched on to get saturation. But the Combo sounds excellent.

[@UKDEEP]

Thanks for this breakdown. I’m pretty mystified myself but after watching your 1 on 1 comparison I realised I don’t need it either 👍

[@donnas8408]

I bought 610. It sucked seriously it’s all I’m gonna say.

[@Studio22mix]

Yeah, I really thought it was a good piece of gear and had it in the back of my mind for a while but I heard from a lot of people who had one that they were not really happy with it so I passed on that one 😅

[@Studio22mix]

I think it’s good to go through our plugin library and look at what we actually use and ask ourselves if we really need another plugin. Plugins should be tools not another gimmick or gadget. It’s so easy to waste money with a couple of clicks, better safe up for something that really matters, a piece of hardware, room treatment, monitors … prioritize your spendings. Plugins are like candy for the kids, not the best nutritious food to grow up on.

[@Il-Cane]

lot of customers of uad are brain smashes...... guys this plugin is like a recycle totally unecessay and useless....I have 40 thousand euros of gear... but one thing is certain I will never buy something that makes fun of me, even for 20 euros, I'm not a sheep like the people I see commenting on this video praising the incredible properties of this obscene plugin.

[@frankymino8773]

It's like a cult/religion. A while ago when UAD gave away the free LA2A (Stripped down) I gave it a go considering I don't have any of their plugins. I was in the middle of a project when out of nowhere the UAD app opened and obscured what I was working on. That really pissed me off. I uninstalled the plugin and anything related to UAD. As I also found out to use their plugins you MUST be online or you can't use them. The plugins I use from other developers work without having to be online and I don't get any pop up surprises. I have no idea why UAD customers act as though their plugins are the best thing since sliced bread. Paying a premium for eye candy and a placebo in which you must stay connected to the internet LOL.... What a joke!

[@bresk13]

well said. 100% True

[@frankymino8773]

It's like a cult/religion. A while ago when UAD gave away the free LA2A (Stripped down) I gave it a go considering I don't have any of their plugins. I was in the middle of a project when out of nowhere the UAD app opened and obscured what I was working on. That really annoyed me. I uninstalled the plugin and anything related to UAD. As I also found out to use their plugins you MUST be online or you can't use them. The plugins I use from other developers work without having to be online and I don't get any pop up surprises. I have no idea why UAD customers act as though their plugins are the best thing since sliced bread. Paying a premium for eye candy and a placebo in which you must stay connected to the internet LOL.... What a joke!

[@frankymino8773]

It's like a cult/religion. A while ago when they gave away the free LA2A I gave it a go considering I don't have any of their plugins. I was in the middle of a project when out of nowhere their app opened and obscured what I was working on. That really annoyed me. I uninstalled the plugin and anything related. As I also found out to use their plugins you must be online or you can't use them. The plugins I use from other developers work without having to be online and I don't get any pop up surprises. I have no idea why their customers act as though their plugins are the best thing since sliced bread. Paying a premium for eye candy and a placebo in which you must stay connected to the internet LOL.... What a joke!

[@frankymino8773]

Yes absolutely. A while ago when they gave away the free LA2A I gave it a go considering I don't have any of their plugins. I was in the middle of a project when out of nowhere their app opened and obscured what I was working on. That really annoyed me. I uninstalled the plugin and anything related. As I also found out to use their plugins you must be online or you can't use them. The plugins I use from other developers work without having to be online and I don't get any surprises. I have no idea why their customers act as though their plugins are the best thing since sliced bread. Paying a premium for eye candy and a placebo in which you must stay connected to the internet.

[@PetexZen]

Staring at my LA610 in my rack right now shedding a tear

[@MusicChannel-rf5zz]

I definitely won’t need so much of saturation!

[@or1adj876]

The La2a is on comp mode and the other is on limit mode

[@shaner36]

Dont this can be loaded in unison slot. Says native in the website. Maybe load it as a insert. Great review….will pass

[@DaveJLamar]

Apparently it can be loaded in a unison slot.

[@pro_influence]

Oops! I tbink you are right about there's no reason for one to buy it when you already have other plugins ,but I think the advantage that might be is when you have all in onr plugin is less Processor consuming fast work flow ,besides for those who doesn't have UAD plugins already can purchase this new one that has both Preamp with the compressor, thanks for the video ,it's a nice one .❤

[@jdc6681]

This plugin allows us to track/record a 610 pre AND a 1176 or LA2-type compressor via one Unison mic pre slot, which I believe is not possible using separate plugins. Am I correct in that? And if not, what is the procedure for tracking/recording both mic pre plugin and compressor plugin in the UAD world?

[@DadRockAndGuitars]

I don't have the 610 plugin because I don't have a UA interface and they don't offer the 610 as Native. So one reason to buy it would be to get the 610 preamp. With that said, I don't think I need another preamp plugin. I already have all that I need. However, I'll probably demo it just out of curiosity since I used to have an LA-610 back in the day. Apparently not a poplar opinion, but I really liked the LA-610 😅 I thought it was great on bass and vocals.

[@alexbreyer6921]

For anyone who might not know, people who own the native version of the Century Tube Channel Srip have the 610 in that. And that has an optical compressor.

[@VoortVlugtend]

@@alexbreyer6921 how do you know the Century tube pre is the same as their 610? It's not officially documented anywhere... Has a youtuber confirmed this with tests?

[@GiannisGeorgilasOfficial]

@@VoortVlugtend Drew from UA has confirmed that in a post at Gearspace. Preamp of the Century Tube Channel strip is 610 and the comp is the LA3A.

[@alexbreyer6921]

@@VoortVlugtend Drew from UA said on the user forum. It's more of a LA3A compressor (good) and the filters are more like Pultec than the filters on the UA hardware.

[@sgfdancecompany]

if you have the previews ones, make sense, but i agree with you , dont make any sense if you own the 610, 1176 and teletronik (like me)

[@Yourweakminds]

TWO plugins -BOTH using UNISON at the same time for £49. What’s not to like? 👍

[@smt7400]

I’m interested at the curve analyzer. Could you let me know how I could get it? Thanks!

[@DJKTKaboom]

Thank you, cause I was like why…? Okay nvm. Lol. Cash grab. Got it. 😂

[@nukenoly8751]

As a native user without hardware this plugin is a no-brainer using the 2 for $76 deal Love it on everything but shines on vocals

[@iaincourt6500]

The Ratios were set differently on the Compressor examples! between the 1176's

[@dankenton]

I bought just for convenience of having all three instances in one click - plus I had a coupon, lol.

[@jvonnjvonn4688]

Nothong suppose to change you getting two plugins in one leave there smh ppl still gone get it anyway

[@dizmix]

less io ... Thats the reason for having this plugin.

[@jvonnjvonn4688]

You gone by them 1176 for a switch what u wanna use two smh

[@ingolfurthorvaldsson7653]

You are able to print, with unison the compressor also.

[@casualintrovert207]

I have a hemisphere mic and i'd want to use this in the unison slot but once I do, I won't be able to properly use the hemisphere mic models which is a shame. Since the mic modeling isn't happening BEFORE the unison input, you're basically coloring the sound before it even gets to the mic modeling part. However rght now, the plugin is on sale for $50, as opposed to the $299 it would normally be. So I think if you want a channel strip like this, its kind of a steal.

[@bresk13]

10 years have passed since those kind of prices made sense. I would be surprised if they are able to sell even 1 licence full retail price.

[@redbigapplefloppa302]

That's what a review should be like. Great video

[@shandre14]

Does it use dsp or lead to using less dsp ?

[@le_beatbox]

i have a LA-610 hardware. Didn't compare it to the plugin but i just wanted to say that i love that thing on bass and electric guitars. Not bad on vox too but you have to be careful with gain staging and there's other comps i would pick for that over the 610 one for that

[@gaborkiss1425]

How is it for voiceover? Thanks!

[@le_beatbox]

@@gaborkiss1425 It certainly CAN work. Not sure i would go with tubes personally for voice overs, a classic VO chain is a u87 into a millenia pre or even something mid-forward like api. To me the LA-610 excels at guitars and bass and some singing voices mostly

[@Sample_Props_Official]

god damn it.

[@ZndBornMixedIt]

Great video!! 🔥🔥

[@gerardomerino6418]

Totally agree!