Bring the power and polish of vintage studio compression to your pedalboard with the Pedal76 from Warm Audio. This analog FET compressor adds miraculous sustain, dynamic control, and vintage girth to any signal you feed in. The controls are simple yet unleash infinitely robust performance on par with priceless vintage units. Input and Output level controls offer extensive dynamic freedom and assurances that the Pedal76 can fit into any signal chain or rig. The pristine quality of the circuit is unmistakable; once levels are cranked, you’ll hear the gritty saturation and harmonic color that makes FET compression so universally treasured. Attack, Release, and Ratio provide detailed compression that complements your style even when your style changes on a dime — funky cleans or blistering heavy metal, nothing is off limits! Lastly, Warm Audio exceeded our expectations here by adding numerous rear-panel switches that enhance performance and help protect signal integrity: FX Bypass, Input Sensitivity, Level, Ground Lift, and Drive. You also get a handy balanced DI output. Experience a definitive pedalboard-ready twist on the timeless sound of the ’76!
After its introduction in 1967, the original ’76-style compressor quickly became a studio staple, used on countless classic albums. Unlike previous tube-based designs, the ’76 housed a solid-state FET topology, yielding ultra-fast attack times and a larger-than-life distortion when pushed. The Warm Audio Pedal76 re-creates this iconic studio classic via a stompbox enclosure, complete with ’76-esque aesthetics, familiar studio-style controls, a top-panel VU meter, a bonus balanced output, and — most importantly — a sweet, FET-fueled sound that’s as musical as the legendary studio hardware that inspired it.
Anyone familiar with the original ’76-style compressor will feel right at home with the Warm Audio Pedal76, thanks to its studio-style control set. The pedal’s Input knob not only determines the level of your input signal but also controls the compression threshold. Conversely, the Output knob adjusts the level of your output signal, enabling you to compensate for any volume drops from gain reduction or to slam the next input in your effects chain simply. The Ratio knob ranges from 4:1 to 20:1; lower settings are great for taming errant peaks, while higher settings yield a signal-smashing limiting effect. You also get Attack and Release knobs for determining how quickly the compressor engages and disengages, allowing you to dial in transparent dynamics control with conservative settings or to smash transients and create pumping and breathing effects with extreme settings.
Here we’re impressed with the Pedal76. Not only does it deliver studio-quality FET compression, but it also includes several added features that make it easier to integrate into your studio or stage setup. For starters, you get an external FX Bypass switch for toggling between true and buffered bypass, ensuring that the pedal plays nice with the rest of your rig. You also get an Input Sensitivity switch for proper gain staging, a Level switch that selects between microphone and line-level, a Ground Lift switch, and a Drive switch that toggles between low and high-gain modes, the latter of which provides you with a level boost and rich, transformer-infused grit. Lastly, you get a dedicated balanced DI output for sending the proper signal to your mixer or recording setup.
