Arturia Comp FET-76

The most iconic studio compressor ever made, recreated as a software plugin. Perfect vocals and instruments every time.
The phrase “industry standard” gets used a lot in music production circles, but few products actually live up the hype.

The original 1176 compressor designed by Bill Putnam Sr. truly lives up to the name. Now – thanks to Arturia’s TAE® technology – you can enjoy its legendary tone-shaping from the convenience of a software plugin.

Produced from the late 60s, the original hardware compressor was a staple of all major studios. Every mix engineer demanded at least one in a session, and they were used to shape the sound of countless hit records from Michael Jackson to The Killers, Guns n Roses to Joe Cocker, Bruce Springsteen to Chaka Khan. You won’t have to settle for just one, though; with Comp FET-76, you can load up one of these classic compressors on as many channels as you want.

People often say the 1176 “just makes things sound better”, but how does it do it? Our engineers carefully analyzed and modelled every component, electronics nuance, and quirk in the data of an original D/E model to find out, and recreate it as software. The combination of the Field Effect Transistor, the “Class A” amplifier, and its unique design imparts a subtle, but very desirable tonal change even at very low compression levels. Crank the input, patch in higher ratio, or even go “all in”, and that FET magic really comes alive. We didn’t simply create a software clone, we created a truly modern compressor with updated features, but featuring the same legendary sound.

A fantastic all-rounder for both compressing and heating up your tone, Comp FET-76 is a must-have plugin.

Features

• Virtual recreation of famed classic FET compressor
• Original electronic path accurately modeled, including FET, transformers and transistors, using Arturia’s state-of-the-art TAE® analog modeling
• Original ultra fast attack & release parameters down to 20 microseconds
• “All Buttons” British mode ratio for explosive sound
• Additional Arturia’s creative side-chain features:
  • External side-chain source to trigger the compressor to an external source
  • 5 creative detection mode, including M/S processing
  • Time warp function with look ahead or delay added to your side-chain path
  • Advanced Side-chain EQ
  • Compression range parameter to limit the amount of gain reduction applied, with 0dB position for FET-76 with no compression/distorsion only sound
  • Monitor Side-chain signal directly
• Dry/wet Mix knob for parallel compression
• Input-Output gain link switch
• Switchable Analog VU meter with 3 calibrations mode (-18dBFs, -12dBS, -8 dBFs)
• Analog clipping LED indicator
• Comprehensive set of presets
• A/B comparison setting
• Integrated tutorials and unique dynamic preset tips
• Resizable window
• State-of-the-art TAE® analog modeling

What’s so special about Comp FET-76?

The perfect vocal compressor
The Comp FET-76 characteristic tone imparts an interesting flavor to this live acoustic guitar and vocal track.

Backing vocal control
It’s easy to use, and super effective. Keep everything under control, and make mixing a piece of cake.

Side-Chain Power
Discover the power of Arturia’s Advanced Side-chain panel with this rythmic track. The Chord movement is triggered by the 808 Kick, while the original FET-76 tone colors the rhythm section.

Add unique tone
“All buttons” ratio mode nicely blended with the original track using the included Mix parallel compression. The kick is also preserved using the Side chain High Pass Filter.

Saturated “all in” mode
Want to spice up a drum loop with analog saturation? Easy! Go “all in”, push the famed “All Buttons” ratio mode, and enjoy!

Subtle when needed
Using a little bit of Side-chain EQ and Time Warp snap, this acoustic guitar has its low-mid spectrum under control using the FET-76.

A legend reborn for the 21st century
While there’s no doubt the original hardware FET compressor is practically faultless, we couldn’t help but imagine what modern production tricks we could conjure from it.

One of the benefits of recreating a classic is that we have been able to add some subtle but powerful new features that truly make this a compressor fit for the modern studio, without altering its legendary tone.

The top panel of the interface gives you access to all of the original controls. You can click to expand the plugin to and access its advanced, new features.