Relab Development has announced the release of the Relab 176 Tube Compressor/Limiter plugin for macOS and Windows.
This project has been in development for over a year, with one goal: to capture the full behavior of a classic 176 tube compressor in software, without shortcuts.
That meant circuit-level modeling of tubes, transformers, and even the power supply – ensuring the plugin responds the way the hardware does, in real time, on a modern workstation.
The Relab 176 is resource-intensive by design, because accuracy came first. If you’re interested in hardware-accurate tube compression in plugin form, this is worth your evaluation.
Accurately modeled from the entire audio circuit of a vintage 1960s 176-style compressor: every tube, transformer, timing network, and power supply interaction is re-created using a real time circuit solver. This preserves the tone, timing, and dynamic behavior of the original hardware:
- Hardware-Accurate from Input to Output: The Relab 176 reproduces everything: the tone, timing, and dynamic behavior of the hardware. Every tube stage, transformer, and timing network responds as it does in the original.
- Compression That Adapts to the Music: Fixed-threshold, variable-gain design where ratio, drive, and source material interact to shape timing, curve, and harmonics.
- Instant Control Over Tone and Transients: Switchable interstage transformer, asymmetry detection, and calibration trims allow quick changes to character and transient handling.
Pricing & Availability
Relab 176 Tube Compressor/Limiter is available now for the introductory price of $149 (reg. $199), or you can pay over time for $14.99 × 12 months at relabdevelopment.com/relab-176
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