SA76
by Sonic Academy · Compressor · 1176-style FET compressor
Not rated yet
SA76 is Sonic Academy's emulation of the 1176 FET compressor, with the fast attack and punch of the hardware.
It adds modern control beyond the original, and costs £24.95 (about $33.05), or comes with a Sonic Academy subscription.
Best for: Drums, Vocals, Bass, Keys & Synths, Drum Bus. Genres: Electronic & EDM, Hip-Hop & Trap, Rock & Indie, Pop.
Keywords: FET, punchy, bass, drums, hardware emulation, subscription, classic, modern, built-in mix knob, parallel processing, aggressive, sidechain input, vintage, vocals, wide, external sidechain, inspired by, perpetual licence, synths, 60s, analog-sounding, bus processing, drum bus, mixing, single-band, skeuomorphic, utility.
What it does
SA76 is Sonic Academy's model of the 1176 FET compressor. The developer's aim is "the classic analog sound of vintage hardware with modern day control": the 1176's fast attack, punch, density and sustain, plus extras the hardware never had.
- Classic controls: Input and Output, Attack and Release, as on the original front panel.
- Ratios: 4, 8, 12 and 20, plus ALL for the aggressive all-buttons-in sound.
- Gain linking: automatically adjusts the output as you change the input, so you can push compression without jumps in level.
- Mix: a dry/wet knob for parallel compression inside the plugin.
- Drive: a built-in saturation stage for extra harmonics.
- Sidechain: external sidechain input with its own gain trim, and a high-pass filter on the detection circuit so low end doesn't drive the compressor.
- Stereo width: width controls to narrow or widen the processed signal.
The current version is 1.0.3. It is sold as a one-time purchase and is included with a Sonic Academy subscription, with a perpetual licence if the subscription ends. There is a 14-day free trial.
Source: Sonic Academy product page
When to use it
SA76 is the better pick for a low-cost 1176 that adds the modern controls the classic models lack. Compared with the 1176 Classic Limiter Collection, it costs far less and has a Mix knob, sidechain high-pass and width controls, but it is a single model rather than UA's several hardware revisions. Like CLA-76 it gives you the all-buttons mode and drive, and it adds gain linking and an external sidechain trim. Unlike Pro-C 3 or TDR Kotelnikov, it is a colour compressor with a fixed character, not a clean all-rounder. It is most attractive if you already have a Sonic Academy subscription, since it is included.
- Best for: punchy drums, aggressive vocals, bass, and adding sustain and density to synths.
- Genres: electronic, hip-hop, rock and pop.
- Look elsewhere if: you want several 1176 revisions to choose from (1176 Classic Limiter Collection) or a smooth opto sound (Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection or CLA-2A).
- Tip: use the Mix knob for parallel compression on drums and bass instead of setting up a separate bus (Bedroom Producers Blog).
What producers say
The one hands-on write-up found was very positive about the sound and the parallel Mix control.
- Bedroom Producers Blog tested it on bass and drums and called it "potentially one of the best 1176 emulations available", saying it "reacts surprisingly close to real hardware" with a punchy FET character.
- Praised: the Mix knob for parallel compression and the tone-shaping from the drive stage.
Where to buy
- Sonic Academy: $33.05 (£24.95 converted to USD (ECB rate, 29 Sep 2026))
Tutorials and reviews
- Introducing SA-76 by Sonic Academy
- SA76 - First Look!
- IS THIS THE BEST 1176 PLUGIN EVER?? SA76 REVIEW
- Action : NEW FET-76 by Sonic Academy [ SA 76 ]
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