Punch: a 76-style FET limiter
Module 06 of 14 · FET compressor (76-style)
- One Move knobDrive
- Latency0 ms
- CPU, iPad Air M31.3 %
- Default position6 of 14, after Level
Punch is a 76-style FET compressor: very fast, a little aggressive, and the classic way to push a vocal forward. One knob sets the drive. It was modelled on the classic FET limiter circuit and fitted to measured reference curves.
Hear it
Level into Punch
The 2A-style opto leveller driving the 76-style FET limiter at 8:1: a heavy, obviously compressed sound with the quiet lines pulled up. Before and after are set to the same loudness, so you hear the change, not a level jump.
"More Than 2 Sides (accapella)" by Colin Mutchler (ccmixter.org/files/commonsplice/2599), licensed CC BY 2.5 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5). Excerpt, processed by OneMove Vocal Console.
Punch and CLA-76
The same take through Punch (Classic FET Vocal) and CLA-76 (Vocal preset). Before and after are set to the same loudness, so you hear the change, not a level jump.
"More Than 2 Sides (accapella)" by Colin Mutchler (ccmixter.org/files/commonsplice/2599), licensed CC BY 2.5 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5). Excerpt, processed by OneMove Vocal Console. Compared with Waves CLA-76, Vocal preset.
The One Move: Drive
As on the original design, there is no threshold: you drive the voice into a fixed one. The knob runs the input from −12 dB (barely touching a vocal) to +12 dB (biting hard). Auto Gain keeps the loudness level as you turn it, so the knob only changes how hard Punch grabs.
Expert
| control | what it does |
|---|---|
| Input | the drive into the compressor, ±24 dB |
| Output | output level, ±24 dB (Auto Gain sets it for you) |
| Attack | 1–7, from slow to fastest; attack is under 1 ms |
| Release | 1–7; release runs from about 50 ms to about 1 s |
| Ratio | 4, 8, 12, 20 or All. Higher ratios grab later and harder; All lags, then grabs with grit |
| Revision | Blue (darker, hotter) or Black (cleaner) |
| Colour | the FET and transformer harmonics, 0–200 % |
| Mix | blends the dry voice back in (parallel compression) |
How it behaves. Punch is a feedback compressor: its output drives a three-part detector (fast, medium, slow), so the release depends on the material without any extra logic. The colour comes from even FET harmonics plus transformer harmonics weighted toward the bass, and an output stage that only colours when driven hot.
Specs
| Static curves vs measured reference (1 kHz, −40 to 0 dBFS) | within 0.19–0.43 dB RMS at every ratio, including All |
| Release half-time, slowest / middle / fastest | 1135 / 480 / 40 ms (reference ≈ 1100 / 500 / 50 ms) |
| Latency | 0 ms (no look-ahead) |
| CPU, iPad Air M3, only Punch on | 1.3 % of one core |
Method: Level and Punch, measured.
FAQ
Is this an 1176 emulation?
It is a 76-style FET limiter: our own design, written from an analysis of how the classic FET circuit behaves and fitted to measured curves. It is not a copy of any product and has no affiliation with its maker. 1176 is a trademark of Universal Audio, Inc.
What does all-buttons mode do?
On the original hardware, pressing every ratio button at once over-compresses with a characteristic lag and grit. Punch's All setting models that: it lets the attack through, then grabs hard. It is an effect for aggressive vocals, not a safety limiter.