Pulsar Audio 1178

FET Compressor Plugin with Modern Features

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  • Regular price
    $129.00
    USD
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    Digital Products are delivered electronically either via your order status page, or via email.

    No physical product will be shipped to you!


    In most cases, the product you purchase from us is a serial number/license code/activation code to register the product with the manufacturer and download directly from them. This ensures you receive the latest version of products, and the best support when necessary.

    After purchase, your license code and relevant links will appear on your order status page, or they will be sent to you by email.

    For detailed instructions on the registration/download process, you can visit our dedicated page by clicking here: Install Instructions.

Education Proof

Products with education pricing are for students & teachers only. To prove your education status we require that you upload proof in the form of an image/PDF.


Types of proof

Student

Student ID Card, Letter of enrollment, or similar

Teacher/Lecturer

Teacher ID Card, Lecturer ID Card, Payslip, Letter from the school/college

Education proof is submitted to the manufacturer and is accepted at their discretion.


The Basics

iLok is a copy protection method used by many of our brands.

It has 3 types of activations, iLok USB, iLok Machine, and iLok Cloud.

Different brands/products will offer different iLok methods. iLok USB is always an option, but the availability of iLok Cloud and iLok Machine methods is at the discretion of the software developer.


iLok Account

For all iLok protected products, you will need an iLok account. You can create one for free here: ilok.com/#!registration


iLok License Manager

To manage your iLok licenses, there is a dedicated app called iLok License Manager. This app is used to register, activate, and move your licenses between locations.

You can download the latest installers from the iLok website: ilok.com/#!home


iLok USB Key

iLok USB

This activation is stored on an iLok 2 or 3 USB key.

It is the best option for portability, if you frequently move between multiple machines, and offline use.


iLok Machine ID

Machine ID

This activation is stored locally on your computer.

While this is a convenient way to work offline, and does not require the additional cost of an iLok USB, there is the risk of a license being lost in the case of a drive failure.

This option also requires extra care when you upgrade to a new computer, the license(s) must be deactivated on your old machine first to ensure you do not lose them.


iLok Cloud

iLok Cloud

This activation is based online, and requires a "cloud session" using the iLok License Manager.

It requires an active internet connection for the entire time you use the plugin(s).


The Most Versatile FET Compressor

A compressor that eats transients for breakfast, the 1178 is a rare and expensive legend of the recording studio, cleaner and more versatile than its older brother, the 1176.

The 1178 has been used by great producers including Chris Lord-Alge (My Chemical Romance), Bob Clearmountain (Rolling Stones, Christina Aguilera), Yvan Bing (Phil Collins), and Nigel Godrich (Radiohead).

The Pulsar 1178 plugin meticulously recreates the original 1178 hardware in its tonal color and compression character.

The Pulsar plugin is taken further than the original unit, adding all the features you would expect from a modern, versatile plug-in, including a full sidechain EQ for added control, an optional saturation stage for warmth and character, and precise metering.



Improving on A Classic

Pulsar 1178 has a fast and bright character, making it great for dealing with unruly transients in tracking and mixing.

While these qualities make it the ideal choice to smash the transients of a drum room to get a nasty rocky bounce, the extended attack range also allows gentle dynamic contouring and can provide unique mid-band definition and intelligibility on a vocal.

When it comes to compression, having more control over the sidechain signal can bring a mix to the next level.

The dynamics of a drum groove hinge on how compression is triggered by both the kick drum and the snare.

With Pulsar 1178’s full-featured sidechain EQ section, you can make each one hit just the right amount of gain reduction.

Keeping an eye on dynamics is key to a well-balanced mix.

Pulsar 1178’s accurate and modern metering section helps in this important task.

Peak meters allow insight into overall dynamics; RMS meters let you monitor loudness and match levels, and a scrolling view helps visualize how the attack and release settings are affecting the gain reduction.

Add grit and drive to the usually-transparent 1178 with four flavors of saturation: Tape, Triode, Warm, and Clip modes open up new ways of managing dynamics and spectral envelope.

These modes are fully-integrated in the compressor's gain reduction system, allowing a unique vibe, unachievable with pre or post-saturations.



How does it sound?

Snappy with A Rich Sound

More transparent than an 1176, the 1178 allows incredibly fast control over transients when compared to other compressor models.

Add the all-buttons-in mode and Pulsar’s added saturation models, and you can access characterful, colorful tones as well.

Vocals

1178 is a great way to get vocals to pop out of a mix and sound very aggressive.

Don't take our word for it – Bob Clearmountain has used these circuits to do the business on vocals from Mick Jagger, Christina Aguilera, and more.

Drum Overheads

The 1178 has the speed to catch crashes in a flash, and also opens up the top end of a signal in a very natural-sounding way.

Chris Lord-Alge uses this combination to great effect on lackluster overheads.

With Lookahead, you can get surgical with your drum transients too.

Bass

Whether you're catching transients, controlling dynamics, or all-out smashing up the signal, bass is prime fodder for the 1178.

Using our added Saturation circuits, you can really introduce extra grit, helping the bass to pop through a mix and survive on smaller speakers.

Acoustic Guitar

Guitar transients can be particularly fast and harsh, and the 1178 is a great tool to dampen lively picking, as well as to make the body of the sound bounce and respond. Fast processing and natural release help add life to a mix but retain natural guitar tone.


Buss and Master Compression

Transparency and speed make the 1178 a good candidate for buss compression and even mastering compression (as on Robert Plant's album Angel Dance). The added sidechain EQ is helpful in controlling the entire frequency spectrum – not just heavy bass.


Topology Preservation Technology

Pulsar's modeling technology guarantees a perfect emulation of the original device’s behavior.

From the saturation of diodes, transistors, or tubes, to the slight internal filterings, to the tiny calibration defects, everything is perfectly reproduced.

What's more, we can reproduce all these behaviors without going through a complete simulation of the circuit, thus saving CPU power.


Saturation Stage

Push the signal further using one of four saturation flavors, and adjust the processing strength.

Tape emulates the character of magnetic recording technology.

Warm offers subtle distortion that’s great for high frequencies.

Triode emulates a Class A tube amp, adding mostly odd harmonics.

Clip offers digital clipping for heavy-handed action.


Mid-Side Processing

Pulsar 1178 comes with built-in optional M/S encoding and decoding, enabling a signal's mono and stereo information to be processed separately with different settings. The Listen buttons simplify the setting by allowing you to listen to Mid or Sides signals in isolation, and the modern visualization can be set to monitor only the channel you're working on, so you always know what you're doing.


Look Ahead, Look Behind

Bring the compressor's detection action forward in time - practically impossible in an analog signal path - or delay its action by up to 10ms to help transients to pop through.

You set the exact timing of the Look-ahead or Look-behind delay stages, up to 20ms for the former or up to 10ms for the latter.


Powerful Sidechain EQ

High-passing the sidechain is possible with Pulsar 1178, but so is a lot more, thanks to an entire sidechain EQ section.

Five filter types are available here, as are band solo and sidechain audition to help perfectly tailor your signal and arrive at the ideal detection response.


External Sidechain

Pulsar 1178 allows you to define an external sidechain input, as all compressors should in the digital age.

This opens a very wide range of applications: ducking, de-essing, filtering the sidechain signal with your favorite EQ, or even applying dynamic processing.


Advanced Metering Section

Gain reduction, input level, and output level are all visible in different ways.

The scrolling gain reduction meter offers a view of gain reduction and the audio signal.

VU-style metering shows instantaneous gain reduction for both stereo channels.

LED-style input, output, and gain reduction are available to calibrate peak and RMS loudness.


Smart GUI

Pulsar 1178 comes all wrapped up in a responsive and resizable interface. Just drag the resize handle to set it to your preferred size, from nice and compact to highly visible.

What's more, in most DAWs, loading Pulsar 1178 on a mono channel will open the plugin with a streamlined interface that shows only a single channel of operation.


System Requirements

  • MacOS 10.8 Mountain Lion and above
  • Windows 7 and above (64-bit only)
  • Quad-core Intel, AMD, or Apple Silicon CPU or better
  • 4GB RAM or more
  • 1GB free storage space
  • 1024x768 screen resolution or higher
  • Includes 2 activations per license

Plugin Formats

AAX Native, AU, VST2, VST3


User Manual

Crossgrade Proof

This crossgrade is for owners of a competing DAW. To prove your DAW ownership, we require that you upload proof in the form of an image/PDF.


Types of proof

A copy of your purchase receipt for the original license or the most recent update/upgrade

A screenshot of your product registration

A photo of your package (either CD/DVD or printed manual), with the unique serial number included in the photo.