Pulsar Smasher
Updated: Feb 19, 2020
All buttons in and FREE until March 11th!
Pulsar Audio has released a free plugin to the world in what I except is an introduction to their upcoming take on audio world daddy Bill Putnam Senior's 1176 Revision A, A/B or B "Blue Stripe" FET compressor.
Like any great marketer -- or street level drug slinger -- the boys at Pulsar Audio have decided to give us just a taste of the new batch... And what a taste it is!
Parallel Universe
Smasher only offers one flavor the 1176 circuit, the famed "All buttons in” or “British” mode that does just what the name of this plugin suggests, Drum busses, bass guitars, vocals, whatever. It's born to run in parallel and most time just a little drop will do ya. The implementation of a Mix knob on Smasher is a nice touch especially since the CPU drag is low, tempting you to drop it on every track. Smasher sounds different than the other blue stripe 1176 plugins that we have featuring an all buttons mode. The distortion sounds sweet, less pushed and not "effect-y" in a way that is hard to explain but instantly satisfying.
“Like any great marketer -- or street level drug slinger -- the boys at Pulsar have decided to give us just a taste of the new batch... And what a taste it is!”
At press time, there are approximately 197 emulations on the UREI/Universal Audio 1176. We personally own most of them, including those considered by "The Internet" to be the best. More importantly to us, we have our personal favorites that sound and act as closely to the real ones (and a couple of clones) that we could ever expect. Pulsar has managed to make a version that sounds a bit different, but, just as good as the best versions of the 1176s plugins that we have in the box.
We can't wait to hear Pulsar's take on the full 1176 unit.
$FREE;
$49 after March 11th 2020
Mac/Windows VST/AU/AAX
BUY RECOMMENDATION FOR PROS: YES
BUY RECOMMENDATION NEWBIES: YES
WORD OF MOUTH: STRONG
PROS: Pulsar nailed it. (Again)
CONS: NONE.