ng76
Next generation FET compressor with digital recall and automation
FET compressors have been an essential tool in recording studios for over 50 years. Its distinctive sound and reliability have made it a go-to for producers and engineers around the world. The 76-style FET compressor has left its mark on countless hit records which has helped to establish its reputation as a reliable and versatile tool in the recording technology. We have improved this design, creating a whole new level of versatility with seamless DAW integration – We present ng76 – fully analog FET compressor with digital recall.
Main Features
ng76 fully analog FET compressor with digital recall.
ANALOG SOUND, DIGITAL CONTROL
True ANALOG sound with extremely convenient control!
100% analog FET compressor
- ng76 is a 100% analog processing unit with 24dBu of headroom
- Regardless of its full digital control, the analog signal path provides lightning speed compression sound we all know from countless records.
True stereo operation
- 2 x ng76 mono compressors can be linked via dedicated software
- It allows to link compression detectors (with special cables included with stereo matched pairs) for true stereo compression,
- Or dual mono compression with all parameters linked.
- Just change the setting on one unit, and it will be reflected on its matched twin!
MIX knob for parallel compression
- We all know FET style compression to be lightning fast, punchy and aggressive.
- Mix knob for parallel compression allows us to dial in the amount of this sonic flavor we want!
- Mix knob also allows saturation mode to be mixed in.
THD – total harmonic distortion
- Total harmonic distortion button which allows You to dial in additional sonic content in Low or High settings.
- This design is fully based on the FET circuit and allows us to choose how saturated Your compression becomes.
Carnhill transformers
Transformers in audio compressors aren’t just for electrical isolation – they can add a warm, sonic saturation we all love in our recordings. Carnhill transformers are part of the ng76 adding all that vintage flavor!
Saturation mode
Special mode where static compression is triggered to produce sonics based on FET circuit, and One knob which sets INPUT and OUTPUT in an opposite way. It allows the use of the unit as a saturation box / clipper. The harder the drive will hit the compression and saturation circuit, the more sonic content we will get!
Selectable Input stage
Modern and Vintage modes to support two 1176 revisions (F & G).
Vintage – transformer balanced input,
Modern – Electronically balanced input.
Side Chain EQ sections
Sophisticated side chain circuit EQ with two independent sections:
- HPF 60 hz / 90 Hz / 150 Hz – to maintain low end information while compressing,
- High Shelf of 2kHz / 5kHz, 10kHz – to tame high frequencies by emphasizing high/hid mids content.
Hardware A/B buttons to compare two independent settings
Even using ng76 as a pure analog signal processor you can easily switch between two parallel settings with the magic of a simple button.
USB or Ethernet Connectivity
ng76 supports direct USB connection, or you can also managed it in your local network, just plug in ethernet cable to Your router!
Gain reduction, input and output metering!
- ng76 is armed with classic Vintage Gain Reduction meter we all recognize and know,
- To provide a high level of usability, it also visualizes very precise input and output levels at the same time!
Analog Automation
I’m sure all of us wanted to use different device settings based on the song section. Now it is possible! Just draw automation lines in your DAW and your analog device will follow!
And remember, you can use five touch sensitive encoders to record automation TO your DAW!
TOTAL RECALL AND PLUGIN CONTROL
Along with classic analog compressor You receive most demanded feature in audio industry – TOTAL RECALL.
Full plugin control through VST2/VST3/AU/AAX/AAX DSP – makes ng76 compatible with most, if not all major DAWs.
Total integration with your beloved DAW will change your workflow forever!
Main features summary:
Stereo Matched pairs:
APP FOR MAC AND PC
Digital control features for fully analog units.
Specification
ng76 specification
| Attack time | 20 us – 800 us |
| Release time | 50 ms – 1100 ms |
| Compression ratio | 4:1; 8:1; 12:1; 20:1; all button mode and all combinations True Bypass |
| SC High Pass filter | 60,90,150Hz |
| SC High Shelf filter | 2KHz, 5KHz, 10kHz |
| Output impedance | 50 ohm |
| Frequency response | 20Hz to 20kHz (+/- 1dB) |
| Signal to noise ratio SNR | SNR >83dB |
| Max signal level | +24dBu |
| THD+N MIN | 0.2% |
| Noise floor | -95dBu |
| Power consumption | 8W |
| Unit dimensions | 88x483x235 mm |
| Box dimensions | 274x550x382 mm |
| Unit weight | 4,8 kgs |
| Box weight | 6,7 kgs |
| Balanced output and input | |
| Case Rack | 2U |
| Warranty | 2 years |
User Manual
Download ng76 User Manual
NG500 VIDEO STORIES
Watch the product videos
I like the WesAudio stuff mainly for how it sounds.
Katy Perry, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ariana Grande, ZZ Top, Justin Bieber
This is technology that I’ve been waiting for a long time. It’s taken this long…it’s taken Wes Audio to be the ones to have seamlessly made this digital control work well. Wes Audio has created an analog compressor that sounds amazing and has the flexibility of any great stereo analog box
Beyoncé, Mariah Carey,James Brown, Lady Gaga, Notorious BIG, Black Eyed Peas,R. Kelly, Jennifer Lopez, Puff Daddy, Tupac Shakur, and many others
WesAudio nailed it with ngBusComp. It's been on my mix bus since the first time I tried it. After A/B'ing it with the original quad VCA unit, I was honestly blown away by how much better it is.
Beyonce, Jay-Z, Fka Twigs, and more.
I did a lot of a/b with my other SSL clones and plugins. I find that ngBusComp sounds better than all of them.
Olivia Rodrigo’s Multi-platinium “Driver’s License”, Carlie Rae Jepsen, Niko Rubio, Giorgio Moroder, Lady Gaga, Lost Kings, Melanie Martinez, LP, Bebe Rexha and more….
The ability to control an analog compressor from within the DAW has become a valuable feature to my workflow. The Dione is a great sounding unit and is a perfect example of where the future of pro audio is heading.
Gold & Platinum award producer
_MIMAS is as good as my other 1176 in the rack…I love this technology.
The diones are so very good. It’s such a flexible all purpose compressor. I haven’t found anything it doesn’t do well. Parallel compression on drum bus, compressing multiple keyboards in order to level them all out etc… they are sonically rich sounding, and the distortion modes sound fantastic.
I had several SSL type compressors in the years and for me there’s zero doubt, the WesAudio _Dione is by far the best in that category. _Dione never left my 2bus since the day I got it.
These days it’s really easy to excited about all of the technology we have access to. Which is also another the reason why I do my best to try and spot what really shines in this industry. To me, Wesaudio has something really special going on. Not only are the analog components up to snuff…but I believe they have the potential to be the leaders of the 500 series format. They have the analog/digital hybrid down to a refined science without the need of middle hardware. But most importantly, their stuff simply sounds great!
_MIMAS – This first enhanced 500-series module from Wes Audio is both convenient and impressive: it provides an updated version of the classic 1176 compressor, but with full remote-control facilities via a VST 3/AAX plug-in.
_DIONE – A well thought-out interpretation of the classic SSL bus compressor design that genuinely brings something new to the table.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
ng76 implements two different revisions due to the selectable input mode:
VINTAGE – Revision F (transformer balanced input).
MODERN – Revision G (electronically balanced input).
If the module doesn’t react to any changes to the knobs on the front panel, the first necessary step is to rewrite firmware into the flash memory (Factory reset procedure re-writes firmware into internal flash memory – it doesn’t affect anyhow unit configuration). To proceed with factory reset, please follow below steps:
- Connect unit either:
- Through front panel USB socket,
- Or keep the unit in ng500 chassis – _TITAN, but please note that chassis has to be connected to the PC/MAC either via USB or Ethernet cable.
- POWER OFF your 500 series chassis.
- Depends on the product please press following front panel control:
- _MIMAS – RATIO button,
- _DIONE – RATIO button,
- _RHEA – THD button,
- _PROMETHEUS – HIGH CUT encoder (top-right encoder),
- _HYPERION – LMF GAIN encoder,
- _CALYPSO – MENU encoder.
- While keeping this control (button/encoder) pressed, POWER ON your 500 series chassis.
- LEDs should present a strange pattern.
- Now open GConManager:
- WIN: C:/Program Files (x86)/WesAudio/GConManager.exe
- MAC: /Applications/WesAudio/GConManager.app
- Or click on the WesAudio “Tray” icon, and select “Open GConManager”
- Go to _UPGRADE application.
- Hit start!
If the module doesn’t react to any changes to the knobs on the front panel, the first necessary step is to rewrite firmware into the flash memory (Factory reset procedure re-writes firmware into internal flash memory – it doesn’t affect anyhow unit configuration). To proceed with factory reset, please follow below steps:
- Connect the unit to either USB or Ethernet.
- POWER OFF your unit.
- Depends on the product please press following front panel control:
- ngBusComp – far left Ratio on Channel 1 (Ratio “-”),
- ngTubeEQ – THD encoder on Channel 1,
- ng76 – “IN MODE” button,
- ngLEVELER – use a small screwdriver and press button available on the rear panel via a small hole in the chassis.
- While keeping this control (button/encoder) pressed, POWER ON your unit.
- LEDs should present a strange pattern.
- Now open GConManager:
- WIN: C:/Program Files (x86)/WesAudio/GConManager.exe
- MAC: /Applications/WesAudio/GConManager.app
- Or click on the WesAudio “Tray” icon, and select “Open GConManager”
- Go to _UPGRADE application.
- Hit start!
This is a very common issue and in most cases the root cause lies in the connection of the unit and audio interface. If that happens it should be checked if audio interface input isn’t connected to the chassis input and if audio interface output isn’t connected to chassis output. As this initially would seem to be entirely wrong and shouldn’t work at all, as all our units implement “True Bypass” via relays, the unit will pass a signal when the bypass is engaged. The reason for that is that the relay is in fact hard wiring input to the output, and thus the unit will pass the signal, as it doesn’t go through any active circuit of the unit.
This is actually how it is supposed to work, so after the plug-in instance is created, please use a small triangle button which usually is on the bottom side of the plug-in and select proper HW ID from the drop down menu. If the drop down menu doesn’t list any hardware units, please check Your connectivity and other possible root causes in this FAQ.
This is a wide topic, and there may be at least several root causes, but there are few things that should be checked. However, the first and most important thing is to double check that GConManager doesn’t list this device in the _CONFIG app. If this is the case, it means that WesAudio unit can’t connect on the OS level, and some of the below steps may help:
- First of all double check if module connection is properly executed, this procedure is described here.
- USB specification indicates that USB 2.0 works up to 5 meters. This is however not entirely true, as it strongly depends on the peripherals that unit is connected to. Even if our modules are USB 2.0 compatible, your USB port could support USB 3.0 – USB is a backward compatible protocol, so it may be that USB 3.0 cable length limit should be considered which is 2 meters. We would recommend having a USB cable up to 2 meters to remove those limitations from the equation.
- USB HUB is very common root cause to those problems, if module can’t connect via HUB – just for the sake of the test, it is mandatory to connect unit directly to PC/MAC to verify if the problem isn’t caused by it.
- Please note any system warnings attached to “WesAudio Tray Icon”.
As USB controllers have limited capacity it could be a reason for random unit disconnection. Usually, it happens when a lot of USB devices are plugged into the PC/MAC. The usual behavior would be that the unit works normally, and after reboot it doesn’t, but it strongly depends on the OS implementation so exact reaction could be a little bit different. If this is suspected, just for the test, it would be good to disconnect most of the devices from the USB ports, reboot PC/MAC and double check the connectivity from stability point of view. If it leads to the conclusion that this is the root cause of the problem, we would recommend using a decent USB hub, and ideally a TB/USB dock station which tends to offload a lot of responsibilities from our PC/MAC.
If the unit was working fine, and suddenly it couldn’t connect (it is not visible in the GConManager _CONFIG app) that could lead to the conclusion that some devices were added to our USB line, and we could have problems with the USB controller inside PC/MAC. In that case please check the description in the above “Unit disconnects by itself”.
GConManager in Admin mode enables special functionalities which are used during WesAudio units calibration.
OSX:
- Please open terminal.
- Copy-Paste following command:
open /Applications/WesAudio/GConManager.app --args --admin
WINDOWS:
- Go to “START” and open “Command Line”.
- copy paste this command:
"c:\Program Files (x86)\WesAudio\GConManager.exe" --admin
