The mc77 was all the rage on these forums 15+ years ago. I always wanted to try one back then for modern pop vox.

I've got a 2k budget for a compressor (this week be strictly for modern pop vocal productions)

Is the mc77 still a great choice for modern pop vox in 2025 in the price range?

I see so many new options these days and was wondering if I should look into something else.(Distressor, cl1b clone, etc..)

I didn't see a list of many familiar producers using the mc77 on equipboard so wanted to get some feedback.

Used to own a couple of them back when I ran a studio. They were definitely good, felt they were a little more hifi than the rev D and rev Fs we had, so they had their place for specific occasions.
For example I’d have 77 on the bass while preferring an F on vocals, for example.
As always you really should try for yourself first.

Modern pop can mean anything in today's era.

The studio "standard" for major label pop recordings is the Tubetech CL1B. There really isn't anything else clients and producers ask for or like to see in the racks.


A used TT CL1B is double your budget though.

And on the Purple MC77, I never got the hype about it. Just lacked the "soul" to me of an original (even the silver face 1176). But the ole sayin applies "Your M. may V."

To the original poster: yes.

^This is great advice.

My main pop chain, even dealing with a couple of Cuban pop singers is the SA800g, Avalon preamp and CL1b - and a little goes a long way.

I’d far rather have a distressor!

77 is a GREAT snare drum compressor. Also very good on vocal duties.

The CL1B is tomorrows MC77.

Here's a quick fun example of the MC77 plugin on a female jazz vocal and roomy drum sound. Female vocal is doing about 3-5db of reduction on 12:1. Roomy drum sound is doing about -3db at 20:1.

Honestly, get a BLA Bluey!

I have a rack full of super high end compressors - Retro STA Level, LA2A, Phoenix MP, Millenia and ….

I can’t stop tracking vox with this Bluey 76 …. it’s addictive.

Between the input drive and the mix knob and the ratios/ timing knobs it can go from silky smooth to aggressive in your face.

I really must save up and buy a few more as they’re just so great and it would be great to have one for snare and bass on mix for down.

Put one on your demo list

I have a friend selling one of these actually (in Aus, but that's probably quite attractive to anyone in the UK/Europe, even with shipping!).

I have an old 1176, had an MC77 and now have the plugin. The "more hi-fi version of a classic 1176" description suits it well in my experience and I always found the MC useful. Then I got the plugin version and it was so close to the hardware that I sold the hardware. Great for pop vocals, yes.

I just ordered a Purple MC77, and I already own the 1176LN. Honestly, tracking vocals with an 1176 is always a solid choice—you really can’t go wrong. I also have a CL1B, which is another excellent option.

For pop vocals specifically, you could easily get great results with just a CL1B or an 1176. That said, I think the Purple MC77 would be fantastic for you—it’s a great-sounding unit and a better value compared to the UA 1176 reissue.

If you’re building out your chain, I’d suggest starting with the MC77. Then, once you have more budget, add an opto or vari-mu compressor after the 1176. Some people prefer the opposite order, but I personally like to tame the peaks with the 1176 first, then smooth things out with a more relaxed compressor.

I’d steer clear of the Distressor for vocal tracking. While it’s a versatile compressor and great for utility use, I don’t think it adds the kind of character or tone you’re probably after for pop vocals. I actually bought one to try myself and ended up returning it—it just didn’t do what I needed for vocal tracking.

Hope that helps!

The plugin is only $35 and probably cheaper with vouchers. Even if it's ultimately not the best option for the OP it's a great plugin to own.

Buying the plugin would offer a very close impression of what the hardware would do (the same to my ears), so consider it a test drive.

Hush your mouth. Plug-in?!!! Oh man.

With the Distressor, you kind of have to not care about the metering and just hit it as hard or soft as you hear. It’s easy to want to “back off” when red lights start flashing, but there’s plenty of character there if you want it.

But if you have a CL1B and an 1176 - it’s maybe unnecessary in your setup

But overall it’s a great tracking compressor for pop vocals imo.

I know! I felt filthy selling hardware for software. Cried in the shower. Then smiled at that big lump of cash in my wallet.

I always gravitate to that plugin out of all my plugins, lol.

I have a modified Distressor that is one of my go to vocal tracking comps, when I need compression but not hear the unit.
Its the one I use the most when tracking with a C800G and I just want to hear the "clear" sound of the voice and the mic and nothing else (as opposed to lets say a CL1B that you can hear the "box tone" even though the compression is "transparent").

For me it gets way more use these days for tracking vocals in comparison to any 1176 variant (which to be honest I only use for 2 clients and that's when tracking through Neumann mics and Neve mic pres).

I don’t have a modded one, but that is entirely how I think about it.

I rarely use it with any “dist mode”. I set it for clean output and enjoy that it can be wider bandwidth and cleaner than an 1176. You can use it when tracking, even getting into some healthy amount of reduction, and not bake something in that is later regrettable.

A modded Distressor takes all the "honk" out of the box tone (which is what people dislike about it when tracking vox) and makes it even more open sounding. It actually reminds me of a DBX 160 at the lowest ratio.

Only issue is what makes it great for tracking a vocal, makes it not as "exciting" for what people really like Distressors for, namely smashing snare mics or tracking DI Guitars.

The "honk" is what makes the snare drums and DI Elect Guitars poke out in the mix, especially under super heavy compression. I actually have one of each" One modded for tracking vox and one regular for snare, mono room mics, DI GTR.

Did you put a 1:1 transformer on the input? Just taking a wild guess.

Any additional info on the mods you can share?

When I had my Distressor, I was aiming for clean, transparent gain reduction while tracking. While it was fairly clean overall, I noticed that during more aggressive vocal moments, it tended to compress in a way that felt a bit honky or abrasive—especially in the upper mids. That tone didn’t quite sit right in the context of our vocalist’s performance.

I’m familiar with the British mod, just curious if the mod on your unit addresses anything in that zone or if it’s more of a character tweak?

That distortion is what stopped me from getting any Distressors.
Really curious as well about what changes this mod made!

If you want an 1176-style compressor but cleaner and less character, the MC77 is a fine choice. It's the last thing I would use to track vocals, though.

I really love tracking vocals without compression these days, and figuring out the mix in the mix, so to speak.

But if I needed to compress on the way in, I would not be using a 76/77.

Ah yes, the classic “I like to track vocals raw because it gives me more mix freedom”. ;

Also love the logic of “I’d never use a 76/77 to track vocals” — as if countless platinum records tracked vocals with exactly that aren’t enough proof it works just fine. But hey, I guess if you’re chasing that “uninspired and thin but flexible sound later”, go off.

It's funny but for years (in the 90's) we had an 1176 hard-wired into our recording chain. But I've not printed with a compressor baked-in in two decades. Though I may record with a plugin engaged. Yes, I understand that recording with compression affects how you hit the preamp but that's never been much of an issue for me.

I sorta understand not wanting to print vocals with an 1176. It has personality and you may ultimately not want that but wouldn't be able to remove it. There are other more transparent compressors to use when recording.

I'm just joining in on this thread because I use the MC77 plugin alliance plugin on 95% of the vocals I record, and nowadays I've removed both my compressors, CL1b, and the SA-2A from my vocal chain.

Then I go on reverb and see the prices for a Tubetech Cl1b... Are they batshit insane?! People spending crazy money for distortion free boxes, I mean it's not like a Cl1b gets added to a chain to color your vocals or anything. So crazy to me. They see successful artists using it and then they think they'll be as good as them because of 1 piece that will finally fix their lack of talent... Anyway. I'd totally buy the MC77 and use it over the Tubetech Cl1b.

I understand not wanting to print certain vocals with an 1176 — But for pop vocals, you need some type of compression on the way in (IMO).
The 1176 is a proven weapon-there’s a reason it’s been a go-to on countless iconic vocal chains. If you’re dealing with dynamic, inconsistent takes (aka most real-world vocals), the right touch of 1176 on the way in can make a huge difference if dialed in correctly.

That said, if you prefer more transparent options, plenty out there.