Sonic Academy SA76 is a 1176-style compressor plugin for macOS and Windows. Thanks to a clever points workaround discovered by the BPB community, you can grab it for (practically) free right now.
Yesterday, we covered the free JU-60 chorus, but it turns out that the far more exciting freebie might be hiding just behind it.
A few BPB readers started digging into Sonic Academy’s rewards system, and before long, multiple people confirmed a reliable method to unlock SA76 without spending a cent.
Here’s the gist based on community reports:
If you redeem the free JU-60 plugin and fill out the short preference forms in your Sonic Academy profile, you’ll collect a decent chunk of reward points. SA76 is currently on sale for £4.99, and the site converts reward points into store credit (£1 per 100 points).
Still with us? Here comes the fun part.
The trick, as several BPB readers verified, is that referring a friend instantly grants 500 points once the friend redeems any plugin, including the free JU-60.
With one referral plus the profile-completion points, you’ll have enough credit to grab SA76. How awesome is that?
Some users even pushed the system further by repeating the process on a second account to generate a £2.50 voucher, stacking points to get SA76, Node, and a sample pack for free. As always, your mileage may vary, but the thread shows plenty of successful attempts.
Now, about the plugin itself: SA76 aims to be Sonic Academy’s “ultimate” emulation of the iconic 1176. Based on my early impressions (I tried it on a bass track and some of the drums I’m working on this morning), it’s not just good, it’s potentially one of the best 1176 emulations available in plugin form.
You get all the classic controls: Input/Output gain staging, lightning-fast attack and release, and ratios including the famous all-buttons-in mode.
On top of that, Sonic Academy added several modern workflow upgrades: gain linking, stereo width control, a high-pass filter for the detection circuit, built-in saturation, an external sidechain with its own gain trim, and (my favorite) a Mix knob for quick parallel compression.
Between the punchy FET character, the extra tone-shaping options, and the fact that it reacts surprisingly close to real hardware, SA76 is absolutely worth the few minutes it takes to grab it for free.
Get SA76 for FREE
Before you go, here’s a step-by-step guide for this:
- Log in or create a Sonic Academy account. Head to the Sonic Academy website and sign in. If you’re new, create a free account.
- Redeem the free JU-60 chorus plugin. Add the JU-60 to your cart and check out. This counts as a purchase in their rewards system and gives you 150 points.
- Complete your profile and preference tasks. Fill out the basic profile details and quick music/plugin preference forms. Each one awards 50 points, and they’re designed to be completed by every user.
- Share your referral link with a friend. Go to the Referral section in your Sonic Academy account and copy your unique link.
- Ask your friend to create an account using your link. They’ll need to sign up through your referral link for the system to track it properly.
- Have your friend redeem the free JU-60 plugin. Once they grab the JU-60, it counts as their first “purchase,” and you receive 500 reward points.
- Your accumulated points convert into enough store credit. Sonic Academy converts 100 points into £1. With the JU-60 points + profile tasks + one real referral, you have enough credit to cover the £4.99 sale price of SA76.
- Add SA76 to your cart and apply your reward credit. During checkout, your available credit appears automatically. Apply it to bring the price down to £0.00.
- Download and install SA76. After checkout, the plugin shows up in your Products/Downloads section.
- (Optional) Let your friend repeat the process with their friends. They now have referral points, too, if they want to keep going.
SA76 is available in AU, VST, and AAX formats for macOS and Windows. You can claim it through your Sonic Academy account once you’ve collected enough points.
I hope you’ll enjoy this one, and thanks to the BPB community for the detective work! 🕵️
Get the deal: Sonic Academy SA76 (follow the steps in the article to get the plugin for FREE)
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Last Updated on November 18, 2025 by Tomislav Zlatic.
