Tube VS. Analog Mic Pre's

[Old Guitar Dude]

I have recently built a "Weber" tube mike pre-amp. I also own a Mike Pre-Eminence and have used several different types over the years. I prefer the tube tone to everything I have used in the past. I was wondering, being an old-school guy, who is new to the digital recording medium, if there are plug-ins or anything that I can use th emulate the tube pre? (I also use a twin tube pre for a home-made spring reverb unit that is KILLER for vocals!)

[brandondrury]

The problem is there are some very very clean tube preamps out there. The world famous Neve 1073 (solid state) is known for being quite dirty. So it's tough to answer your question.

There are a number of "tube" plugins out there that dirty of the signal. The best of I've heard is by SPL. Antares makes one that I use often as well.

Now if you are referring to the 2nd order harmonics that tubes are so famous for, that's a bit more complicated. I'm sure if they made a plugin that emulated preamp differences, no one buy it because people would say it was too subtle.

Brandon

[paul999]

I would recommend to put your plugin money into hardware pre's. If you know you like something I would get it.

[Whistlin' Pete]

Wavearts has a new tube plugin out called the Tube Saturator. I tried the demo and it sounded great to my ears. It'll absolutely RAPE your cpu though, so if you don't have a great computer, I'd look elsewhere.

[Husky Band]

The fact that you are MAKING YOUR OWN tube pre-amps tells me that you are probably beyond any plugin to emulate the effect. Better yet, make me some tube pre-amps

[String7th]

Originally Posted by brandondrury

I'm sure if they made a plugin that emulated preamp differences, no one buy it because people would say it was too subtle.

Brandon

I wonder if the Focusrite Liquid channel is subtle. Me, not having experience with high-end tube pres or even a simple solid state API lunch box, I could probably not notice much difference in thier emulations.

[newkid]

Originally Posted by Old Guitar Dude

I have recently built a "Weber" tube mike pre-amp. I also own a Mike Pre-Eminence and have used several different types over the years. I prefer the tube tone to everything I have used in the past. I was wondering, being an old-school guy, who is new to the digital recording medium, if there are plug-ins or anything that I can use th emulate the tube pre? (I also use a twin tube pre for a home-made spring reverb unit that is KILLER for vocals!)

I must have missed something here.
When I took electronics tubes WERE analog.

As to tubes vs transistors (both analog devices) I prefer the solid state gear.

[paul999]

Originally Posted by newkid

I must have missed something here.
When I took electronics tubes WERE analog.

As to tubes vs transistors (both analog devices) I prefer the solid state gear.

HAHAHA. My brain assumed tube VS digital. Sometimes you see what you want.

[garageband]

The PSP plugs are excellent for what they are.

[Danny Danzi]

Hey garage, do you really feel the PSP stuff actually w a r m s stuff up due to plug design, or do you think it has something to do with the actual eq built in moreso than the plug istelf and what it's intended for?

I'm not asking that to doubt you or be confrontational, I'm seriously curious to hear your take on them. The reason I ask is, I've been doing some extensive testing with these so called tube type plugs and I have several. None of them (insert W word we're not allowed to use lol) up the tone to me at all other than 2 of them I have. The Antares Tube is a good one thats makes a subtle "smoothing of the harshness" to me, but the one that really kicks my ass is this little free plug I found called "Pre-Amp Emulator". I've never heard anything smooth up digital sonicness like that plug to where it is an unbelieveable difference without using an eq. It's got tube a and tube b...you select the tube, choose the drive amount...and man, it's like runinng your mix through a Drawmer tube compressor minus the compressor. Just curious what your take is?