The Pre 1973 is a recreation of the iconic vintage sound of one of the best studio hardware units in the UK back in the 70s. This software plug-in was recreated and modelled with Arturia’s TAE technology, making a superb job at recreating this vintage studio tool with added features that make it perfect for modern producers. The tonal colour and flavour that the original 1073 preamp was so harmonically rich that it was broadly used in top recording studios around Britain. This preamp became the signature sound for countless hits of the era and was only just released to substitute vacuum tube technology with new high-efficiency transistors.
There is a solid difference when talking about modern and vintage preamps. Modern preamps tent to process sound in a neutral and transparent way which is perfect, vintage preamps before the digital era came, use to give a slight distortion and a tonal character that was unique to each hardware unit. Vintage preamps apply their own sonic footprint to sound and can be used in many creative ways. It may be difficult for new producers and sound engineers to understand how important is a subtle sound-shaping preamp and what is can do to sound. This is not a flashy plug-in or a powerful synth, this is a good sound from the core.
You can link the magic of the past or use the Pre1973 to shape the future, it is really up to you how you use it. This plug-in offers a 3 band equalizer to creatively shape your signal, an input gain knob that controls the amount of single sent through the circuitry. With the High Pass Filter to use headroom and energy in your tracts to your advantage, use the output trim to control the signal level to your DAW.
Image: Arturia
