1973 Pre

Iconic British Sound from the 70s

The subtle nuance and tonal flavor added by a vintage preamp can have an incredible overall effect on the music you create.

For years, the Leading producers coveted the sound of the venerable 1073 preamp. Now - through the power of Arturia's advanced TAE modeling - you too can sample that harmonically rich classic tone in your DAW.

Created by visionary electronics engineer and professional audio legend Rupert Neve, the preamp has become one of the world's leading studios and has added its unique tonal flavor to countless hits. It was a revolution in 1970, pioneering the use of reliable, high-efficiency transistors to replace the temperamental vacuum tube technology of the time. The preamp sound became an instant hit with record producers, sound engineers and artists around the world, consolidating its place in music history.

Continuing this revolution, using its exclusive TAE technology, Arturia has recreated this phenomenal piece in the history of music production. By capturing and recreating its distinctive musical color, pleasing analogue distortion and sweet-sounding tone controls, you can start your virtual signal chain with one of the best sound presences ever created.

As you will know, the pre - Amplifiers increase the gain of received signals - from microphones and musical instruments - to usable levels, which can be mixed. Virtually all modern audio interfaces include preamps, just as most analog mixing consoles have integrated preamps in the pre-digital era.

Thanks to In current technology, preamps are very neutral and transparent in the way they amplify the audio signal. In the past, preamps tended to subtly distort the sound, giving a tonal character to the audio they processed; a kind of "sonic fingerprint" that music producers would become familiar with and begin to use in creative ways. That's what people often refer to when they talk about 'the sound' of a mixing console. Running a session on a mixing console that used 1073 preamps, for example, would give the entire track a harmoniously exciting feel.

Now, you can enjoy the best of both worlds. You can use the preamps in your audio interface to get your signals to a usable level and use Arturia's software preamps to deliver that iconic tone to your tracks.

A link to the past
There's something magical about listening to classical music. If you let your mind wander, you will be transported to a totally different time: different fashion, different politics, different tastes, different lives. If you want to evoke the feel of the '70s or '80s, when the 1073 was used on just about every hit on the chart, our 1973 Pre makes it easy. Added to the individual tracks of your music, you can add a toasty, harmonic and saturated sound that typifies the era.

Mix Confidence
Load before 1973 as an "insert" effect on the channel, dial an appropriate preset and most of the hard work has been taken care of. Now you'll be mixing with the sound of a classic analog console, with parameters set by one of the top sound designers. Now you're free to be creative and confident, knowing you have half a century of legendary professional audio legacy.

That's what we think, anyway. The decision to use the Pre 1973 is up to you. Maybe you like the way the battery sounds when you hit the input gain and pull it down. To be fair, that sounds amazing.

Cracking the code
We've built our award-winning reputation for precision modeling classic synthesizers and keyboards , we've now expanded our expertise to bring legendary, rare, and unattainable professional audio hardware to all modern music creators.

We didn't just want to make something that sounded like one 1073, we wanted to create a living, breathing emulation to bring you as close to the original joy as possible and go beyond your expectations. To do justice to Rupert Neve's idea, we analyzed the unique response of each electronic component of the hardware. To ensure the best preamp sound, Arturia engineers have traveled the world, visited studios and talked to producers and engineers who use their 1073 on every project.

In designing the Pre 1973, our search took us to London, England. There, we spent some time with unit #3392, an unmodified 1073 original built in 1971. This particular preamp helped shape the course of popular music for nearly half a century. Now owned by Fish Factory Studio, he also participated in the creation of iconic Blur and Gorillaz tracks when used by Damon Albarn sound engineer.

Occupying the its rightful place alongside the best performing keyboards, analog synths and digital powerhouses in Arturia's virtual hall of fame, the 1973 Pre is ready to show what it's made of.

Rediscover an Industry Legend
Wonderfully simple yet surprisingly effective, the 1973 Pre offers simple controls that pros will feel right at home with and newcomers will quickly learn to love.

3-band equalizer
Creatively shape your signal with +/- low, mid and high band controls 18dB. The low band lets you perfectly balance the bass content in your signal, the middle band can add presence or cut mud, and the high band can add sparkle and air or remove any unwanted sharpness

Input Gain
Controls how much of your signal is sent through the circuit. Subtle levels will introduce that flattering glow the 1073 is known for. Pushing harder will introduce harmonic distortion, adding presence and fat.

High Pass Filter
Cuts the super low end, the inaudible noise in your signal. On, this can give your mix more space and energy. Left to one side, it lets through the bass you feel rather than hear.

Output volume
A fully transparent volume control to give your DAW exactly the desired signal level.

It's fair to say that in the 50 years since the #3392 unit was built, the music industry has undergone some changes. To update this legend, we've also included some optional enhancements to get the most out of your DAW.

Automatic gain control intelligently changes the output volume based on changes made to input gain.
Continuous rather than stepped controls for extra creative precision.
Switchable transformers, allowing you to choose between original Carnill and modified Marinair components, so you can easily choose which hardware voice sounds best on your signal.
Independent mid / side mode, so you don't need to use additional converters to use this advanced studio technique, your audio will be amazing in mono and stereo.
To top it all off, we've recreated the vintage style of the interface in a glorious HD GUI. Every aspect of Pre 1973 has been meticulously put together, ready to take your music to the next level.

Key Features
Recreation virtual of the famous classic British preamp
60dB virtual continuous input gain
2 types of output transformers
+/- 24dB Level output compensation
Full switchable EQ section
Include bypass and phase inversion switch
High shelf filter
+ gain /- 18dB
Fixed frequency of 12kHz
Midrange Bell Filter
Gain of +/- 18dB
Continuous frequency range of 360Hz to 7.2kHz
Low Shelf Filter
+/- 18dB gain
Continuous frequency range from 35Hz to 220Hz
High Pass Filter
-18dB / oct. Tilt
Continuous frequency range from 50Hz to 300Hz
1 and 2 channel plug-in versions
3 stereo modes
Stereo Link
Dual Mono Channels
Decoding / Mid / Side (M / S) encoding for advanced stereo processing
Output Analog VU meter
3 Calibration Mode (-18dBFs, -12dBS, -8 dBFs)
Analog Cut LED Indicator
Comprehensive set of presets
Modeling high-end analog TAE®

Platform Specifications
Win 7 + PC: 4GB RAM; 2 GHz CPU.
1 GB free hard disk space
OpenGL 2.0 compatible GPU

Mac : 10.10+: 4 GB RAM; 2 GHz CPU.
1 GB free hard disk space
OpenGL 2.0 compatible GPU

Configuration required
VST 2.4 (64-bit), VST 3 (64-bit), AAX (64-bit with PT 11), Audio Unit (64-bit), NKS * (64-bit DAWs only).