AMS Neve describe the original 1073 console module, which they still manufacture, as 'the world's most desirable preamp” and, if you don't happen to own an original Neve 45-series console with some spare module slots, can supply 3U and 5U stand-alone rack frames with integral power supplies to accommodate two or eight modules, respectively. Great River doesn’t claim to clone any particular preamp, but has worked-up a design with a distinctive vintage sound of much-loved consoles. And it’s clear there’s a touch of Neve 1073 here, albeit with top-drawer components to bring that classic 70s vibe into the 21st century. Projects EZ1073 DIY Neve Preamp Designed by Colin Adshead of Audio Maintenance, the EZ1073 contains both the microphone preamp and EQ section of the original Neve 1073 console module. It is offered as a pre-assembled 500-series unit or as a DIY kit for a rack-mount case.
Designed by Colin Adshead of Audio Maintenance, the EZ1073 contains both the microphone preamp and EQ section of the original Neve 1073 console module. It is offered as a pre-assembled 500-series unit or as a DIY kit for a rack-mount case.
Notable Features:
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- Switchable line- and mic-level inputs
- Designed for Carnhill’s reproductions of the original Neve transformers
- Grayhill switches
- Full 1073 EQ section
Price: £355.00 for full kit (without chassis)
Recommended transformers and inductors:
| Type | Part # | Manufacturer |
| Input | CA-18-VTB9046 | Carnhill |
| Output | CA-18-VTB1847 | Carnhill |
| Inductor | CA-18-VTB9043 | Carnhill |
| Inductor | CA-18-VTB9044 | Carnhill |
| Inductor | CA-18-VTB9050 | Carnhill |
| Power | CA-18-VTT2326 | Carnhill |
| Input | CA-18-VTB9045 | Carnhill |
More info:
- Kits and completed units available from Audio Maintenance
Article Content
The Neve 1073 is arguably one of the most popular preamps in the history of recorded music.
Originally introduced as part of the 80 Series consoles in the 1970s, these colorful preamps are known for their fat, warm sound and rich low end.
Vintage Neve 1073 preamps sound amazing, but their limited feature set and astronomical price tag push many engineers towards digital alternatives. In this roundup, we’ll break down the top five plugins based on the Neve 1073 to help you figure out which one is right for you.
1073 Design
The original 1073 preamps utilize a very streamlined design. In addition to a single gain control knob, which can be used to drive signals until they saturate, the 1073 also features a three-band semi-parametric EQ and selectable high-pass filter.
The top EQ band controls a fixed shelf at 12 kHz. The midband controls a bell curve with selectable frequencies at .36, .7, 1.6, 3.2, 4.8, and 7.2 kHz. The low band controls a shelf with selectable frequencies at 35, 60, 110 and 220 Hz. The selectable high-pass filter can be set at 50, 80, 160 or 300 Hz. Each band offers +/- 16 dB of gain.
About the audio files …
We put some of our favorite 1073-style plugins through the paces on drums, bass, guitars and vocals with the following settings:
Drums
- HPF at 50 Hz
- +4 dB at 110 Hz
- +2 dB at 1.6 kHz
- +2 dB at 12 kHz
Bass
- HPF at 50 Hz
- +4 dB at 60 Hz
- +6 dB at 700 Hz
- +6 dB at 12 kHz
Guitars
- HPF at 80 Hz
- +4 dB at 110 Hz
- +8 dB at 3.2 kHz
- +4 dB at 12 kHz
Vocals
- HPF at 80 Hz
- +2 dB at 110 Hz
- +4 dB at 3.2 kHz
- +2 dB at 12 kHz
Here are the unprocessed audio files …
Drums
https://theproaudiofiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Drums_1.wavBass
https://theproaudiofiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Bass_1.wavGuitar
https://theproaudiofiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Guitar_1.wavVocals
https://theproaudiofiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Vocals_1.wavUAD Neve 1073 Preamp & EQ Collection
UAD offers “the only authentic end-to-end circuit emulation” of the Neve 1073. The UAD 1073 captures all of the original’s unique circuit behaviors, including all 10 clipping points from the preamp and EQ stages for that classic gritty class‑A saturation.
The UAD 1073 also utilized UAD’s Unison technology, which allows you to use the plugin while tracking.
In terms of features, the UAD 1073 sticks very closely to the original design. The only new features are an impedance switch and a switchable -20 dB pad.
Drums – UAD
https://theproaudiofiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Drums_2.wavBass – UAD
https://theproaudiofiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Bass_2.wavGuitar – UAD
https://theproaudiofiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Guitar_2.wavVocals – UAD
https://theproaudiofiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Vocals_2.wav“The Sound of ’73” – UAD Neve 1073 Preamp & EQ Plug-In Collection
The Neve 1073 is arguably one of the most popular preamps in the history of recorded music. Originally introduced as part of the 80 Series consoles in the 1970s, these colorful preamps are known for their fat, warm sound and rich low end. Vintage Neve 1073 preamps sound amazing, but their limited f
Slate Digital FG-73 Preamp + FG-N EQ + VCC
Slate has a plugin for everything, and in this case, they actually have three plugins dedicated to emulating the legendary sound of the 1073 preamp.
First, the FG-73, available as part of the Virtual Console Collection, offers simple drive and trim controls for emulating the dual-stage red band preamp of the 1073.
The FG-N, available as part of the Virtual Mix Rack 2.0, is a modified version of the 1073 EQ with variable frequency controls and an additional midrange bell. It also features a variable gain control with an optional “drive” button for added grit — similar to the FG-73.
Finally, the Virtual Channel and Virtual Mixes plugins, both available in the Virtual Console Collection, feature Brit-N settings for emulating the channel circuitry and summing characteristics of using running a signal through a Neve console.
*For the purposes of this test, the VCC (in Brit-N mode) and FG-73 plugins were used with settings at default. Drive set to 6 (10 o’clock); Input and Out set to zero. The FG-73 is set to 20 (the minimum setting).
Drums – Slate
https://theproaudiofiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Drums_3.wavBass – Slate
https://theproaudiofiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Bass_3.wavGuitar – Slate
https://theproaudiofiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Guitar_3.wavVocals – Slate
https://theproaudiofiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Vocals_3.wavSlate Digital VIRTUAL PREAMP COLLECTION – Real Analog Preamp Tones For Your Mixes!
The Neve 1073 is arguably one of the most popular preamps in the history of recorded music. Originally introduced as part of the 80 Series consoles in the 1970s, these colorful preamps are known for their fat, warm sound and rich low end. Vintage Neve 1073 preamps sound amazing, but their limited f
McDSP British-E
6020 Ultimate EQ is a collection of ten 500-series style equalizer models, including the British-E EQ, based on the 1073. Although the British-E is only a small portion of what this powerful plugin has to offer, it does an amazing job of emulating the sound of Neve EQs.
British-E features more versatile filter shapes than the original design with three fully variable bands: a high-shelf, a midrange bell, and a low shelf. It also includes a fully variable high-pass filter.
The most unique thing about this plugin is that it does not include markings for frequency or gain controls, forcing you to rely on your ears. For these examples, I attempted to match the settings as best as I could by ear.
Drums – McDSP
https://theproaudiofiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Drums_4.wavBass – McDSP
https://theproaudiofiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Bass_4.wavGuitar – McDSP
https://theproaudiofiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Guitar_4.wavVocals – McDSP
https://theproaudiofiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Vocals_4.wav6060 UMC Module #3 – British-E
The Neve 1073 is arguably one of the most popular preamps in the history of recorded music. Originally introduced as part of the 80 Series consoles in the 1970s, these colorful preamps are known for their fat, warm sound and rich low end. Vintage Neve 1073 preamps sound amazing, but their limited f
IK Multimedia EQ 73
The EQ 73 by IK Multimedia is a “true to the original” reproduction of the 1073, including all of the gain stages, circuit designs, EQ curves and preamp behaviors. IK have also emulated the preamp/EQ interaction, which “truly defines why this unit was so special,” according to them.
Aside from the addition of stereo and mid-side processing, the EQ-73 also stays true to the original feature set.
Drums – IK Multimedia
https://theproaudiofiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Drums_5.wavBass – IK Multimedia
https://theproaudiofiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Bass_5.wavGuitar – IK Multimedia
https://theproaudiofiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Guitar_5.wavVocals – IK Multimedia
https://theproaudiofiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Vocals_5.wavNEW in T-RackS Custom Shop – EQ 73 & EQ 81 – Two classic, legendary British channel strips
The Neve 1073 is arguably one of the most popular preamps in the history of recorded music. Originally introduced as part of the 80 Series consoles in the 1970s, these colorful preamps are known for their fat, warm sound and rich low end. Vintage Neve 1073 preamps sound amazing, but their limited f
Acustica Audio GOLD2
GOLD2 is much more than a simple preamp emulation. It includes six different equalizers, two compressors, seven preamplifiers and advanced routing emulations.
The GOLD2 package includes individual plugins for the preamp, EQ and compressor modules, as well as a channel strip version. Each plugin also includes a zero latency or “ZL” version for use during tracking.
While GOLD2 doesn’t introduce any new features to the 1073, it offers circuit emulations for several Neve consoles for added versatility.
*For the purposes of this test, only the H073 module and H073 summing were used.
Neve 1073 Clone Kit
Drums – Acustica
https://theproaudiofiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Drums_6.wavBass – Acustica
https://theproaudiofiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Bass_6.wavGuitar – Acustica
https://theproaudiofiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Guitar_6.wavVocals – Acustica
https://theproaudiofiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Vocals_6.wavAcustica Audio Gold2 Demo on Kick – Snare – Bass – Rhythm Guitar [British Channel Strip]
The Neve 1073 is arguably one of the most popular preamps in the history of recorded music. Originally introduced as part of the 80 Series consoles in the 1970s, these colorful preamps are known for their fat, warm sound and rich low end. Vintage Neve 1073 preamps sound amazing, but their limited f
Honorable Mentions
This is by no means an exhaustive list. There are dozens of emulations of 1073-style preamps and EQs.
Waves have an excellent version designed by the legendary Andrew Scheps called the Scheps 73. It offers the exact same controls as the original with the addition of “a little-known 10 kHz midrange band discovered in the original 1073 schematics but operable only on the rare 1078 channel strip.”
Neve 1073 Schematic
The Stillwell 1973 Equalizer is a very affordable 1073 “tribute”. While it doesn’t model the 1073 exactly like many of the other plugins on this list, it “takes the best features and reduces them down to their essence.”
Unique Recording Software’s N-Series EQ does a great job of capturing the 1073 sound, but it also utilizes features from multiple Neve modules. The URS N4 offers four fully parametric EQ bands, as well as high-pass and low-pass controls, and a gain knob for dialing in distortion.
And that’s just scratching the surface! What are some of your favorite Neve 1073 emulation plugins?
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