Another modern alternative is to use the clean interface preamps, then use a service like Access Analog to get the hardware mojo you desire.

I actually sold some of my hardware when AA came of age and I currently use them as a tracking stage for my music.

 

The original ISA 430's were transformer based preamps like the 110's, I loved mine and only sold my last ISA 430 after my Requisite Pal Plus got all the tracking work. I often recommend the ISA 430's to younger musicians looking for a killer bang for the buck tracking strip. Not much out there can hang with the ISA 430's for the prices they go for.

Yep, the mic and mic placement is the single biggest sound factor in audio. Boosting that signal does come next tho...

 

this right here is the best argument on why Jim Lill should actually be named Lil' Jim in the audio engineering world

 

sorry jim, my bad brother, great vid!

 

You really need to be on red to hear a preamp? What does it have to do with the video? By that are you afirming that he didn't get the character because of lack of overdrive? In my experience a 1073, a V76 and 2520 op-amps have night and day differences on normal operating levels. I'm sorry about the fact you can't hear it.

 

Confidently post your verified ABX test and we’ll gladly believe you.

 

That's not going to help anyone who can't hear it - food for thought.

There's a (now very) famous quote, widely attributed to Mark Twain, but which historians suggest actually originated with French-born actor Yul Brynner, who himself credited it to the French writer Jean Cocteau:

"Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience."

I'm not at all implying anyone here is an idiot, but using the quote to extrapolate the uselessness of providing ABX samples to those who (proudly claim they) can't hear the difference. WTF for?

And I'm not implying they're bad musicians either, just that some people have golden ears (mixing engineers), and some even might have platinum ears (mastering engineers). I've been told I have golden ears by experienced engineers, but I'm pretty sure I don't have platinum ears - and that's okay. There's a reason some Sommeliers win 1st prizes, just as there's a reason some chefs get 3-Michelin stars.

In audio however, short of a Grammy (or multiples thereof) and platinum plaques on your studio wall to STFU the aforementioned ear challenged, said ear challenged feel entitled (emboldened no doubt by the anonymity that an alias provides) to question yours (ears) - and demand to post ABX tests.

It just so happens that my man J.J. - fellow autistic producer - had done this some time ago, and posted it earlier today - as did I (his YT video).

• Watch the video here, or on his Instagram or Facebook page.

Hope that closes the chapter - or conversation. If that doesn't, I refer you back to Yul Brynner, or Mark Twain, or Jean Cocteau.

 

One need not disprove claims when the lack of proof leaves them unproven to begin with.
Extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence.
One cannot prove a negative claim (the non-existence of bigfoot). But the lack of evidence is enough to exert claim of non-existence.
eg: Where's the beef?

The first rule of audio testing is: You do not talk about audio testing.

 

I posted links that tested this convo 25 years back... so the professional testing was done and the evidence was delivered in high quality many years back. Simply do the research.

 

Hi @Leivo, I listened to your tracks; the one with the moving CD creates a nice effect. I really like your pieces—they are multifaceted, inventive, clear, and richly orchestrated. I can hear every instrument, and the vocal clarity is good.

 

Surely the elephant in the room is that when he plays an A/B you can hear a difference, though he says there is none.

 

And I actually used a preamp

Thank you very much for your words ♥️

 

after setting up my planar Ananda Nano and DT900 Pro X to properly hear his example audio clips - its night and day, i mean wtf? its obvious that B is the cheap pre focusrite and A got that 'analogue' sound. I mean really? his fan boys can't really hear the difference?

B got that 'wet' and 'on the floor' unpleasant cheap tone - A definitely have strong/consistent pleasant audio processed signal, the preamp harmonics coming from the circuit

 

What this proves:
Modern tech has Advanced so much that > a mid-tier (well engineered) USB Audio interface can properly pre-amplify and Record audio signals;
even comparably as good as a top-tier analog preamp for standard basic tracking use.

It's a good point but not that outlandish..

-What we fail to realize is how much has technology improved in the last decades..

In the 70's and 80's you had to pay top dollar if you wanted a Clean and Crisp fucking sound.
Because only the Top technology could offer that level of quality.

Before the 50's the concept of clean audiophile audio reproduction hardly existed lol

-Then is just like VHS vs DVD vs Blueray.
Blueray quality is roughly = 35mm film;

So there's no point in saying:
"Why do you need a super expensive, bulky, light and film hungry 35mm Movie Camera,
when my simple 2015 Sony will record with 99% same image quality directly on a Blueray disc?
Idiots!"

Well boi, if you lived in the fucking 70's and all you had is el cheapo VHS tape recorders,
you'd appreciate having a 35mm flipping Movie camera.. or a Blueray Sony from 40 years in the future for that matter! lol

If you wanted any resemblance of quality VHS video editing machine,
you'd have to wait for the 80's to come and spend like 50-100K$.. but you weer still very very far from 35mm levels of image quality.

In the 2000's you only needed an mpeg capturing card,
maybe spend a couple of grand and you're getting better qualty than that.

Then came mpeg2, and xvid/divx.. h264
Now all you need is a PC, etc..

-But that doesnt mean common sense stops applying..

Plug a Behringer B2 Pro into a crappy audio interface from 2003,
acceptable yet mediocre result, afterall is only Behringer right..?

Plug an AKG414 in the same crappy audio interface from 2003,
shit result, where's my AKG?!

Plug a Behringer B2 Pro into a Neve flipping console,
all of a sudden it's a pretty good mic!

Not as ultra Clean and Nuanced as a real top-tier Neumann or 414..
but it's gonna be pretty darn Good, right??

Well that's my point > Technology advances.. lol

-Now, plug the Neumann, the 414 or the B2Pro into the Focusrite;
all of them sound Good!

does that mean the Neuman and 414 are pointless and overpriced and B2Pro is the best mic?

Nope!
It proves technology advances,
and an entry level B2 Pro is nowadays good enough to be comparable with other..
Large Diaphragm Conderser microphones, which the B2Pro design is copied from.

And that a mid-tier focusrite audio interface is good enough to feed them and track it.

 

Last edited: Jun 24, 2026 at 10:31 PM

Here's what the referenced "tone wood" paper says:

JJ Blair criticizes other people's work for using concocted & simplified tests to investigate a point when the paper he references uses a ... simplified & concocted test to investigate a point.

The paper says: Don't draw conclusions based on this test (which JJ Blair did, because of course he would - he did his research after all..).

Here's a picture of the "guitar" they built, the one with which they, according to JJ Blair, managed to "completely measure and demonstrate [...] tonewood" (a notion the authors disagree with..).



IMO just leave the science to the scientists, the taste in mixing to the mixing engineers and the shameless lying to those who want to make more/additional money with YouTube.

 

If you want to have a good laugh about this topic, check out this thread from gearslutz: PROOF HERE: Preamps do not do anything and are completely fairy dust. - Gearspace
Its hilarious. The guy opening the thread claiming to be the pro and later gets busted. Thats a good read!

 

semi related

I would not have thought the difference would be as pronounced . Are there better "Neve or other plugins " in the meantime (since this is already about a year old ) for experimentation ? What would be the cheapest hardware 1073 clone that still has enough of character to "not regret buying it later " ? TY

 

The elephant in the room is not wether he is right or wrong, because that is not the point of clickbait. You do not need to even watch this to hear the audio to know this video is literally designed for people to fall for it and argue, generating more noise in a loop. It is engagement farming and literally serves no other purpose.

UAD have a 1073 emulation which is considered to be about as close as you are going to get via an officially licensed plugin. Or you can use a service like Access Analog. Acustica have their Gold suite which includes a 1073-ish preamp.

Or you could use some Acustica N4 libs that Tim Petherick won't get mad about people sharing:

Spoiler

For Nebula, the main 1073-related libraries are:

• AlexB AN73 (1073 preamp/transformers)
• AlexB Neev 73 EQ (full 1073 EQ)
• OwnHammer BA-73 (BAE 1073 preamp)
• AlexB N14 (Neve 8014 console, broader "Neve sound" beyond just the 1073)

 

Last edited: Jun 24, 2026 at 7:38 PM

This is a little of topic, I started with all analog gear so I'm totally cross those concepts. I'm talking about getting a sound and other ways to achieve that. It seems you are not familiar with these products, but UAD, Metric Halo, Slate are all specifically designed to work that way, it's built into their systems as virtual preamps. Kush have their Omega Transformer plugins and Omega 500 preamp, which AFAIK designed to work the same in any system, as long as the latency is low, my understanding is many people work this way. With Slate stuff, maybe the others too, you can track thru a preamp and change it during mixing. I'm not here to discuss how people work, just the concept of doing it another way, which I've done. If you need more info their websites will have it.