New Music Gear Monday: Fuse Audio VPRE-2C Tube Amp Plugin

Fuse Audio VPRE-2C boost amp plugin image

No matter how far away from the glory days of analog that we get, there’s still a yearning to go back for a piece of that sound. You’d think that all the tube emulations from that era have been mined by this time but there’s still more to be found to provide that valve lushness we so love. A new one of the block is the Fuse Audio VPRE-2C Booster Amp plugin which can provide everything from some tonal color to overdriven tube saturation in a simple package.

The VPRE-2C emulates the 1950s RCA Model BA-2C booster amplifiers that were widely used in the broadcast, film, and the recording industries as a first-stage amplifier in the signal chains back then. These amps were based around two rather good sounding 6J7 vacuum tubes that were plentiful at the time but are almost impossible to find in quantities now. Luckily, we have emulations like the VPRE-2C to get us some of that tube niceness without the hassles of the hardware.

The plugin has simple yet effective parameter controls. There’s a Gain control that interestingly goes from 0 to 20 (unusual). Anywhere between 1 and 10 provides some subtle saturation with the midrange moving forward as you turn it higher, but as you get closer to 20 it gets dirtier and dirtier, again with an emphasis on the mids. The Boost control does just that. It kicks the Gain control to another level, providing yet more color and saturation.

There’s also a Tone control with 3 positions labeled Low, Flat and Hi. Low and Hi are somewhat subtle, but it depends upon what you use it on. Select Low on a bass track and you’ll hear it get rounder and fuller to the point where you’ll miss it if it’s not there. The same goes for the Hi selection, which can provide a pleasing addition to some electric and acoustic guitars and vocals.

Mix and a Trim (output level) controls plus an On/Off selector (bypass) round out the parameters on the plug. Basically, it’s all about the Gain knob here, but it’s so responsive that it goes beyond what you’d expect from a color or saturation plugin that the lack of additional parameters under the hood might fool you.

The price is what you’ll really like though, as the VPRE-2C is on sale for just $24.50 until March 7th. Then it goes back to its $49 regular price. There’s also a 15 day trial period.

You can get more details here, as well as here some samples. It’s worth checking out.


Crash Course image
Spread the word