Analogue Emulation Plugins: A Buyer’s Guide for Mixing with Character

These VSTs are some of the top choices to turn your DAW from a cold, sterile piece of software into a warm, colourful, lived-in studio setup

Music software has come a long way, and while we used to use technology to remove imperfections and small problems in the real-world studio, today we actively use it to put these things back into our music.

The number of analogue emulating plugins that are out there is truly astounding, with each one doing a slightly different thing on your mix channels or master bus.

In this guide, we’ll shine a spotlight on some of the best VST plugin options that are out there for the mixing process: characterful compressors; toneful EQs; warm modelled preamps; and many more.

So what will you need to achieve an analogue-style mix in software? It’s time to consider the following categories…

 

Best Analogue-Style EQs

When it comes to analogue EQs, it’s no secret that the Pultec EQP-1A Program Equalizer reigns supreme. This unit became famous for its unique ability to both boost and attenuate the same low frequency spot simultaneously, creating a distinguished resonance peak.

There are a fair few digital emulations of the EQ now on the market. However, if we’re being totally transparent, we have to give the cake to Universal Audio’s rendition of the classic hardware, coming packed in a bundle of three Pultec EQ emulations, including the EQP-1A.

 

 

Next up, we’re gonna need to take a dive into the realm of Pulsar Audio’s analogue EQs. Once you’ve taken these for a spin, you’re more than likely to agree with their spot in this list. We say “these” because we’re covering another bundle here: the Analog EQs Bundle, featuring four premium analogue EQ recreations. In a single bundle, you’ll find digital emulations of Massive, Poseidon, 8200, and W495 legendary units.

And the last mention here is gonna have to be the 4020 EQ by McDSP, featuring exceptional emulation of vintage analog mixing console equalizers. It utilizes a proportional Q design, meaning the bandwidth naturally narrows as you boost the gain. This makes it pretty darn musical for carving out space in a dense mix. It also happens to include subtle analog saturation, giving your tracks that warm, cohesive, and undeniably vintage console character without ever needing the actual physical hardware. It’s available as a HD and Native version.

 

Best Compressors for Channels

Analogue compressors are often an audiophile’s favourite staple in conversation, and among them, you’ll likely hear the name “1176” come up again and again. That’s because the original 1176 FET compressor is one of music history’s most prized innovations. With that in mind, we have to give the top spot here to Softube’s faithful rendition of this exact unit, coming in hot with undeniable analogue original warmth, brought to the digital realm.

 

 

As the second place compressor, we have the U73b by Audified. The analogue original has been featured (and still is) in many recording studios across the globe, and this emulation by Audified really does the analogue counterpart justice, creating a near indistinguishable digital version of this beloved dynamics unit.

Rounding out our channel compressor picks is the VCL-4 by Fuse Audio Labs. This plugin is a highly accurate emulation of a classic vintage VCA compressor. It delivers a beautifully smooth and transparent compression that glues tracks together perfectly. With its intuitive interface and analog warmth, the VCL-4 is an essential tool for adding professional polish to vocals, bass, and acoustic instruments in your mix.

 

Best MixBus Compressor

We cannot talk about the best mixbus compressors without mentioning SSL, and it’s for this reason we’ve decided to give their 4000 G Bus Compressor the top spot in this section. This unit expertly captures and redelivers the legendary sonic footprint of its analogue counterpart. It adds the famous SSL “glue” and dynamic control to your mix, creating a unified and polished sound that stands out.

 

 

For our second mixbus compressor, we’d like to introduce you to the COMP-4K-BUS by Antelope Audio. This thing was originally featured on the master bus of an iconic series of 80s British consoles, and can now be yours to harness in a digital format, faithfully capturing the sonic character of the original. If you want vintage punch to take part in your mix, this plugin is a more than suitable candidate.

Our last mention in the best mixbus compressor section has to go to the API 2500, which is another acclaimed analogue tool that has received a fair share of digital emulations. You can acquire the Lindell SBC by Plugin Alliance, which is a nimble iteration of the famed hardware. Waves and Universal Audio also have a version of this compressor available.

 

Best Saturation / Virtual Preamp

The Neve 1073 is one of the most highly sought-after analogue preamps, with many brands creating digital counterparts in attempts to recreate the famous sound. You’ll not be surprised then to find out one of those emulations takes the top spot in this section. We’re going to name the Softube British Class A as the plugin that takes the cake.

 

 

In second place then, we have the Heritage Audio 73 JR Preamp. This lightweight preamplifier packs a surprising punch that truly replicates the analogue sound it was designed to. Born from a mission to spare no expense on materials, it models iconic Carnhill transformers. A blend knob lets you push it into sweet saturation using parallel gain staging, letting you build your own vintage console sound.

It would be a severe injustice for us to feature a best saturation/preamp section without throwing in Decapitator by Soundtoys. It models five distinct hardware units (including a Neve preamp, an Ampex tape drive, and a Chandler/EMI limiter). It delivers everything from light, transparent thickening to thick, aggressive distortion, complete with a “Punish” button for an extra 20 dB of drive.

 

Best Tape Emulation

In the top position for tape emulations, we’re gonna have to give it to the Oxide Tape Recorder by Universal Audio. What can we say, except that this thing sounds nitty and gritty in the way that excellent tape saturation is supposed to. It delivers the musical and luscious sound of its original analogue cousin straight to your DAW, which is why it deserves the top spot.

 

 

Next up, we have Reels by AudioThing, which is another superbly sounding tape emulation, capturing that analogue warmth and fuzziness of genuine tape from back in the day. AudioThing has modelled three different 1/4” tape frequency responses and saturations, also purposefully littering in the typical imperfections of traditional tape recording, to make this plugin feel like a true analogue tape machine.

Virtual Tape Machines, by Slate Digital takes our third place in this section. If you’re seeking the classic analogue sound of true tape recorders of the past, this thing has definitely got you covered. Slate Digital spent years intensely studying every aspect of magnetic tape to recreate two world-class machines. You get to choose between a 16-track 2-inch deck and a 1/2-inch stereo mastering machine.

 

Best Reverb

Now we’re getting into the best reverb analogue emulations, with Eventide’s SP2016 taking the number one place. The analogue version was the first programmable studio rack processor with actual ‘plug-in’ chips under the hood. 36 years after its inception, this highly respected reverb is now available in digital format under the Eventide brand.

 

 

The classic 480L reverb hardware has to be spoken of when discussing the best analogue reverb units of all time, and that’s exactly why we’re featuring a digital rendition of it here. Allow us to make you acquainted with Relab Development’s LX480 Essentials plugin. Modeled on a golden Hit Factory unit, it delivers four legendary algorithms: Plate, Hall, Ambience, and Room with lush tails.

And taking the last spot in our best reverb emulation plugins section, we’re giving the mention to PSP Springbox, by PSP Audioware. This is an emulation of a hardware spring reverberator, recreating the signature “boing” sound on transients, typical of spring units like this. A selection of configurations from two to six springs total is provided. If you’re after that analogue reverb character, you’ll certainly find it here.

 

Best Channel Strip / Console Plugin

The SSL 9000K console channel strip is one of the best in the business. That’s precisely why we have chosen to give its emulation plugin, the SSL Native Channel Strip 2 the top spot here. The latest version of the plugin also features SSL’s proprietary ‘Anti-Cramping’ technology and external Side Chain input, making it better than ever before. It’s a hardware emulation you don’t want to miss out on.

 

 

Coming in second in our list of channel strips and consoles, we have the Channel G plugin by McDSP. This comprehensive suite features G Dynamics, G Equalizer, and G Console, delivering that iconic big board sound. It models the world’s most popular analog mixing desks, complete with analog saturation modeling, multi-mode filters, and a five-band EQ. With zero latency and double precision processing, it delivers flexibility.

And, finally, our last mention in this list goes to Slate Digital, with their Virtual Console Collection. This collection features emulations of six classic inline recording consoles, giving you plenty bang for your buck. It includes Virtual Channel and Virtual Mixbuss to model analog summing. This adds depth, imaging, and harmonic character. Push the faders to find each console’s sweet spot, making your mixes feel cohesive.