Following the 2022 release of the highly innovative and unique Freqport Freqtube FT1 USB Hardware Tube Preamp, Freqport has unveiled an emulation plugin of their FT1 analog hardware. The original Freqport Freqtube FT1 features four analog tubes, (2) E83CC and (2) 12AT7, that operate as 4 mono or 2 stereo tube preamp channels. The FT1 connects to your DAW via USB and is controllable with full recall from their plugin software. Two of these units per DAW can be used to provide a maximum of eight real tube channels.
The new Freqtube FT1 EMU Tube Preamp Emulation Plugin provides the closest possible emulation of the real tube hardware experience and is controllable via the exact same software that controls the original FT1. If you own both the FT1 USB device, a toggle in the software allows you to switch between the analog and digital version for true hybrid operation.
Controls on the FT1 EMU include Drive (saturation), Harmonics (odd/even mix), Wet/Dry Mix, and Output Gain. It includes dual-path multimode filters (Primary and Parallel) with frequency, Q, and gain settings, alongside phase inversion for complex tone shaping. Drive controls the analog tube drive level, offering up to +18dB of overdrive for saturation. Harmonics adjusts the mix between odd and even harmonics to change the distortion character. The even harmonics emphasize the root of your chord and create warmth and richness and odd harmonics are harsher for a more in your face distortion. Mix blends between the processed wet tube signal and the unprocessed dry original signal. Primary/Parallel Filters are dual digital filter sets to process the wet and dry paths separately (HPF, LPF, Peaking, Bandpass with switchable 12/24dB slope). Tube Assignment allows selecting which of the four tubes (E83CC or 12AT7) are used in that specific plugin instance. Gain/Phase allow for output gain trim and phase inversion for parallel path alignment.
The FT1 EMU was designed to be as close as possible to the original FT1 using SPICE modeling. SPICE (Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis) modeling is the process of creating mathematical, text-based representations of electrical components, such as transistors, diodes, and resistors to simulate circuit behavior before physical prototyping. These models enable software to predict voltage, current, and power dissipation. According to Freqport, this SPICE modeling approach provides the following benefits: True Tube Character: It captures genuine tube saturation, rich harmonics, and natural dynamic behavior, rather than just approximating the sound. One distinct feature of the EMU digital only version is that your only limitation on the number of FT1 EMU plugins you can use on your session is how much CPU processing your computer has—which with the power of computers these days means that you can most likely use as many as you want, as the FT1 EMU is highly efficient. Another plus is the function of portability. With the original FT1, if you open your session in a location where your FT1 hardware is not present, your channel will be muted until you either de-instantiate the plugin or remove it. With the new FT1 EMU, you simply toggle from analog to digital, and you can continue working with the digital version. While the analog version does have somewhat more size, depth, and a bigger bottom than the FT1 EMU, in most cases you will find them close enough to work successfully and to mix a final master should your hardware remain unavailable. Hence a truly hybrid workflow where the plugin works as a standalone tool, but seamlessly integrates with the physical FreqTube FT1 hardware, allowing users to switch to real analog processing in one click while retaining the same settings.
There are dozens of plugins that emulate tube processing effects for saturation and distortion. Freqtube products are in a league of their own, enabling real tube processing in a recallable transparent environment, and now with the addition of the FT1 EMU, have become even more powerful and versatile creating a hybrid system. $99
