MixWave’s new CA-70S plug-in

Published 6/1/24

Made in collaboration with Coil Audio

MixWave’s product range offers a wide range of amp simulation plug-ins and drum sample libraries, providing a collection of authentic recreations of popular amps and capturing the sound of some of the industry’s top guitarists and drummers. Their latest release shifts the focus to mixing, and sees the company collaborate with Coil Audio to produce a plug-in version of their popular CA-70S preamp unit.

Coil Audio’s hardware device is based on a classic two-stage circuit originally produced in the 1930s, and is said to deliver what many consider to be the quintessential tube preamp sound. Thanks to the use of MixWave’s modelling technology and meticulous refinements made alongside the Coil Audio team, the new plug-in emulation promises to bring that sought-after sound into modern studio setups.

The GUI replicates the front panel of the hardware unit. An input section houses a toggle switch to select mic or line-level operation, allowing the plug-in to deliver everything from subtle saturation to obvious distortion, along with a polarity reversal switch and a four-position attenuation control. Low and NF (Negative Feedback) controls follow, and interact with each other to produce a variety of tonal options that range from a bright, forward tone with prominent harmonics to a darker, smooth-sounding character.

A section along the top of the GUI provides access to features not available on the hardware counterpart, such as a Mix control that offers built-in parallel processing and input and output filters options that make it possible to place high- and low-pass filters at either end of the signal chain.

Compatibility

CA-70S is supported on PCs running Windows 10 or higher, and Macs running macOS 10.13 and above. VST3, AU and AAX plug-in versions are available, along with a standalone application. Authorisation is carried out via PACE’s iLok system, but does not require a physical USB dongle.