Why to have a preamp plugin? – Getting Started (AKA What is the best…?) Forum

To sound like you recorded through a particular preamp, of course.

Let’s say you’re using a vintage synth plugin, or a DI guitar signal into an ampsim, or a physically modeled drum kit, piano, or orchestral instrument. They all would have been recorded through mics plugged into a preamp. But they weren’t. With a preamp plugin, they can sound as though they were.

Preamp plugins across every channel will add depth and excitement to your mix. They add dynamic harmonic distortion. The better ones also add gain, which you can use to drive the signal to a tape plugin, which also should respond dynamically, if it’s any good.