G-Sonique Digital Instruments has announced the release of Twisthead VS-206, which is described as a Vintage Vacuum Tube Preamp. It's available now as a VST effect plug-in for Windows. It costs €18.90 but can be purchased for the introductory price of €14.40 by the first 100 customers. A demo version is available.

G-Sonique sets the scene:

"You feel that today's modern music lacks energy and the spirit of legendary analog vintage tracks. No matter whether it is acoustic or electronic music, the digital sterility kills its soul. You hear it yourself; the spirit of the tracks from '60s to '80s recorded analogically to tapes via vacuum tube preamps."

"Why not to combine the quality and possibilities of digital sound with a heat, grandiosity and charisma of vintage analog vacuum tube machines?"

"UltraFat, dirty or clean, crispy, warm, colorful sound. This machine behaves like a real analog hardware. It behaves in non-linear way and unexpectedly. Turn one knob a bit and another knob changes its behavior. Input drive affects the resulting sound as well as reaction to values set on each knob. You know these characteristics from analog vintage machines only."

Twisthead VS-206 isn't a classic vintage vacuum pre-amp and vacuum vitalizer for live bands and musicians only. It's also for production and mixing of electronic music - it adds "huge vacuum heat, color, charisma and XXL fatness" to basses, beats and synthesizers... no matter whether you create house, trance, hip-hop or drum and bass.

Main Features:

• Emulation of vacuum tubes with rich, fat and colorful sound. It is possible to set the parameters like warmth, saturation drive, brilliance (1st harmonics). This emulation is based on similar technology that is used in G-Sonique's Pultronic EQ-110P. However the sound is different. In addition the parameter values are similar to legendary vintage pre-amps.
• Vitalizer and colorizer of high frequencies with analog sound. It is possible to set the parameters like high frequency, tube harmonics, boost.
• The equalizer lets you correct the extra bass and high frequencies.
• Input pre-amp and output amp lets you amplify or soften your sound. This way you can change the characteristics and behavior of Twisthead VS-206 device - the level of saturation of signal, amount of higher harmonics, etc.
• Double internal oversampling for achieving maximal quality of sound with minimum of unwanted artifacts.
• On/Off bypass switch for instant sound control (with and without effect).
• VU meter showing the level of analog saturation of signal.
• Preset manager with presets.