Classic tube warmth, studio-icon sound.
AM.pre captures the authentic sound of the Ampex 351 — the 1950s tube preamp behind countless iconic recordings.
Sweet saturation, subtle glue, and a gentle 3D lift that brings flat recordings to life. Push it and the tone blooms into rich, musical tube drive.
70 years of chased-after tone. No tube maintenance, no studio price tag.
Flat and lifeless? Add tube warmth.
Digital recordings can feel thin and sterile. AM.pre runs your sound through a faithful Ampex 351 tube stage: smooth and open at low levels, blooming into thick, musical drive when pushed. Instant warmth, weight, and glue.
Three fast ways to use AM.pre
Warm up vocals
Add richness that helps vocals sit in the mix without the harshness of modern saturation.
Glue on the mix bus
Smooth top end, thick low end, and natural glue across a full mix or drum bus.
Drive it for color
Push the gain and the tone blooms into rich, musical tube drive that stays smooth even at its limits.
70-year-old tone.
Zero maintenance.
- 351 tube preamp model — faithful emulation of the iconic Ampex amplifier stage
- Sweet tube harmonics — from gentle warmth to rich, musical breakup
- Mix-ready tone — smooth top, thick lows, natural glue on any source
- Dynamic gain staging — responds like real hardware
- Auto gain keeps output consistent while you dial in drive
The Ampex 351 story
Ampex 351 amplifier
The 351 began as the amplifier inside Ampex's 1950s tape machines, built around high-voltage tube stages and large transformers that gave it weight, body, and harmonic richness.
A studio favorite
Engineers pulled the modules from the tape decks and used them as standalone preamps. The tone became a studio favorite, smooth and open low, thick and musical when pushed.
All the sound and none of the hassle. This is everything I want from this preamp with some modern convenience in the box. Try it in front of your favorite tape plugin.
JMIt took a decent vocal and made it great. It's got a richness that helps things sit in the mix, without the harshness more modern saturation plugins bring.
JDAM.pre brings instant character and attitude. It takes me back to my days of driving tape machines. Smooth when you want it, gnarly when you need it.
JaMHear AM.pre in action
Try AM.pre in your own session
The demo is fully featured except for brief silence. Save your sessions, settings, and presets — then unlock them later with the full version.
Compatibility
Stack the character
AM.pre brings tube warmth. Pair it with grit and tape for a full analog front end, or get everything in Bundle 7.
Porta.pre Preamp & Drive
The 424 preamp's raw, mid-forward crunch. Pair its grit with AM.pre's smooth tube warmth.
VHS Home Video Flavor Box
Warbly tape saturation, hiss, and worn analog character to layer over AM.pre's warmth.
Best valueAudio Hertz Bundle 7
All 7 Audio Hertz plugins in one bundle, including AM.pre — about $21 per plugin.
Ready for that tube warmth?
Download the free trial and run AM.pre in your next session, or grab the full version for $39.
