The new Nembrini Audio MP1 Pro plugin adds A/DA MP1 rack tones to your DAW. The classic ’80s rack preamp, as used by bands including Extreme, Skid Row and White Lion.
Nembrini Audio MP1 Pro
Having owned a few A/DA MP1 rack preamps in my life, I was intrigued to find out how close this new plugin emulation could get to the real thing. Plus, there were various mods and firmware upgrades for the A/DA MP1, each adding more features and more gain. This new plugin covers all these as well.
Nembrini Audio kindly sent me a copy to review and I have been running it on my two Apple Silicon machines running Logic Pro. I mainly used my Super Strat-style guitar with this software. These included my Suhr Thornbucker and Aldrich humbucker-equipped guitars and a Charvel SoCal with a Seymour Duncan TB-6 Distortion in the bridge.
Tri-State Voicing
The Nembrini Audio MP1 Pro features a Tri-State Voicing selection that allows you to choose between Distortion Tube, Clean Tube or Solid State virtual circuits.
It is powered by two 12AX7 virtual tubes and I’m very impressed with how Nembrini Audio has captured the character of the original racks.
The four-band programmable EQ includes a 16dB boost/cut for bass and treble. It is just like on my old ADA MP1 and works as you would expect.
- Overdrive 1: Attenuates pre-tube input signal. Higher gain levels of Overdrive 1 result in higher frequency harmonic saturation
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Overdrive 2: Attenuates inter-tube signal. Higher levels of Overdrive 2 result in fuller harmonic saturation. In the Solid State mode, Overdrive 2 sets the level of compression.
Power Amp
This then feeds the virtual power amp section. It is a great-sounding amp that is powered by four EL34 virtual tubes with presence, resonance, volume and power switch in class AB push-pull configuration. The power amp is very useable and makes this plugin an all-in-one solution if you just want to get on and record.
Another really nice feature is the Fix button. By pressing this button, your input level remains the same while changing presets and that is so useful when flicking through the various presets or when you make your own tones.
A set of six different guitar cabinets, plus four microphone emulations each with an on/off axis position switch, with continuous position and distance knobs, help you get your virtual rig sounding real.
I like that it will also handle external Impulse Responses. It allows you to load up to three at once, and then blend between them to taste and it works really well. Perfect for anyone with a collection of good quality third-party IRs.
Six Cabinet Emulations
- VH 4×12 P50E: based on VHT 412S 4×12 with Eminence P50E speakers.
- VH 4×12 V30: based on VHT 412 4×12 with Celestion Vintage 30 speakers.
- MRH 4×12 Green: based on Marshall 1960A 4×12 with Celestion G12M-20W Greenback speakers
- MB RECT 4×12 V30: based on Mesa Boogie Rectifier 4×12 with Celestion Vintage 30 speakers.
- HK 2×12 P50E: based on Hughes and Kettner TM 212 with Eminence P50E speakers.
- BG 2×12 V30: based on Bogner 2×12 with Celestion Vintage 30 speakers.
Four Microphone Emulations
- DYNAMIC 57: based on the Shure SM-57 dynamic microphone
- RIBBON 121: based on a modern Royer LabsR-121 ribbon microphone
- CONDENSER 414: based on the classic AKG C 414 condenser microphone
- DYNAMIC 421: based on a vintage Sennheiser MD-421 dynamic microphone
Three faders control the volume of the 2 microphones in front of the guitar cabinet and the stereo ambience microphones. Adding a touch of room ambience really makes this plugin sing and makes it come alive I found. Nembrini Audio has done a great job with these cabinet and microphone simulations.
Each channel has a pan control for stereo positions, that is active only in stereo and mono-to-stereo instances. Plus solo, mute and a phase inversion switch.
Pretty much found myself using the virtual Marshall 4×12 a lot, as I had my original MP1 racks in this configuration myself for years.
Effects
The plugin also contains a pretty comprehensive set of useful effects including Digital Delay, Analog Modulation with Chorus or Tremolo, Ambient Reverb with a Hall algorithm, Filters Cleaner for tightening up your sound, Noise Gate for taming your hiss and finally a Studio Compressor for keeping your dynamics and making you cut through in a mix.
I found the effects section works really well and that the Filter section is perfect for getting rid of any unwanted frequencies and making your tone tight. If you have a 7 or 8-string guitar, you will really appreciate this section. The chorus effect is also really close to the original on the ADA MP1.
The whole plugin ships with plenty of useable preset tones and you can tweak them to taste.
Deal Price
The MSRP is $137 and is worth every penny if you want this classic guitar tone. As it is way cheaper and a lot less noisy than the original A/DA MP1 preamps. They are great tube preamps but used they are getting expensive and they need maintenance as are getting old now.
If you are quick you can get the Nembrini Audio MP1 Pro an Introductory Deal price of only $29.99 until 28/02/23, which is a total no-brainer in my opinion.
System Requirements
- VST2, VST3, AAX or AudioUnits compatible host
- Intel-compatible or Apple Silicon CPU 1GB RAM, Mac OS 10.9 or newer, Windows 7 or newer, 64-bit DAW
- FREE iLok License Manager and iLok account needed.
DEAL Price $29.99 ends 28/02/23 and then Full MSRP – $137
iOS Version
There is also a version for Apple iPhone and iPad for $9.99 that you can download from here.
