CA-286S
by MixWave · Saturation · EF86 tube preamp model
Not rated yet
A plugin version of a European two-stage tube preamp in the style of 1950s and 60s EF86 designs, developed with Coil Audio.
It has mic and line amp models, a pad, tone controls and up to 8x oversampling, for $149.
Best for: Vocals, Acoustic Instruments, Guitars, Bass, Drums, Mix Bus. Genres: all genres.
Keywords: tube, 50s, pads, vintage, vocals, 60s, bass, drums, inspired by, oversampling, hardware emulation, parallel processing, acoustic guitar, bright, bus processing, dark, full mix, mix bus, built-in mix knob, mixing, modern, single-band, subtle.
What it does
CA-286S is MixWave's plugin of the Coil Audio CA-286S, which MixWave calls "a modern homage" to European two-stage tube amplifiers of the 1950s and 60s. It draws on vintage Telefunken, Langevin, Collins and Gates preamps and aims for a mid-forward, detailed EF86 tube sound.
- Mic and Line amps: two modeled input amplifiers, so you can run a source through the mic or the line stage.
- Drive range: from subtle saturation up to intense distortion, depending on how hard the input is driven.
- Input tools: a phase reverse switch and a 4-position pad network to set how hard the tube stage is hit.
- Low control: shifts the presence of the low end.
- Negative Feedback: moves the tone from brighter harmonics to a darker sound.
- Filters: high-pass and low-pass filters, available both before and after the preamp.
- Plugin extras: a wet/dry mix for parallel processing and up to 8x oversampling.
It is included in MixWave's Coil Audio Bundle. A 14-day free trial is available.
When to use it
CA-286S is a single-channel tube preamp for adding detail and drive to individual tracks. Compared with Black Box HG-2, which is built for parallel saturation on buses and the mix, it works more like a channel preamp with mic and line stages and a pad. It is more focused than Decapitator, which offers several hardware flavours and goes further into heavy distortion. Next to True Iron, which adds transformer weight, CA-286S brings a mid-forward tube character and a Negative Feedback control for tone.
- Best for: vocals, acoustic guitar, bass DI and drums that need tube color and presence.
- Genres: rock, indie, singer-songwriter and pop; any style that wants vintage tube tone.
- Look elsewhere if: you want bus-style parallel saturation (HG-2), many distortion flavours in one plugin (Decapitator), or a one-knob all-round saturator (Saturation Knob).
Where to buy
- MixWave: $149
Tutorials and reviews
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