Hughes & Kettner Puretone

Name: Hughes & Kettner Puretone
Price: 139 USD
Author: Nembrini Audio

by Nembrini Audio · Amp Sim · Single-channel boutique amp sim

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Hughes & Kettner Puretone by Nembrini Audio

An officially branded plugin of the Hughes & Kettner Puretone amp, from Nembrini Audio, with the amp's tone control and Growl function.

It adds stomp effects, tape delay, spring reverb, six cabinets and an IR loader, and costs $139.

Best for: Guitars. Genres: Rock & Indie, Pop.

Keywords: electric guitar, classic, impulse-response based, mixing, spring, tape, tube, crunchy, standalone app, hardware emulation, licensed emulation, visual feedback, warm.

What it does

Hughes & Kettner Puretone is Nembrini's licensed model of the Puretone, a single-channel 25-watt tube amp. The developer says its hybrid modeling captures "the warmth and power of classic tube amps" and the amp's response to playing dynamics.

Tone and Growl: a classic tone control, plus a Growl control that gives a rawer, unfiltered sound by bypassing the tone stack.
Pre-amp stomps: noise gate, filters and overdrive, all draggable.
Post effects: a three-band EQ (high, mid, low), tape delay and spring reverb, also draggable.
Cabinets and mics: six cabinet models and four microphones with selectable positions, plus a mixer with volume and pan.
IR loader: up to three impulse responses at once, with a waveform display.
Standalone: a standalone version is included.

The current version is 1.0.3. Mixing.co.kr notes frequent sales and a 15-day demo.

Source: Nembrini Audio product page

When to use it

Puretone is a complete small rig built around one dynamic, touch-sensitive tube amp, with its own delay and reverb. Compared with Paradise Guitar Studio or AmpliTube 5 MAX it has only one channel and one amp, but it is focused on vintage crunch and lead tones that clean up with the guitar's volume knob. Unlike the developer's Coreblade, it is not built for modern high gain. Unlike Faceman or Hivolt 103, it includes ambience effects, so it can work without other plugins.

Best for: classic rock and blues crunch and lead guitar.
Genres: rock, blues, indie, pop.
Look elsewhere if: you need modern high gain (Coreblade, Archetype: Gojira X) or more than one channel.
Tip: Mixing.co.kr starts with Volume at minimum, sets Growl to taste, then shapes the tone from the guitar's own controls.

What producers say

The one hands-on review found it a strong specialist for blues and rock rather than an all-genre amp.

Mixing.co.kr praised the Growl control, the cabinet section and the post EQ, and said it could serve as a main amp for the right style.
Criticisms: the single channel limits range, the Volume control turns the tone "mid-heavy", and the vintage voice may not suit modern genres.

Mixing.co.kr review

Where to buy

Nembrini Audio: $139

Tutorials and reviews

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