Free UAD Plug-ins with Every Apollo Purchase!

Save $300 on UAD Accelerators through 12/31! Find a dealer ›

Get up to 70% savings on UAD plug-ins storewide! Shop 12 Days of UAD ›

Hello world 4!

Hello world 5!

It’s Bundle Month! Get up to 75% off UAD plug-in bundles. Shop Now ›

Unison Enabled

  • Overview
  • Features
  • Customer Reviews
  • 4.7/5
    (190)

Regular Price: $149.00

$74.00

You'll Save 50%

4.7/5
(190)

Get the hit-making color and tone of API's iconic 212L preamp.

From Fleetwood Mac’s classic, Rumours to Radiohead's In Rainbows, API preamps have shaped hit albums with stunning punch, presence, and color for over 50 years.

Now, you can easily add that same clarity, character, and musically complex tone of this proven, hit‑making mic preamplifier in a simple Unison‑equipped plug‑in, perfect for Apollo owners.

Get the world’s only authentic plug-in emulation of the legendary Class-A, API 212L mic preamp, with added features from API’s flagship Vision console

Record "through" the legendary API preamp in real time using Apollo interfaces, with low DSP use

Easily color your tracks with musical punch, clarity, and character with an unequaled emulation of complex, nonlinear circuit behaviors

Control Apollo mic preamp gain staging and impedance directly from the API Preamp plug-in via Unison technology

Capturing a Legend with Unison

Capturing a Legend with Unison

The classic API 212L preamp's forward attitude, low‑end punch, and detailed‑yet‑warm high end is famous for giving vocals, drums, and more a satisfying tone with rich character. Harnessing UA's groundbreaking Unison technology, the API Preamp plug‑in is the only complete emulation of API's hallowed preamp circuit, giving you the vintage hardware’s gain staging “sweet spots,” and nonlinear circuit behaviors. The secret is Unison’s bi‑directional control and communication from the API Preamp plug‑in to the mic preamps in Apollo interfaces.

Give Your Tracks the Sound of Legendary Albums

Give Your Tracks the Sound of Legendary Albums

Like the original sought-after hardware, the API Preamp plug‑in adds characteristic punch and musical definition. Plus, you get the same features found in API's flagship Vision Console, including a Mic/Line switch, dedicated cut filter, and ‑6 dB Line pad. Simply drop the API Preamp into the Unison slot of Apollo's Console software or LUNA channel strip to add instant character to vocals, acoustic guitars, drums, and more with the hit‑making tone that can only come from API.

Add Punch and Character to Any Source

Add Punch and Character to Any Source

Of course, the API Preamp plug‑in isn’t just for Apollo interface owners. UAD hardware owners can harness the color of the API Preamp plug‑in for mixing and tone shaping — without ever leaving the box. Thanks to its lower DSP usage, you can easily place the API Preamp plug‑in instances across multiple channels, turning your favorite DAW into a classic API analog desk.

Features

The first authentic emulation of API analog summing

Adds power, clarity, and mid-forward punch to your mixes

Per-bus Headroom and Trim controls for professional tone sculpting over your entire mix

Sum individual channels or your entire mix through API's hallowed bus or master summing modules

Customer Reviews

API Preamp

Overall Rating

4.7/5
(190)

A. Paradiso

September 22, 2024

Boom

Great!

b. lugay

September 13, 2024

Oh yeah

Finally got to use for the first time.
Simple not sure why i waited this long

C. Duchesnay

July 11, 2024

API is wonderful

Préamp hyper musical qui fait "briller" les voix. Simple, il suffit de l'insérer sur une tranche et ça marche tout seul.

N. McCusker

June 22, 2024

Low on price, DSP, and barrier to entry

This plug is so simple it’s awesome! Great to throw across multiple inputs to get a whole drum kit a pseudo api console type effect. So easy to use. Clean when used conservatively. Great color when pushed! Love the unison preamp simplicity!

M. Schneider

May 10, 2024

to complete the channel-strip

has many features, sounds good.

T. TzwSVsOw

May 9, 2024

Mr.

20

T. TzwSVsOw

May 9, 2024

Mr.

20

T. TzwSVsOw

May 9, 2024

Mr.

20

T. TzwSVsOw

May 9, 2024

Mr.

20

T. TzwSVsOw

May 9, 2024

Mr.

20

T. TzwSVsOw

May 8, 2024

Mr.

20

T. TzwSVsOw

May 8, 2024

Mr.

20

R. Graterol

March 17, 2024

Great sound, annoying to pay for it if you own Vision Channel Strip

Nothing to add on the sound that hasn’t been said already. I only bought it to get the Console Emulation as I own the Vision Channel strip. I’m annoyed to buy something I already own, I should have gotten it for free hence the 3 stars.

M. DeWitt

March 15, 2024

Love the Sound!

Can’t beat that vintage sound!

C. YEŞİLYURT

March 10, 2024

Nice

Very beautiful voice

C. YEŞİLYURT

March 10, 2024

Nice

Very beautiful voice

C. YEŞİLYURT

March 10, 2024

Nice

Very beautiful voice

M. Sesek

February 29, 2024

Transparent preamp

Nice preamp with good headroom. With hi and low pass filters it would be perfect.

R. Miller II

February 2, 2024

API

VERY CLEAN , NICE SMOOTH AND WARM , A BIT BRIGHT IF PUSHED , BUT NOT HARSH SOUNDS BETTER THAN 500 SERIES

m. criscuolo

January 31, 2024

Api Preamp

Amazing , pity that the uadx cannot be inserted into the console with the unison preamps, I should buy the uadx preamp Neve 1073 to be able to use it for monitoring in the console of my Apollo x8