AikyaLabs PreVU - A Simple VU Meter / NAM Preamp Loader

Gain stage, tone shape, meter, and color your track with your favorite NAM box tone.

I frequently find myself doing this while preparing tracks for mixing - use a VU meter with pre-gain to gain stage a track before touching the fader, use low and high cut filters to shape the tone, and use a preamp or hardware emulation "box tone". For me, this significantly reduces how much I have to do during a mix to get tracks to sit nicely and sound right.

I created a plugin to make things easier. AikyaLabs PreVU has a neat digital VU meter that supports TCP and MCP embedding in Reaper for quick visual level reference. It has pre-gain, low-cut, and high-cut filters. After that, the signal hits a NAM loader. Load up your favorite NAM captures like the BAE 1073 or the A2 capture of the Black Box HG2 to give the track your favorite "box tone". I have also used NAM captures of compressors and EQs at this stage. Finally, the autogain keeps things consistent and prevents loudness bias.

I hope you find it useful, especially if you have a similar pre-mixing ritual of prepping tracks. Get it for free if you want, or send something my way which I will appreciate greatly. Suggestions and features requests are always welcome.

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