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[robgil]

Is this possible? I have seen one or two things for Foobar that do this but they require a huge amount of faffing around.

[InflatableMouse]

http://philaudio.wordpress.com/research/tube-preamp/

There was a time not too long ago it would crash MC. I haven't tried it again since.

Give it a swing, maybe it will work.

[bebe]

Ruby Tube: I use it on all my CD rips with MC, including for use on mp3s made for portable audio:

http://free-loops.com/vst-plugin-53.html

Sparkle Softly setting preserves resolution best to my ears

[mojave]

I used the PhilAudio one about a year ago and didn't have any issues.  You can also try this one:  url=http://www.voxengo.com/product/tubeamp/]Voxengo Tube Amp[/url]. I was seeing if I could replicate a tube preamp that I had borrowed. I was able to replicate it fairly well with the PhilAudio tube preamp.

[mwillems]

One note of caution about the philaudio tube amp plugin;  I played around with it for a while, and it did a really good job of giving a tube sound, and generally worked pretty well with one exception. 

It has the circuit path of the tube amp laid out in the VST window, and what's really neat about it is that you can adjust, say, the resistor values to get a different sounding tube amp.  That's a really neat customization feature for a tube hobbyist. 

However, do not (I can't stress enough), DO NOT attempt to alter the resistor or other component values while music is playing.  I thought it would be neat to demo different circuit values on an A/B basis (while music was playing), and while editing the resistor values I deleted one value in order to type in a new number.  Rather than latching off while there was no value there (or failing gracefully), the VST plugin produced the single loudest noise (a sharp CRACK) I've ever heard from my speakers, and then was cut off a split second later when JRiver's fault state caught it and turned everything off. 

It's one of a very few times I've ever managed to get JRiver into the "PROTECT" mode where I had to restart JRiver to restart playback, and thankfully nothing was damaged (ears or equipment).  But it scared me enough that I stopped using the plugin.  Other than that it worked a treat 

[6233638]

http://philaudio.wordpress.com/research/tube-preamp/
There was a time not too long ago it would crash MC. I haven't tried it again since.
Give it a swing, maybe it will work.

It's crashing here as well - a pretty catastrophic failure actually - Media Center just disappears when I try to play anything with this VST enabled.

[InflatableMouse]

Real shame. That was a fun plugin to play with.

[pcstockton]

What exactly do [you think] an amp powered by tubes sounds like?  Why not handle this downstream?

-Patrick

[r010159]

I have it operating right now with the latest and greatest version of JRiver MC. I just do not know enough to adjust the values properly. On loud thumps from the drum it distorts. I do not want this. I just want a warming effect on the audio. What parameters should I use for this purpose?

[mwillems]

What exactly do [you think] an amp powered by tubes sounds like?  Why not handle this downstream?

-Patrick

Tube amps (the ones I've heard anyway) tend to have a distinct distortion profile (described as warm, kind of like record hiss) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tube_sound. All amps introduce some distortion, but tube amps tend to have a different sounding distortion profile than solid state amps do.  Some tube amps exhibit it more than others (like any amp), and it's most obvious when the amp is overdriven (like in a conventional tube guitar amp).  

If you're serious about there not being a distinct "tube sound" to tube amplifiers, you must have access to much lower distortion tube amps than the ones I've interacted with  

The plugin (when working and not making terrifying noises) reproduced the conventional "tube sound" pretty well, and you could adjust the drive to get a subtler or more conspicuous tube coloration.  

I have it operating right now with the latest and greatest version of J River MC. I just do not know enough to adjust the values properly. On loud thumps from the drum it distorts. I do not want this. I just want a warming effect on the audio. What parameters should I use for this purpose?

Try turning down the drive knob all the way down and see if that helps.

[r010159]

I have the drive all the way down and there is significant distortion at times. Perhaps this plugin is not working well with MC. I am looking for that "warmth" which you refer to as like record hiss. I see where I can change anode, grid, and cathode values (combination of resistor and capacitor circuits). I do not know where to start. I guess this depends on where the signal is distorting. He mentions in the article that the distortion is happening at the second stage. Maybe that is where I should be spending my time?

(I hope this is not my headphones)

[mwillems]

I have the drive all the way down and there is significant distortion at times. Perhaps this plugin is not working well with MC. I am looking for that "warmth" which you refer to as like record hiss. I see where I can change anode, grid, and cathode values (combination of resistor and capacitor circuits). I do not know where to start. I guess this depends on where the signal is distorting. He mentions in the article that the distortion is happening at the second stage. Maybe that is where I should be spending my time?

That might help, but as noted, be sure to stop music playback before changing the values. You also might try turning down the internal volume in jriver if you have it maxed (in case the plugin is driving things into clipping or something).  Other than that, I'm not too sure, it was pretty mild "warm" distortion when I tried it.

[r010159]

OK, I will follow  your suggestions.

[pcstockton]

Tube amps (the ones I've heard anyway) tend to have a distinct distortion profile (described as warm, kind of like record hiss) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tube_sound. All amps introduce some distortion, but tube amps tend to have a different sounding distortion profile than solid state amps do.  Some tube amps exhibit it more than others (like any amp), and it's most obvious when the amp is overdriven (like in a conventional tube guitar amp).  

If you're serious about there not being a distinct "tube sound" to tube amplifiers, you must have access to much lower distortion tube amps than the ones I've interacted with 

The plugin (when working and not making terrifying noises) reproduced the conventional "tube sound" pretty well, and you could adjust the drive to get a subtler or more conspicuous tube coloration.  

Try turning down the drive knob all the way down and see if that helps.

I don't know.... i think it is a misnomer.  I have heard all kinds of presentation from tube amps. From McIntosh, to Canadian i am forgetting, to Clear Audio, Zu, to obscure SET amps.  All are different.

[bebe]

Hello: I just tried to add Rube Tube VST but program didn't want to accept it. I this because I am using 64 bit Media Center now?

[JimH]

If the VST plugin is 32 bit, you need the 32 bit version of MC.

[bebe]

Thanks for that. I don't think the VST plugin is available x64.