Arturia 1973-Pre User manual

USER MANUAL

Special Thanks
DIRECTION
Frédéric Brun Kevin Molcard
DEVELOPMENT
Vincent Travaglini
Nicolo Comin
François Reme
Raynald Dantigny
Bapiste Aubry
Pierre Pfister
Matthieu Courouble
DESIGN
Martin Dutasta Shaun Elwood Morgan Perrier
MANUAL
Fernando Rodrigues Morgan Perrier Florian Marin
BETA TESTERS
Fernando Rodrigues
Ben Eggehorn
Paolo Negri
Terry Marsden
Peter Tomlinson
Marco Correia
Jay Janssen
Luca Lefèvre
Chuck Zwicky
Ken Flux Pierce
Dwight Davies
© ARTURIA SA – 2018 – All rights reserved.
11 Chemin de la Dhuy
38240 Meylan
FRANCE
www.arturia.com
Information contained in this manual is subject to change without notice and does not
represent a commitment on the part of Arturia. The software described in this manual is
provided under the terms of a license agreement or non-disclosure agreement. The software
license agreement specifies the terms and conditions for its lawful use. No part of this
manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any purpose other than
purchaser’s personal use, without the express written permission of ARTURIA S.A.
All other products, logos or company names quoted in this manual are trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Product version: 1.0
Revision date: 7 March 2018

Thank you for purchasing 1973-Pre!
This manual covers the features and operation of 1973-Pre.
Be sure to register your software as soon as possible! When you purchased 1973-Pre you
were sent a serial number and an unlock code by e-mail. These are required during the
online registration process.
Special Messages
Specifications Subject to Change:
The information contained in this manual is believed to be correct at the time of printing.
However, Arturia reserves the right to change or modify any of the specifications without
notice or obligation to update the hardware that has been purchased.
IMPORTANT:
The software, when used in combination with an amplifier, headphones or speakers, may
be able to produce sound levels that could cause permanent hearing loss. DO NOT operate
for long periods of time at a high level or at a level that is uncomfortable.
If you encounter any hearing loss or ringing in the ears, you should consult an audiologist.

Introduction
Congratulations on your purchase of Arturia's 1973-Pre
Since the late 1990s, Arturia has received acclaim from players and reviewers alike for
designing state-of-the art software emulations of the venerable analog synthesizers from
the 1960s to the 1980s. From the Modular V, back in 2004, to Origin, a modular system that
was introduced in 2010, to the Matrix 12 V (2015), the Synclavier V (2016), and most recently
the Buchla Easel V, the DX7 V and the CMI V, Arturia's passion for synthesizers and sonic
purity has given demanding musicians the best software instruments for professional audio
production.
Arturia also has a growing expertise in the audio field, and in 2017 launched the AudioFuse,
a pro studio quality audio interface that features two proprietary DiscretePRO® microphone
preamplifiers and a set of top-notch AD/DA converters.
The ARTURIA 1973-Pre is the culmination of over a decade of experience in recreating the
most iconic tools of the past.
ARTURIA has a passion for excellence and accuracy. This led us to conduct an extensive
analysis of every aspect of the Neve 1073 hardware and its electrical circuits, even modeling
the changes in behavior over the course of time. Not only have we faithfully modeled the
sound and behavior of this unique mixer channel, we have added some features that were
unimaginable in the days the Neve 1073 was being manufactured.
1973-Pre runs as a plug-in in all major formats inside your DAW. It has easy MIDI learn
functionality for hands-on control of most parameters, and as a plug-in also allows
parameter automation for greater creative control.
DISCLAIMER: All manufacturer and product names mentioned in this manual are
trademarks of their respective owners, which are in no way associated or affiliated with
Arturia. The trademarks of other manufacturers are used solely to identify the products of
those manufacturers whose features and sound were studied during 1973-Pre development.
All names of equipment inventors and manufacturers have been included for illustrative and
educational purposes only and do not suggest any affiliation or endorsement of 1973-Pre by
any equipment inventor or manufacturer.
The Arturia team

Table Of Contents
1. WELCOME ......................................................................................................................................................................... 2
1.1. Arturia's secret ingredient: TAE® ................................................................................................................................... 3
1.2. Arturia's 1973-Pre ................................................................................................................................................................... 5
2. ACTIVATION AND FIRST START.......................................................................................................................... 6
2.1. Activate the 1973-Pre license.......................................................................................................................................... 6
2.1.1. The Arturia Software Center (ASC).................................................................................................................................................................... 6
2.2. Initial Setup .............................................................................................................................................................................. 7
2.2.1. 1973-Pre as a plug-in.................................................................................................................................................................................................. 7
2.3. Quick Start: A basic patch............................................................................................................................................... 8
3. USER INTERFACE ....................................................................................................................................................... 10
3.1. The Control Panel............................................................................................................................................................... 10
3.2. The Toolbar.............................................................................................................................................................................. 11
3.2.1. Save....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 11
3.2.2. Save As…............................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 11
3.2.3. Import Preset................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 11
3.2.4. Export Menu .................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 12
3.2.5. Resize Window options......................................................................................................................................................................................... 12
3.2.6. Preset Selection.......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 12
3.3. MIDI Learn assignment................................................................................................................................................. 13
3.3.1. Assign / Unassign controls .................................................................................................................................................................................. 13
3.3.2. Min / Max value sliders ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 14
3.3.3. Relative Control option .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 14
3.4. MIDI controller configuration..................................................................................................................................... 15
3.5. The lower toolbar ............................................................................................................................................................... 16
3.5.1. VU Calibration .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 16
3.5.2. Bypass.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 16
3.5.3. CPU meter ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 16
3.6. The Preset browser............................................................................................................................................................ 17
4. 1973-Pre OVERVIEW................................................................................................................................................. 18
4.1. What is a preamp? ............................................................................................................................................................ 18
4.2. What does a preamp do? ............................................................................................................................................ 19
4.3. What is an EQ?.................................................................................................................................................................. 20
4.4. What does equalization do?..................................................................................................................................... 20
4.5. The 1973-Pre preamp and EQ plug-in ................................................................................................................... 21
4.5.1. Signal Flow ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 21
4.5.2. The EQ section ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 22
4.5.3. The preamp section................................................................................................................................................................................................ 24
4.5.4. Mid/Side mode........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 26
5. 1973-Pre CONTROL PANEL................................................................................................................................... 28
5.1. Single Channel (Mono).................................................................................................................................................... 28
5.1.1. Single Channel EQ Section................................................................................................................................................................................... 28
5.1.2. Single Channel Preamp Section and Output ........................................................................................................................................... 31
5.2. Double Channel .................................................................................................................................................................. 33
5.2.1. Double Channel EQ Section................................................................................................................................................................................ 33
5.2.2. Double Channel Preamp Section and Output ....................................................................................................................................... 35
5.2.3. Some final words..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 36
6. Software License Agreement............................................................................................................................ 37

1. WELCOME
Rupert Neve started building devices for studios in the beginning of the 70s, coming from
a broadcast background and having some experience himself with recording. He grew up
in Argentina, and as a young boy he repaired radios, built radios and sold them to friends,
studied the Radio Amateurs Handbook, and already knew the valve catalogs by heart. At 17,
he enlisted to serve his country during World War II, joining the Royal Signals.
After the war, Rupert Neve used a small legacy from his Grandmother to buy an ex-US Army
Dodge ambulance, where he installed equipment to convert it into a mobile recording and
public address control room. He recorded choirs, amateur operatic societies, music festivals
and public events on 78 RPM lacquer disks (before the days of tape).
Rupert gained audio design and manufacturing experience with Rediffusion, Ferguson
Radio, and as Chief Engineer of a transformer manufacturer. Since his employer was not
interested in manufacturing Neve's designs, he decided to start his own company.
The first mixer designed by Rupert Neve was for Desmond Leslie, a composer of "musique
concrète" (a musical style that worked with pre-recorded real world sounds, assembling,
mixing and manipulating them). Leslie needed a device that would help him mix these
sounds together, specifically because of a contract with EMI to produce the background
music for Shakespeare plays. Neve created a mixer that was a truly unique, custom-
designed piece of equipment, and not saleable to anyone else.
In 1961, a new opportunity presented itself: the advent of the pop music scene in London.
One of Neve’s very early clients was Leo Pollini of Recorded Sound in London, for whom he
designed and built two valve consoles.
By 1964, Rupert Neve had already developed high-performance transistor equipment that
replaced the traditional valve designs. The first client for the new transistor equipment was
Phillips Records Ltd.
Neve was commissioned to design and build a series of equalizers to enable his clients to
change the musical balance of material that had been previously recorded. This was before
the days of multi-track tape machines. The success of the equalizers led to orders from
Phillips and other recording studios for mixing consoles. These attained a reputation for
excellent workmanship and sonic clarity. Demand grew rapidly.
After a few years, Neve Channel Amplifiers comprised a range of high-performance input
amplifiers available for use on Neve sound control consoles, which incorporated alternative
arrangements of filter and frequency response curves. These amplifiers were designed to
accept signals from microphone and line sources and raise them to a level suitable to work
in the main mixer circuit. Important features: low noise & distortion and generous overload
performance. The first one was the 1053 and many more followed, with changes in the
selectable band frequencies and in components.
Designed in 1969, the 1063 was the first Neve channel amp to use the beloved red/grey/blue
knobs that became one of the distinct images of Neve. The 1063's equalizer was a simple
3-band affair consisting of high and low shelves with a bell mid band. The shelves used a
Baxandall type design providing a High Shelf at 10kHz and a Low Shelf selectable between
35, 60, 100, and 220Hz. These Shelf EQ bands provided a boost/cut range of +/- 16dB. The
Mid band was an inductor-based Bell (also called Peak) design allowing choices of 700Hz,
1.2, 2.4, 3.8, and 7kHz with a boost/cut range of +/- 18dB.
Baxandall tone control circuits were named after Peter Baxandall, an English audio engineer
who first came up with this type of circuit in the 1950s. They are characterized by sweet
sweeping curves in the bass and treble shelf EQs (these were even named Baxandall
curves) that give a broad yet musical adjustment. The slope is lower than what was usual,
and that contributes to the curves sweetness, since they sound smoother and more natural.
2 Arturia - Us r Manual 1973-Pr - WELCOME

The variable bands of the 1063 featured a dual-concentric control set with an aluminum
outer ring to select the frequency and an inner plastic knob to control the amount of boost
or cut.
Rounding off the features of this channel amp is an inductor-based high-pass filter with a
slope of -18dB per octave and selections of 50, 80, 160, and 300Hz. There are also two
button switches at the base of the front panel, one to engage or bypass the EQ and the other
to invert the signal phase.
The basic functionality of the 1063 module set a precedent for all future class-A Neve
channel amps in that most subsequent models included a mic/line preamp, 3 band EQ and
filter(s).
The 1063 was quickly followed by the 1064, which was similar in functionality, though it
provided separate mic and line inputs, each with their own input transformer (10468 for mic
and 31267 for line). The three-band EQ featured the same Baxandall high/low shelves and
inductor-based peaking midrange design as used on the 1063, though frequency selection
was a bit altered: 10kHz on the High Shelf, 700Hz, 1.2, 2.4, 3.6, and 7kHz in the Midrange
Bell (usually called Presence) and 35, 60, 100, and 220Hz on the Low Shelf. Instead of
pots for the cut/boost controls the 1064 used rotary switches for stepped (and recallable)
functionality.
The HPF of the 1064 was switchable at 45, 70, 160, and 360Hz, instead of the 50, 80, 160,
and 300Hz of the 1063.
The Neve 1066 was another milestone in Neve channel amplifiers. Again, it had the
traditional 3-band EQ, featuring High Shelf with a fixed frequency of 10kHz and boost/cut
of +/- 16dB, Midrange Bell, called Presence as usual in the Neve devices, with selectable
switching frequencies of 700Hz, 1.2, 2.4, 3.6, and 7kHz and a boost/cut of +/- 16dB, and Low
Shelf with switchable fixed frequencies of 60, 100, and 220Hz and again a boost/cut of
+/- 16 dB. According to Neve, the shapes of the curves and the frequencies were carefully
chosen to give the maximum possible flexibility in high quality recording.
In addition, and as it had became customary in Rupert Neve designs, a high-pass filter was
added, with a slope of -18dB per octave and a choice of cutoff frequencies of 20, 45, 70,
160, and 360Hz.
Also, the usual two button button switches to turn On or Off the EQ circuit and to invert the
phase were added.
The Neve 1073 follows this design closely (actually, we can say the 1073 is the 1066 with
different frequencies). With the exception of the switchable frequencies of each of the three
EQ bands, the internal circuitry, in terms of transformers and amplifiers, was identical.
Somehow, the 1073 became the most popular.
So, the EQ section of the Neve 1073 comprised the usual three bands: High Shelf with a fixed
frequency of 12kHz, and a boost/cut of +/- 16dB; a Low Shelf with selectable frequencies
of 35, 60, 110 and 220Hz, again with a boost/cut of +/- 16dB; and a Midrange Bell (Peak)
with fixed bandwidth and selectable center frequencies of 360Hz, 700Hz, 1.6k, 3.2k, 4.8k
and 7.2kHz.
The 1073 also had a High Pass Filter with a slope of -18dB per octave, and frequencies
switchable between 50, 80, 160, and 300Hz, as well as the two button switches for EQ On/
Off and phase inversion.
It is this last famous preamp and EQ that Arturia is now recreating.
1.1. Arturia's secret ingredient: TAE®
TAE® (True Analog Emulation) is Arturia's outstanding technology dedicated to the digital
reproduction of analogue circuits used in vintage synthesizers.
Arturia - Us r Manual 1973-Pr - WELCOME 3

TAE®’s software algorithms result in spot-on emulation of analogue hardware. This is why
1973-Pre offers an unparalleled quality of sound, as do all of Arturia’s virtual synthesizers
and plug-ins.
TAE® combines major advances in the domain of synthesis:
Linear Frequency spectrum of a well known software synthesizer
Linear frequency spectrum of an oscillator modeled with TAE®
Temporal representation of the "sawtooth"
waveform of a hardware synthesizer
4 Arturia - Us r Manual 1973-Pr - WELCOME

1.2. Arturia's 1973-Pre
So, what is and what do we get with the 1973-Pre preamp and EQ plug-in?
The goal of Arturia was to model the sound of this famous and well sought-after vintage
preamp and EQ unit, definitely one of the most famous and revered, as well as add some
new features that are helpful in a modern workflow.
Therefore, we have the amplification circuit, and a 3 band EQ with High Shelf, Mid Bell (Peak)
and Low Shelf bands, and High Pass Filter. The EQ in the plug-in version has sweepable
frequencies for the filter, the Low Shelf and the Midrange Bell. Only the High Shelf kept the
fixed frequency of the original. This gives the plug-in much more flexibility in the EQing,
while preserving the great sound that was the main characteristic of the original Neve 1073.
We also have some other changes, like for example two transformer types (the original
Neve 1073 was a Class-A). The first transformer keeps the original sound of the original Neve
amplifier, while the second is a novelty introduced by Arturia to give the users some sound
variation, based on another famous piece of vintage equipment.
The plug-in has Single Channel and Dual Channel versions, or configurations. The Dual
Channel configuration can work in three different modes. The default mode is Stereo, which
means the Stereo Link button is On and the Stereo Mode switch is in the L/R (Left/Right)
position. When we change this switch to the M/S position, the plug-in enters the Mid/Side
mode. This automatically disables (turns Off) the Stereo Link button.
When the Stereo Link switch is Off, and the Stereo Mode button is in the L/R position,
the plug-in is in Dual Mono mode. In this mode each channel works independently, which
means we can have the EQ switched On in one channel and Off in the other, for example,
and the phase switched On in one and Off in the other.
Temporal representation of a "sawtooth"
waveform reproduced by TAE®
Arturia - Us r Manual 1973-Pr - WELCOME 5

2. ACTIVATION AND FIRST START
1973-Pre works on computers equipped with Windows 7 or later and macOS 10.10 or later.
You can use the 1973-Pre as an Audio Unit, AAX, VST2 or VST3 plug-in.
2.1. Activate the 1973-Pre license
Once the software has been installed, the next step should be to activate your license, so
that you can use it without limitations.
This is a simple process that involves a different software program: the Arturia Software
Center.
2.1.1. The Arturia Software Center (ASC)
If you have not already installed the ASC, go to this web page:
https://www.arturia.com/support/updates&manuals
Look for the Arturia Software Center at the top of the page, and then download the version
of the installer that you need for your system (macOS or Windows).
Follow the installation instructions and then:
• Launch the Arturia Software Center (ASC)
• Log into your Arturia account
• Scroll down to the My Products section of the ASC
• Click the Activate button
That's all there is to it!
6 Arturia - Us r Manual 1973-Pr - ACTIVATION AND FIRST START