Description

NP A67 faithfully recreates the unique sonic character of the a custom modified Altec 1567A tube mixer/preamp unit used at Norman Petty Studios in Clovis, NM—infamous for shaping the “Clovis Sound” heard on iconic recordings of the era’s by Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, and more. NP A67 is a thoughtfully crafted homage to Norman Petty’s sonic legacy. It blends authentic tube-driven tone with enhanced mid band control, all in a single-plugin workflow. Whether you're tracking vocals, drums, guitars, or mastering, NP A67 brings vintage character with modern flexibility—letting you sculpt rich, era-defining warmth across generations of recorded sound.

Tube Saturation & Drive: Input controls emulate tube distortion when pushed toward 0 dB, mirroring the natural compression of the original mixers.

Analog Texture: Optional hum recreates generator noise from vintage components.

EQ Additions: While the bass and treble mimic vintage tone stacks, the mid peaking band is a modern tweak—introduced to augment tonal shaping without deviating from the original’s character.

Flexible Filters: HP (High-Pass) and LP (Low-Pass) Filters provide studio?grade control to focus or tame frequency content based on use case.

Historical Context & Inspiration

A rack-mounted tube mixer, originally designed as a radio station preamp, the Altec 1567A Tube Mixer Preamp — known for natural tube saturation, harmonic richness, mild distortion and low end warmth — was repurposed by Norman Petty in his late 1950s console. Petty used three such units—heavily modified, with discrete solid-state circuitry—for L/R/M stereo signal paths.

Top Bar Navigation

• Undo/Redo, Preset Management (Save/Load, Navigation, Etc.)
• A/B switch for quick settings comparison
• Options menu with global preferences
• Input and Output trims (±36dB)

Core Controls

• Analog Hum: Adds subtle tube-aged hiss
• Input Gain (inf - 0dB): Drives the tube stage; nearing 0 dB adds distortion/saturation
• Mix: Parallel wet/dry blending for subtle to full processing balance control
• Output Gain (0 dB - inf): Post gain attenuation
• Bass EQ (0–10): Emulates lows of vintage tube tone
• Mid Peaking EQ (not on the original unit): –12 to +12 dB @ 200 Hz–2.5 kHz
• Treble EQ (0–10): Adds high-end sheen
• High Pass Filter: Off or 20 Hz–1kHz cutoff
• Low Pass Filter: 4 kHz–20 kHz or Off

Features

• Authentic Tube Saturation: Emulates natural tube distortion and compression when input is pushed.
• Analog Hum Option: Adds subtle vintage-style generator noise for realism.
• Modern Mid EQ Band: Adds a peaking mid control not found in the original unit.
• Vintage Bass & Treble EQ: Faithfully recreates classic tone stack characteristics.
• High-Pass & Low-Pass Filters: Studio-grade filters for precise frequency shaping.
• Parallel Mix Control: Blend wet/dry signal for subtle to intense processing.
• Flexible Input/Output Gain: ±36?dB trims for dynamic range management.
• A/B Settings Comparison: Instantly switch between two setups.
• Preset Management System: Save, load, and navigate presets easily.
• Inspired by Norman Petty's Mods: Based on custom Altec 1567A units used on Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, and more.

Tech Specs