These days, it’s easy to get decent-sounding in-the-box tube soundalikes, but there’s still something to be said for the real thing. There’s a certain…feel…that you just can’t get without the real thing, at least not yet. But thankfully, getting the real thing doesn’t have to involve completely revamping your box-based session. The FreqPort FreqTube FT1 is built to combine the ease of a basic plugin with the hardware of real tubes, while adding some handy tactile controls along the way.
It comes at a good time. What’s old is new again, and analog sounds are all the rage. Traditionally, getting that warm feel meant spending a ton of cash on cumbersome gear. With the Freqport FreqTube FT1, that changes.
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Design
The Freqport FreqTube FT1 is a compact desktop box with a surprisingly small footprint, making it an easy fit for most studio setups. Despite its size, it manages to pack in a robust feature set and a premium feel that sets it apart from other hardware units.
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Perhaps the most eye-catching design element is what happens when you actually use the FreqTube FT1 though. There’s a grille on the top, under which can be found the four tubes — which emit that warm orange glow when the unit is on.
The entire build feels rock solid, with high-quality materials that contribute to its premium and durable design.
Plugin
The hardware unit itself is only one part of the whole setup — the other part being the accompanying plugin, which is available in AU, VST3, and AAX formats. The FreqTube plugin is generally easy to use and well-designed
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All of the controls in the plugin can also be assigned to any of the eight physical knobs on the hardware unit — and those settings can be saved as presets so that you don’t have to set it up again for every session.
The plugin also has some presets that can help you get started with specific instruments.
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Sound
The FreqTube FT1 packs four tubes—two E83CCs and two 12AT7s—each with their own sonic personality. The E83CCs are all about smooth, rich warmth with low noise, making them perfect for adding subtle harmonic magic without muddying things up. The 12AT7s, on the other hand, bring a little more clarity and definition. The unit lets you run these tubes in stereo or split them into mono for more flexibility.
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Even at extreme settings, it stays musical, which makes it a blast to experiment with. Whether you’re running synths, vocals, or a whole mix through it, the FT1 adds a natural analog touch that’s tough to replicate with plugins. Plus, having the ability to dial in just the right amount of warmth or clarity makes it a super versatile tool in any studio setup.
Verdict
I’m someone who experiments with distortion on all kinds of tracks. I love adding some to a drum mix in parallel with the main mix, or on a pair of room mics. And, I almost always mix at least some kind of drive on a lead vocal, even if it’s pretty buried in the mix. In other words, the FreqTube FT1 is perfect for me. I’m no mastering engineer, but I can certainly imagine the unit coming in handy when applied to a mix as a whole too, and the experimentation I did do with that yielded some great results.
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