Lifeline Pre preamp plugin interface by Excite Audio

Lifeline Pre: Preamp Plugin with Push-Pull Saturation by Excite Audio Free Download

Rated 4.9/5 on Plugin Boutique (28 ratings)

Lifeline Pre is a preamp plugin by Excite Audio that adds warmth, drive and excitation to a signal. It offers three Push-Pull saturation curves and tone shaping controls for Windows and macOS.

VST3AUAAXStandaloneWindowsmacOS64-bit

AVAILABLE ATPlugin Boutique

Download Now

Free trial available from the developer

01Overview

Lifeline Pre is built around the first stage of a recorded signal, where a preamp adds gain and can impart character. It combines a classic preamp workflow with the flexibility of digital processing, so you can shape the frequency response of the circuit to suit the instrument you are working with. Three modes help refine the kind of drive and enhancement you need, from airy high-end sheen to low-end weight and punch.

Best for

Adding warmth to vocals
Drum bus saturation
Low-end weight on bass
High-end sheen on mixes
Preamp-style gain staging

Developer: Excite Audio
Category: Preamps
Store: Plugin Boutique

02Key features

What you get

3 Push-Pull saturation curves: Bright, Warm and Dark
Tone Bias, Q and Shape controls for response tuning
Lo-cut and Drive controls
L/R VU meter for channel level monitoring
Input and output gain controls
Global bypass for quick A/B comparison
Resizeable user interface
Zero latency processing
50 included presets

03In depth

Saturation Modes and Tone Shaping

The core of Lifeline Pre is its Push-Pull saturation. The signal is warmed with a weighted frequency response, and the overall gain is then brought back down, leaving the spectral character of the preamp without the level increase.

The Bright mode adds high-end presence and sheen. Warm adds body and smoothness, with particular emphasis on the midrange. Dark brings weight and punch to the low frequencies. Bias, Q and Shape controls let you dial in the exact character of the response, and Lo-cut and Drive controls help you clean up the low end and set the amount of saturation.

Metering, Gain Staging and Workflow

Input and output gain controls let you manage levels through the plugin, and the L/R VU meter shows the signal on each channel. A global bypass makes it quick to compare the processed and unprocessed sound.

The interface is resizeable, and the plugin is listed as zero latency. The package includes 50 presets to start from before adjusting the controls to your source.

04Specs