Softube & Tube-Tech: Making modern classics together
Softube has been working in close collaboration with Tube-Tech since 2006 to bring you the legendary blue Tube-Tech gear in digital form
Softube’s partnership with Tube-Tech began with a train ride through a snowy Denmark to visit John G. Petersen from Lydkraft, Danish for “sound power”, and the company behind the blue Tube-Tech gear including the Tube-Tech CL 1B compressor. TC Electronic wanted the CL 1B as a flagship compressor plug-in for its Powercore platform and arranged this meeting between Softube and Lydkraft, one of Softube’s first projects with a third party.
According to Torsten, now Softube’s VP of Sales and Marketing, “the expectations were high.” At first, it was difficult to convince John of the advantages of digital vs. analog, but in the end he put a great deal of trust into Torsten and Arvid Rosén (now VP of Research & Development), two young engineers asking all kinds of questions about the ins and outs of the design of the CL 1B while frantically taking notes and trying to get to the bottom with what the fixed/manual attack/release setting actually did. “John was patient though, I think his background as a schoolteacher really paid off here,” Torsten commented on this process.
This partnership between Softube and Tube-Tech to create the CL 1B plug-in was followed by collaborations on the PE 1C and ME 1B equalizer plug-ins, and today our Tube-Tech plug-ins have been ported to more platforms than probably any other plug-in on the market. This was accomplished through close collaboration with John. The Tube-Tech plug-ins remain one of Softube’s most popular products and proudest achievements. “They also stay firmly placed on my vocal track at all times!” Torsten added.
