The native UAD Ruby '63 Top Boost Amplifier plug-in gives you the quintessential British valve amp tones beloved by artists and producers for over 60 years, from Queen to U2 to Radiohead.*

Based on the award-winning UAFX pedal, the Ruby '63 plug-in serves up choirboy cleans, complex overdrive, and classic vibrato effects — just like a prized vintage Top Boost amp. Plus you get classic boost effects, room sound, and a collection of perfectly mic'd speaker cabs.

In this article

• Setting input levels
• Ruby '63 Controls
• Ruby '63 Speaker Cabinets
• Ruby '63 Channels

Setting input levels

Ruby '63 is calibrated to provide the exact same tone and response as the original amp when used with Apollo and Volt interfaces. Simply connect your instrument to a Hi-Z input, set the channel's preamp gain to minimum, and leave the plug-in’s IN control at its default Hi-Z (center) position. 

For optimum performance with other audio interfaces, follow the same guidelines.

Input level guidelines for best tone and response

1. Connect to your audio interface's Hi-Z instrument input
2. Set the interface channel's preamp gain to minimum
3. Set the plug-in's IN knob to its Hi-Z (center) position

Ruby '63 Controls

Tip: Option-click (macOS) or Alt-Click (Windows) to set most controls to their default values.

In

Adjusts the input level to the plug-in. Hover your mouse over the knob to see the HI-Z and LINE labels, and the input gain in dB. 

The plug-in input level is calibrated so that a Hi-Z input without added preamp gain provides the proper operating levels when IN is set to the default center position (HI-Z). When using the plug-in on hotter signals (such as tracks that have already been preamplified), reduce the IN knob towards the minimum (LINE) setting. Reducing this knob can also help get cleaner tones when using hotter instrument signals, such as those produced by humbucking and/or active guitar pickups. You can also adjust the knob for more gain to get a range of creative tones. 

Tips

• Hover over the knob, then click the HI-Z or LINE labels to set the control to those values.
• The IN value doesn't change when you load different presets, so you can set the level once and freely browse presets without big volume changes.

Presets

Ruby '63 includes a full range of presets designed to provide classic sounds. Ruby '63 includes a preset browser that provides deep and comprehensive ways to browse and work with the presets. Click the preset bar (top center of plug-in) to select presets from the browser, or click the previous/next (< or >) buttons to cycle through presets.

Room

Adjusts the amount of room tone mixed into the signal.

Notes and tips

• Room amount only affects your sound when you use a speaker cabinet. When the speaker cabinet is bypassed, there is no Room sound. 
• Set Room to noon for a good starting point, and add or remove room to taste. Setting Room fully off is like recording your amp in an isolation booth. Turning up the Room knob adds ambience from the room microphones set up in the tracking room of a studio.
• There is no fully wet Room sound.

Out

Adjusts the output level from the plug-in. When the Output volume is set at noon, the amp will be roughly the same level as the bypassed volume.

Channels

Ruby '63 includes three channels, each of which provides different amp character and features. The boost type is also unique to each channel.

Click the channel name or the input in the INPUTS area to select the amp's input channel, and use the Boost knob to push the input of the amp for more added gain. See Ruby '63 Channels for more details about the channels.

• NORMAL is based on the classic '61 "non-top-boost" amplifier. The Boost knob adds gain from a germanium treble booster circuit to the amp's input.
• BRILLIANT is the amp's Brilliant channel, based on the classic '63 "top-boost" amplifier. The Boost knob adds gain from the preamp of an EP-III tape echo. 
• VIB-TREM is the amp's vibrato channel, based on the classic '63 "top-boost" amplifier. The boost knob adds clean boost to the amp's input. 

Boost

To enable the boost, click the button. Boost is enabled when the button is lit. To increase the amount of gain and the effect of the boost, rotate the Boost knob clockwise.

Speaker Cabinet

The speaker cabinet appears on the right of the Ruby '63 plug-in. Click the cabinet name to choose a cab from the menu, or click the previous/next arrows (< and >) to cycle through the cabs and microphones.

For details about the speakers, see Ruby '63 Speaker Cabinets.

Volume

Adjusts the amp's gain. As you increase volume, the character of the amp changes, becoming more overdriven and compressed. Unlike the original hardware, when the volume knob is set at the minimum, you still hear the amp. The minimum level has been adjusted to provide the lowest amount of usable volume that the original hardware can provide. As you turn the volume knob up, the output volume is automatically adjusted to compensate.

Note: This is the volume control on the original amp. For clean "post-amp" volume adjustments, use the OUT control.

Ruby '63 Tone Controls

Ruby ‘63 controls are identical to the British top boost amplifier that it is modeled after. This means that EQ knobs on the amp will function counterclockwise when boosting or cutting certain frequencies. 

Cut

Reduces high frequencies by filtering the power amp. As you rotate this knob clockwise, the amp tone becomes darker. 

Note: The range of the Cut knob has been adjusted to more easily find the ‘sweet spot” for this control. The original hardware had a narrow range where the Cut knob had an audible effect. The amount of available Cut EQ is identical to the original amp, but the usable range for this knob has been expanded.

Treble

Reduces the high frequency response of the amp’s tone stack on the Brilliant channel only. As with the original vintage amp, the Treble control cuts treble frequencies, so you will get less treble by turning the control clockwise. 

Bass

Reduces the low frequency response of the amp’s tone stack on the Brilliant channel only. As with the original vintage amp, the Bass control cuts bass frequencies, so you will get less bass by turning the control clockwise.

Bass and Treble notes

• The Bass and Treble knobs only work with the Brilliant channel, as with the original hardware.
• The Bass and Treble knobs cut bass and treble frequencies as you rotate them clockwise (in effect, they work in reverse of most EQ knobs).
• As with the original tube amp, vibrato is only available when the Vibrato channel is selected.
• The bass and treble knobs are extremely interactive:
  • When bass and treble are turned all the way up (all the way to the left), the midrange is reduced and the bass and treble are increased in a very extreme “smiley-face” EQ curve.
  • Turn bass and treble to around noon for more midrange and a more natural, flatter and fuller tone.
  • A lot of usable sounds can be found by adjusting the bass and treble knobs to similar positions.

Vibrato Controls

To enable the Vibrato (tremolo) circuit, click the LED button between the Speed and Vib-Trem knobs. The Vibrato circuit is enabled when the LED is lit.

Notes

• Vibrato controls are available only when the Vib-Trem channel is selected.
• Adjusting vibrato controls when Vib-Trem is disabled will change the amp's volume slightly. This is the same behavior as the original hardware. 

Speed

Adjusts the amp's vibrato speed.

Vib-Trem

Adjusts the amp's vibrato intensity.

On / Off

The On / Off switch bypasses the plug-in and reduces plug-in processing. 

Ruby '63 Speaker Cabinets

Each speaker, cabinet, and mic setting has a unique sound. Select speakers from the drop-down list or by pressing the previous/next (< or >) buttons.

Ruby '63 Channels

Each Ruby '63 amp channel has a unique sound, controls, and boost circuitry. To increase the amount of gain to the input of each channel, rotate the Boost knob clockwise. When boost is off, the boost circuitry is disabled and has no effect on amp color and gain.

Brilliant

The Brilliant channel is based on a '63 “top-boost” amplifier. The circuit incorporates an extra tube for more gain and more treble. This channel has less headroom before breakup, and more gain overall.

• The Cut, Bass and Treble knobs provide the EQ for the Brilliant channel.
• The Vibrato circuit is disabled. 
• The boost knob adds input gain from an EP-III preamp. Turn this boost on at a low setting to smooth out the sound of the Brilliant channel.

Normal

The Normal channel is based on a '61 “non-top-boost” amplifier. The amp features more headroom and lower overall gain than the top boost amplifier featured on the Brilliant channel.

• The Cut knob provides the only EQ control for the Normal channel.
• Bass and Treble knobs do not change the sound. 
• The Vibrato circuit is disabled. 
• The Boost knob adds input gain from a germanium-transistor based treble booster circuit. This provides a signature midrange-boosted gain sound heard on countless records.
• This channel takes pedals well. Try a bright overdrive or distortion pedal in front of it.

Vib-Trem

The Vib-Trem (Vibrato) channel is based on a '63 “top-boost” amplifier, and is a uniquely-voiced channel with its own set of inputs and a unique sound. The Vibrato circuit is active.

• Vibrato Speed and Vib-Trem controls are available
• The Cut knob provides the EQ for the Vib-Trem channel.
• The Boost knob adds clean gain without added distortion. As you increase the boost level, midrange and treble increase slightly and bass decreases slightly, to prevent flubby or mushy distortion.
• Vibrato sounds different depending on the Vib-Trem knob setting, providing harmonic tremolo-type tones when set lower, and more aggressive volume tremolo when set high.
• The Vibrato speed range on the plug-in has an extended range so you can set it slower than the original amplifier.

Ruby '63 Tone Shortcuts

Use these speakers and channels for two classic amp and speaker cabinet pairings.

• Blue + Brilliant - Pairing used by the Beatles and U2.
• Silver + Normal - The classic Queen sound.

Factory and Artist presets offer many more great-sounding speaker cabinet and channel pairings. 

*Product names used herein are trademarks of their respective owners, which are in no way affiliated with Universal Audio Inc. These name(s) are used solely to identify products studied in the creation of the sound models found in Ruby ‘63 Top Boost Amp. Use of artist names does not constitute official endorsement of Universal Audio software.