The native UAD Showtime '64 Tube Amp plug-in is based on a powerful, high-headroom tube amp, first introduced in the early 1960s, and loved by generations of rock icons. Offered as a head and 2x12 speaker cabinet, this legendary amp was designed to provide the volume and projection needed for large venues with minimal breakup.
Features
- Immense clean headroom, even at high volumes
- Huge low end response and enough treble to produce the classic American tube amp style twang, with beefy transformers and power tubes that contribute to a muscular clean tone
- Neutral amp character and high headroom make it an excellent pedal platform, allowing pedals to shape the sound without amplifier distortion
- Features a complex and sought-after harmonic vibrato circuit, which produces a lush, watery effect closer to a rotary speaker than the typical amplitude-modulated tremolo
- Famous musicians including Dick Dale, The Beatles, David Gilmour, Keith Richards, John Frusciante and more used it for massive clean tones*
In this article
- Getting Started with UAD Guitar Amp Plug-Ins
- Setting Input Levels
- Showtime '64 Controls
- Showtime '64 Mics
Getting Started with UAD Guitar Amp Plug-Ins
Setting Input Levels
Showtime '64 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
- Connect to your audio interface's Hi-Z instrument input
- Set the audio interface channel's hardware preamp gain control to minimum
- Set the plug-in's IN knob to its Hi-Z (center) position
Showtime '64 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 current level.
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
Showtime '64 includes a full range of presets designed to provide classic sounds. Showtime '64 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.
Room tips
- 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 the default level, the amp will be roughly the same level as the bypassed volume. Option-click (macOS) or Alt-Click (Windows) to set the default level.
Microphone Setups
The Microphone selection appears below the Showtime '64 speaker cabinet. Click the microphone name to choose a mic setup from the menu, or click the previous/next arrows (< and >) to cycle through the microphones.
For details about the microphones, see [Showtime '64 Microphones].
Bright / Normal
When Bright is enabled, a high end boost is added to the amplifier's sound. Normal reduces the brightness.
The original amp included a “bright cap”, designed to provide a brighter, more articulate sound, particularly at lower volume levels. Just like the original amp, the bright cap's effect is most noticeable at lower Volume settings, and decreases as you turn the Volume up. The higher you turn up Volume the less effect it has on the tone.
Bright is off by default, but may be enabled or disabled on presets.
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.
Treble
Adjusts the high frequency response of the amp's tone stack.
Middle
Adjusts the midrange frequency response of the amp's tone stack.
Bass
Adjusts the low frequency response of the amp's tone stack.
Vibrato Controls
To enable the Vibrato (tremolo) circuit, click the LED button between the Speed and Intensity knobs. The Vibrato circuit is enabled when the LED is lit.
Speed
Adjusts the amp's vibrato speed.
Intensity
Adjusts the amp's vibrato intensity.
On / Off
The On / Off switch bypasses the plug-in and reduces plug-in processing.
Showtime '64 Mics
Showtime '64 includes the original amp's paired 2x12 speaker cabinet, with three different microphone setups. Each mic setting has a unique sound. Select mics from the drop-down list or by pressing the previous/next (< or >) buttons.
| Mic(s)* | Notes |
| 57 + Ribbon 121 | A dynamic 57 mic blended with a ribbon 121 mic provides a classic guitar cabinet micing combination. The 57 provides aggressive upper midrange punch and presence, while the 121 fills out the sound with rich, smooth, low end and reduced top end. |
| Condenser 414 | A condenser 414 mic provides a detailed and transparent sound on a guitar cabinet that is distinctly different from a dynamic mic like a 57. With extended low and high frequency response, the 414 captures a full-bodied representation of the amp. |
| Ribbon 160 | The Ribbon 160 mic is a unique double-ribbon, hypercardioid ribbon mic that provides a very focused sound with detail and warmth. Sonically the Ribbon 160 gives a warm and natural sound with a smooth top-end that tames the higher frequencies often present in tube amplifiers. This mic choice is especially smooth when adding distortion or overdrive to the amp's front end. |
*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 Showtime '64 Tube Amp. Use of artist names does not constitute official endorsement of Universal Audio software.