Pyrite – A Modern Take on the Golden Age Pre-73 by SignalPerspective
A while back, the folks over at SignalPerspective got their hands on a Golden Age Pre-73 DLX Mk II, and decided to run some serious tests on it.Turns out… the thing was super clean. Like, almost too clean.
The transformer barely hit any saturation (and only at sub-audible frequencies), while the amp stayed perfectly linear even at crazy high levels.
Not exactly the vintage “mojo” you’d expect from a preamp, right?
So instead of calling it a day, they flipped the whole concept.
They built a plugin — Pyrite — that takes inspiration from the Pre-73, but with extra features and some analog-style spice.
What’s Pyrite
Pyrite is basically a preamp emulation with a built-in compressor and EQ section, reimagined to be more musical and useful than the original box ever was.
Under the Hood
Here’s the actual signal chain inside the plugin:
Transformer → Saturation → Compression → EQing → Output Trim
- Transformer – adds low-end weight and acts like a subtle high-pass filter on the input stage.
- Saturation – switchable between soft and hard knee, with controls to shape the modeled circuit. A Blend knob lets you dial back in the clean signal.
- Compressor – a soft-knee style dynamic processor that doesn’t squash peaks, but brings out the quiet stuff. Feels like a hybrid between a compressor and parallel processing.
- EQ Section – based on the Pre-73’s air and low-pass filters, but expanded with continuous controls and a bass lift modeled after an EMI REDD console curve.
Features
- 🔸 192 kHz / 64-bit internal oversampling
- 🔸 Tuneable transformer stage
- 🔸 Analog-style saturation
- 🔸 Unique compression algorithm
- 🔸 Hi-pass, Hi-shelf & Low-shelf EQ
The Sound
Pyrite adds vibe and density without wrecking your mix.
The saturation feels musical and authentic, the compressor adds energy, and the EQ gives that analog air and sparkle that ITB mixes usually miss.
It’s one of those tools that glues a track together in a natural way — especially when you need something to tame the digital harshness from AI-generated audio or modern VST synths.
Compatibility & Installation
✅ Windows (64-bit)
✅ macOS 10.13+ (some users on 10.13 reported minor issues still under review)
Manual install paths:
- macOS VST3 →
/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3 - macOS AU →
/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components - Windows VST3 →
C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3
Presets
To load presets properly, make sure they’re placed in:/Documents/Signal Perspective/PluginName
Don’t change the folder structure.
Download
Heads up: some Windows antivirus software might throw a false Trojan warning during install.
If that freaks you out, just grab the manual install version — drop the .VST3 file into your system VST3 folder and copy the Signal Perspective folder into your Documents.
Final Thoughts
Pyrite isn’t just another “analog-style” preamp emulation.
It’s a creative tool with attitude — born from a test, refined with ears, and designed to make your mixes sound more alive.
If you’re chasing that warm, fat, slightly dirty analog energy, Pyrite’s got you covered.
And yeah — it’s also a killer secret weapon for cleaning up those AI-made tracks that sound a bit too digital on top.