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Unison Enabled

  • Overview
  • Features
  • Customer Reviews
  • 4.9/5
    (368)

Regular Price: $299.00

$29.00

You'll Save 90%

4.9/5
(368)

The hallowed Helios Type 69, totally re-modeled with Unison technology.

Whether it was housed at Olympic in London, Musicland in Munich, or in the famed Rolling Stones’ mobile studio, the Helios Type 69 console was at the center of hundreds of iconic albums from rock’s “Golden Age.” From must-own albums by Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and Pink Floyd, to Bob Marley and the Wailers, David Bowie, Black Sabbath, and AC/DC, the Type 69 delivered fat, unmistakable attitude, with a punchy midrange and an assertive growl.

The all-new Helios Type 69 Preamp and EQ plug-in for UAD-2 hardware and UA Audio Interfaces is a masterful, end-to-end circuit emulation of the rare hardware, going well beyond UA’s original Helios Type 69 plug-in.

Track and mix through a stunning emulation of the Helios Type 69 vintage analog channel

Get the full character of the original hardware’s Lustraphone transformer-based mic preamp with Unison technology

Sculpt your sources with a colorful inductor-based three-band EQ

Shape guitars, vocals, and more with legendary Type 69 midrange aggression

Tweak low-end character with uniquely voiced low-frequency boost and cut filters

Mix with artist presets from J.J. Blair (Johnny Cash, George Benson), Chris Coady (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Radio), Jacquire King (Kings of Leon, Tom Waits), and more

Take a Listen

Take a Listen
5-Min UAD Tip
5-Min UAD Tip

5-Min UAD Tip

In this video, learn how to shape drums using Helios’ colorful inductor-based three-band EQ and uniquely voiced low-frequency boost and cut filters.

Turn Your DAW into a Classic Helios Type 69 Console

Turn Your DAW into a Classic Helios Type 69 Console

In crafting the new Helios Type 69 plug-in, UA’s team of engineers dug deep into two original Type 69 Olympic-era “golden units,” faithfully modeling their custom-made, feedback-style, 70 dB input section — along with a complete emulation of the coveted Lustraphone mic input transformer. This end-to-end circuit capture is the only "triple amp" preamp on the UAD platform, giving you complex, colorful flavors that will make any source come to life.

Unison Technology for UA Audio Interfaces

Unison Technology for UA Audio Interfaces

Harnessing UA’s groundbreaking Unison technology, the new Helios Type 69 plug-in gives you the hardware’s line/mic preamp impedance, gain stage “sweet spots,” and exact circuit behaviors. Just insert the plug-in into the Console app’s Unison preamp slot to track in real time through a spot-on Helios Type 69 modeled preamp.

Passive, Aggressive EQ

Passive, Aggressive EQ

The new Helios Type 69 also offers a ground-up redesign of the original hardware’s famously bold passive three-band EQ. For the first time, the Helios Type 69 plug-in perfectly emulates the rich sounding inductor saturation behaviors that keep radical EQ moves sounding ultra musical, even at extreme settings.

The Low End Theory

The Low End Theory

With four uniquely voiced low frequency bell-shape boost filters, the Helios Type 69 Preamp and EQ Collection imparts the same solid and wide bass foundation found on seminal rock, pop, and reggae recordings. You can also clean up sources like overheads and room mics by switching the Bass band into a fixed 50 Hz low cut mode, with stepped gain control.

Add Tough Type 69 Attitude with any UAD Hardware

Add Tough Type 69 Attitude with any UAD Hardware

Of course, the Helios Type 69 Preamp and EQ Collection isn’t just for UA Audio Interface owners. UAD hardware owners can use the Collection on any mix, for bold, intense colors, without going outside the box. With the Helios Type 69 complete console channel emulation, plus the included DSP-lite Helios Type 69 Legacy plug-in, you can craft your projects with the same bold flavor found on the biggest records ever made.

Watch The Reviews

      Key Features

      Complete end-to-end circuit emulation of the original Helios "Olympic"-era Type 69 channel design

      Coveted Lustraphone mic input transformer and famously colorful passive inductor based EQ

      Feedback-style 70 dB preamp and Unison technology with mic, line, and Hi-Z inputs

      High Shelf, Mid Bell, and Bass Bell/Shelf EQ with bypass for DSP savings

      Includes Helios Type 69 Legacy EQ plug-in for DSP savings

      Requires a UAD DSP Accelerator Card or UA Audio Interface available from authorized dealers worldwide

      Customer Reviews

      Helios Type 69 Preamp and EQ Collection

      Overall Rating

      4.9/5
      (368)

      J. SANMARTI

      October 30, 2023

      Great!!

      Fantastic preamp!! It really sounds awesome!!

      b. cheung

      September 27, 2023

      Expect the greatness out of the Helios!

      Saw a Helious console on the internet and i loved the way it looked and thought it sounded good over the net so i decided ima give this preamp a try and it sounds amazing!

      M. cortelazzo

      July 22, 2023

      Perfect for my voice

      I was about to buy an hardware preamp but I decided to test some of the unison pre. When I came to Helios I've had no doubt that this was what I was searching . The eq section is fantastic, I use it with my sm7b and Iove it

      G. Merino

      July 12, 2023

      Sweeeet!!

      This plugin sounds amazing . It became one of my favorites quickly.
      Easy to use, very friendly GUI, simple and effective.
      The preamp has a nice warm character, and the eq section is round and sweet, with very “musical” curves.

      J. Mateo

      June 28, 2023

      Close to the hardware and so sweet on guitars

      I love this thing on guitars and bass!

      T. Kaminski

      June 22, 2023

      No VST3 - No Cubase on M1 Mac

      VST3 is actually standard these days. Not with these plugins. Unfortunately, Universal Audio has no interest in bringing UA-Powered VST 3 plug-ins to the market. Marketing is apparently doing everything to hide this thing. And that's how I fell into the trap. The forum shows: I'm not the only one. For Cubase on a recent Mac: Expensive and useless. Thank you Universal Audio!

      F. Trentini

      June 17, 2023

      Very close to the hardware

      I'm the owner of a Helios_1R (a 19" dual rack version of the "Type 69") and I must say that this plug-in sounds pretty darn close to the real thing. Well done.

      T. MADDEN

      June 12, 2023

      Clean eq

      Very tight bands!!! Lovely and warm

      C. Samayoa

      June 8, 2023

      Big sound

      Big sound !..

      S. Blecher

      April 30, 2023

      Super Vorverstärker

      Eigentlich ist jeder Vorverstärker (unision) von UA einfach nur richtig gut. Ob es der V76 oder Neve oder der Helios ist. Jeder ist für sein Zweck richtig gut.

      J. Srilaam

      March 29, 2023

      Every good

      I love Uad

      m. kim

      March 24, 2023

      it's awesome

      good quality i like it

      A. Lee

      March 8, 2023

      Lovely

      Very lovely sound to this, will use with vocals and acoustic guitar tracking

      M. Alexandru-George

      February 16, 2023

      Very good pre

      Very good unison preamp <3

      T. Chianti

      February 13, 2023

      Helios 69 Pre

      Just placing it in the signal chain helps to clear up vocals.

      V. Ruzicic

      February 13, 2023

      Nice!

      so much fun experimenting and comparing with other Unisons...

      J. Mono

      February 5, 2023

      Cool

      Cool stuff

      .

      February 4, 2023

      My go to Unison Pre for Tlm 103

      Ive come to own every unison pre over the years and this on my unison slot followed by slight eq from MDW5 and a distressor give the most robust and silky tone to my tlm103 that I've heard up until this point out of my twin x. I liked the voxbox but that pre makes my tlm sound more squeezed by comparison. Check it out, definitely unique in what it offers amongst the other available channel strips

      Z. Abresch

      December 28, 2022

      Not entirely useful without a lot of gain

      A subdued plugin to put it mildly. Works as a pre-amp but breaks up way too early, and doesn't have much output without trim. It doesn't sound good when breaking up either. The saving grace is the EQ is actually pretty useful with some really nice top-end shine.

      J. Dollard

      December 21, 2022

      Helios vintage

      Incredible sound… Never working with the original. I’m sure this is quite similar excellent buy.