"Before this plugin, the only way to get this tone was by chasing down old hardware or buying boutique pedals": Audio Hertz's Mk.pre emulates the Tascam Portastudio preamp that colours Mk.gee's sought-after guitar tone

Audio Hertz has announced the release of a new plugin that promises to recreate the sought-after tones of Michael Todd Gordon, the artist better known as Mk.gee, known for using an unconventional guitar rig based around a Tascam Portastudio 424 four-track tape recorder.

Gordon's set-up runs his guitar directly into the Portastudio, pushing hard into the Tascam's preamp to create a distinctively lo-fi sound that shifts between clean, mid-forward drive and crunchy, blown-out fuzz. Though he's using a cassette recorder, there's no tape involved: Gordon's effectively using the 424's preamp as an overdrive pedal.

Audio Hertz's Mk.pre plugin is designed to deliver the same tone in your DAW, thanks to an authentic emulation of the 424 Mk1's preamp stage. Promising a versatile tone that spans everything from subtle colouration to "fuzzed-out destruction", Mk.pre is a simple but effective plugin that features just two main controls for Gain and Output (linked via the Auto-Gain button) and Input and Mix controls in the top bar.

"It is not a tape sim or a generic saturator. It’s the 424 preamp in all its imperfect glory," reads a statement from Audio Hertz. "Colourful, raw, and one of a kind. Legendary for its raw, mid-forward guitar crunch. But the same preamp character also elevates bass, drums, synths, and more. Whatever you run through it, Mk.pre injects grit, color, and energy."

The plugin release comes only a few weeks after JHS Pedals launched the 424 Gain Stage, a preamp pedal designed to emulate the very same piece of gear. Audio Hertz claims that Mk.pre offers the same tones for a fraction of the price.

"Before Mk.pre, the only way to get this tone was by chasing down old hardware or buying boutique pedals," says Audio Hertz. "Some of those pedals run over $250 and still miss the mark. Mk.pre delivers the unmistakable 424 tone instantly, without the hassle or the price tag."

Mk.pre is available now for macOS and Windows in VST3/AU/AAX formats.

The plugin is currently priced at only $19 thanks to an introductory discount that ends on Friday 19th September. After that, it'll set you back $39. There's also a free trial available.

Find out more on Audio Hertz's website.