UA FUCHS OVERDRIVE SUPREME 50

This boutique amp emulation for the UAD-2 platform gives you a hard-to-find tone and plenty of options to customise it to your liking

Fuchs Overdrive Supreme 50 is the latest guitar amp plugin from UAD Direct Development Partner Brainworx, and is included in the v9.1 update (VST, AU, RTAS, AAX). Following in the footsteps of existing Fender, Marshall and Ampeg designs, the Fuchs is also Unison-compatible, providing software integration with UA’s Apollo preamps and making it suitable for playing and recording as well as mixing.

The plugin features the key aspects of the original hardware design coupled with some extras added by Brainworx: Noise Gate, Amp Filters, Delay, individual pre- and poweramp Bypass, and Power Soak. There are also 82 cabinet and mic Recording Chains, including various Fuchs cabinets, to deliver mix-ready tones.

The amp itself is a single-channel design with a switchable overdrive mode. In this second mode, the primary clean channel and its tone controls act as a preamp for the overdrive stage. However, within this reasonably straightforward topology are some interesting specifics. The overall input stage Gain is followed by three selector switches plus a three-band EQ. Two of the switches (Brite and Deep) influence the overall tonality, with Brite boosting highs at lower Gain settings (the effect tails off as you increase Gain). Meanwhile, Deep provides a straight-up – although we have to say quite subtle – low-frequency boost perfect for single-coil pickups.

Next comes the main EQ. Here, the three bands (High, Mid and Low) are augmented by two options: Pull-mid shifts the frequency downwards adding considerably more mids; and Pull-gain bypasses all three EQ bands completely in exchange for some additional drive. Following both gain stages, there’s also a presence control (Accent), although, alas, no spring reverb like on the original hardware.

We found by far the most significant tonal difference was via the Rock/Jazz switch – this influences not only the overall gain but also the EQ controls. In Jazz mode, the tonal shaping is more precise, with gentle boosts and more precise cuts. In Rock mode, the low mids are more dominant and the overall tone more driven. Either way, this section alone delivers a wealth of fantastic flavours, before you even look at the cabinet and mic Recording Chains.

For Fuchs sake

To be honest, we’d probably be happy if the options ended there, but the overdrive section – activated via the Pull-od LED – adds a further layer of rich (though never abrasive) distortion. The Input (drive) and Output controls are easy to set up, and the only thing to bear in mind is that drive and tone settings from the main preamp feed into this channel too. As discussed in What the Fuchs, the Overdrive Supreme is wonderfully quiet, and although this may seem insignificant at first, it does mean that large tonal adjustments aren’t compromised by hiss.

Overall, the Fuchs Overdrive Supreme 50 isn’t a jack of all trades, and won’t deliver full-on screaming metal tones as is, but if you’re after a ballsy, clean-to-driven sound with an upfront immediacy akin to having an amp in the room with you, then this is one of the finest we’ve tested.