Soyuz Lakeside Preamp Review
A Modern Classic for Vibrant, Polished Recordings
Imagine you’re in the studio, chasing that perfect vocal take or trying to capture the soul of a guitar riff. You need a preamp that doesn’t just amplify—it transforms your sound into something alive, rich, and full of character. Enter the Soyuz Lakeside Preamp, a single-channel, Class-A, rackmount preamp that marks Soyuz Microphones’ bold entry into outboard gear. Launched in October 2024, this preamp blends vintage-inspired warmth with modern precision, offering a lush, musical tone that elevates every source it touches. Whether you’re tracking vocals, guitars, drums, or even re-amping stems, the Lakeside is designed to make your recordings sing. Let’s explore why this preamp is becoming a studio staple and how it can inspire your next session.
Soyuz’s Legacy Meets Outboard Innovation
For over a decade, Soyuz Microphones has been crafting hand-built mics that marry classic character with cutting-edge design, earning a cult following among engineers and artists. The Lakeside Preamp extends that philosophy into the world of outboard gear, answering the question Soyuz often heard: “What preamp pairs best with your mics?” Their response? Build one themselves. The result is a 1U rackmount preamp that’s as visually striking as it is sonically impressive, with a cream-colored faceplate (and a limited-edition full-cream finish for the first 50 units) and a Cyrillic “?????” badge that nods to Soyuz’s Russian roots.
Inside, the Lakeside is a beast of craftsmanship. It features all-discrete, Class-A circuitry with custom-wound transformers on both the input and output, delivering a rich, harmonic texture reminiscent of vintage preamps. But unlike those old-school units, the Lakeside offers cleaner headroom, lower noise (EIN of -120dB), and consistent reliability, making it a perfect fit for modern studios. Its frequency response spans 20Hz-20kHz (±0.5dB) at 40dB gain, extending to 8Hz-40kHz (±5dB), ensuring every detail of your source is captured with clarity and depth.
Sonic Versatility: Clean or Colorful, You Choose
The Lakeside is all about flexibility. Its stepped input gain control offers 10 to 60dB in 5dB increments, letting you dial in just the right amount of gain with a satisfying click. Want a clean, transparent sound? Keep the gain moderate for pristine clarity. Craving some analog grit? Push the input harder to introduce dynamic breakup and harmonic distortion that plugins simply can’t replicate. The output trim knob provides precise level control, allowing you to fine-tune your signal into the next stage—whether it’s a compressor, EQ, or your DAW. This dual-knob setup makes it easy to explore a wide range of tones, from subtle warmth to bold saturation, with recallable settings for consistent results.
The inductor-based high-pass filter (HPF) is a standout feature, offering 10 frequency points from 40Hz to 330Hz with an 18dB/octave slope. Unlike basic HPFs, this one adds a musical resonance with a gentle bump, letting you sculpt low-end with finesse while preserving the source’s character. It’s perfect for taming proximity effect on vocals or cutting rumble on acoustic guitars, and its creative potential encourages experimentation—like boosting the HPF to enhance a mic’s proximity effect for a massive, dynamic sound.
The Lakeside also includes a 1/4-inch DI input on the front panel, ideal for high-impedance sources like electric guitars, basses, synths, or drum machines. This DI adds weight and life to instruments, making it a go-to for direct recordings or re-amping stems to infuse them with the preamp’s lush character. Whether you’re pairing it with a Soyuz mic (like the 017 Tube or 023 Bomblet) or a classic like a Neumann U87, the Lakeside enhances condensers, dynamics, and ribbons with a full-bodied, vibrant sound.
Real-World Performance: What the Pros Say
In reviews, engineers have praised the Lakeside for its ability to deliver a “finished” sound right out of the box. Tape Op’s Larry Crane and Chris Koltay noted its ease of use and tonal versatility, describing it as having “a touch of 1073 body, but more clarity, not as dark, and honestly some API punch.” They tested it with a Soyuz 1973 and Ohma condenser on a Fender Telecaster through an AC30, finding that matching gain and tone was effortless thanks to the Lakeside’s intuitive controls and musical HPF. Even when pushed hard, the preamp’s saturation sounded “immense” without harsh clipping, requiring less downstream processing.
Sound on Sound’s A/B tests against an Audient ASP8024’s preamps revealed subtle yet impactful differences. When paired with a Soyuz 011 FET on a finger-picked acoustic guitar, the Lakeside added a warmth and dimension that stood out, while still maintaining clarity. On a vocal take with a Neumann U87, it brought a polished, lively quality that made the performance pop through speakers. These tests highlight the Lakeside’s ability to enhance any source while staying true to its character.
Workflow and Build: Designed for Creativity
The Lakeside’s front panel is refreshingly simple: gain, output trim, HPF selector, and switches for phantom power, polarity, and DI enable. There’s no metering, encouraging you to trust your ears—a nod to vintage designs that prioritizes feel over numbers. The output trim clearly marks unity gain, a rare feature that makes gain staging intuitive, especially when integrating with outboard gear like an 1176 compressor. The build quality is top-notch, with a thick metal chassis, pro-grade switches, and a smooth potentiometer, ensuring durability for years of studio use.
At $1,499, the Lakeside is a premium investment, but it punches above its price point, competing with heavyweights like the Neve 1073 or API preamps. It’s not the cheapest option (compared to, say, a Warm Audio WA273-EQ), but its unique character and build quality justify the cost for serious producers. The only minor drawbacks? Some users might wish for digital metering or remote control, and the single-channel design means you’ll need multiple units for stereo setups. But for those who value vibe and versatility, these are small trade-offs.
Who’s It For?
The Soyuz Lakeside is perfect for project studio owners, freelance engineers, and producers who want a preamp that delivers both clean precision and colorful character. It’s ideal for anyone using Soyuz mics but shines with any microphone or instrument, making it a versatile addition to any signal chain. Whether you’re recording intimate vocals, emotive guitars, punchy drums, or re-amping electronic stems, the Lakeside brings a polished, musical quality that reduces the need for heavy mixing tweaks.
Why the Lakeside Stands Out
As a producer, I’ve worked with countless preamps, but the Lakeside feels special. It’s not just about amplifying a signal—it’s about adding soul, depth, and a touch of magic to your recordings. Its intuitive controls let you stay in the creative zone, while its transformers and circuitry deliver a sound that’s both timeless and modern. If you’re ready to make your tracks come alive with vibrant, professional polish, the Soyuz Lakeside Preamp is your ticket to sonic bliss. Plug in, dial it in, and create something beautiful.