Rupert Neve Designs brings their acclaimed tape emulation (from their Portico 5042) to the 500 Series format with the Rupert Neve Designs Portico 542 Tape Emulator. Add the thick, musical sound of tape to your tracks, with the added bonus of Neve's Silk/Texture circuit to fine-tune your sound. Once you hear the 542, we're pretty sure you won't want to mix without it.
As a follow up to the Portico 5042, the 542 delivers a remarkable simulation of true tape sound through the inclusion of genuine tape drive circuitry while also incorporating a number of new methods for adding analogue color to individual tracks and mixes.
The Portico 542’s “True Tape” emulation circuit provides the nostalgic rounding and compression usually only achieved by the use of tape, and can offset the harshness often found in digital recordings. Unlike digital emulations, the “True Tape” drive circuit works by feeding a tiny magnetic “record head”, which in turn is coupled to a correctly equaliszed, replay amplifier. As the voltage rises on the “record head”, saturation increases, and a soft clip circuit engages at higher levels to round off peak transients. The sound of the tape circuit can be further modified with selectable 15 / 30 IPS modes and a pre/post-tape blend control. In addition to the tape circuit, the 542 also has the variable Silk & Texture circuitry found in the Portico II series of modules, which allows the engineer to fine-tune the harmonic ratio and tonality on the output transformer.
Features
- Add the rich, musical sound of tape to your digital tracks
- True Tape circuitry uses real tape heads to emulate the characteristics of tape recording
- Versatile Silk/Texture circuit gives you additional sonic-sculpting potential
- Wet/dry control lets you fine-tune the amount of tape saturation
- Soft-clip circuit helps you tame the sound of harsh, transient signals
