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Rupert Neve Designs 500 Series - The Channel Strip Bundle


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This Bundle Includes:

  • 1 x R6 / Rupert Neve Designs R6 Six Space 500 Series Rack
  • 1 x 511 / Rupert Neve Designs 511 500 Series Mic Pre with Texture
  • 1 x 535 / Rupert Neve Designs 535 500 Series Diode Bridge Compressor
  • 1 x 551 / Rupert Neve Designs 551 500 Series Inductor EQ

Rupert Neve Designs R6 Six Space 500 Series Rack

With abundant power and versatile connections, the R6 delivers peace of mind for engineers who demand a higher degree of confidence in their 500 series racks.

Power You Can Trust
Power-wise, the R6 has more than 150% the required current for a 6-space chassis to prevent the power rails from failing under a higher-than-expected load. To help monitor and troubleshoot problematic modules, the R6 is equipped with LED current metering to show how much power is being used. The internal power supply itself has been carefully designed and double-shielded to avoid significant magnetic induction in any of the channel positions. With such attention to providing and monitoring power, the R6 helps your modules realize their fullest potential.

Connect Like Never Before

With a plethora of connections available, the R6 backpanel is practically a patchbay on its own. The R6 features 8 channels of balanced I/O options including DB-25, XLR and TRS that may be used interchangeably. This versatility is especially handy when you are taking the R6 with you to another environment where you are unsure of the cables available, or if you need to convert DB-25, XLR or TRS connections to another format using the THRU functionality on channels 7-8.

Solid Steel Construction
The chassis is comprised of solid steel with bumpers to support the unit in both horizontal and vertical configurations, and features a collapsable handle for portability. All connectors and fittings are of the highest quality to ensure that the R6 will hold up to many years of use.

A New Level of Confidence in the 500 Series
Because the R6 is built to 500 series specifications, it will work flawlessly with any properly-designed 500 series module you wish to include in it. To help accommodate modules that are slightly out of spec, the R6 has variable-position screw holes to help make the installation process as smooth as possible. The 500 series VCA buss link function can be enabled in pairs on the R6 using the link jumpers on Channels 1-2, 3-4, or 5-6. Enabling link allows compatible compressor modules like the 543 to share VCA control when their links are enabled. Matching blank panels are also available to cover any empty slots.

If you want to get the very best performance out of your 500 series modules, the Rupert Neve Designs R6 is the serious rack for the serious sound you want.

Rupert Neve Designs 511 500 Series Mic Pre with Texture

With a big, bold preamp and the flexibility of variable Silk/Texture, Rupert Neve designed the 511 to combine classic sonics with 500-series value. Incorporating the 517’s powerful preamp, the 5012’s universally useful sweepable high pass filter, and the transformer-saturating power of a variable silk circuit derived from our flagship Portico II Channel, the 511 is a Rupert Neve-designed micpre for the masses.

Designed for 500 Series by Mr. Rupert Neve

Rupert Neve: “While creating functional 500 series modules is relatively simple, designing those modules to equal their non-500 series counterparts with the current, voltage and space restraints is quite challenging. In creating our own 500-Series Modules, we experimented with a number of different transformer and circuit designs to achieve the same presence and sweetness found in the Portico Series of modules. The result of these efforts is that outside of the slightly lowered headroom, our 500 series modules are nearly indistinguishable from standard Portico Series modules, and are perfectly suited for studios of the highest caliber.”

MIC GAIN
A 12-way precision rotary switch controls gain from 0 to 66 dB in 6 dB steps.

TRIM
Continuously variable +/-6 dB level control.

+48V
Engages phantom power on the microphone input, as supplied by the 500 series rack.

POLARITY
Push button inverts the polarity of the signal path, and illuminates when engaged. The symbol “Ø” is often used to denote opposite polarity.

HIGH PASS FILTER
The high pass filter is continuously variable from 20-250Hz and engaged by the HPF switch, which illuminates when engaged. It is a valuable aid in any signal chain, but particularly so in a microphone preamplifier. Signals below the selected frequency are attenuated at a rate of 12db / octave, getting rid of proximity effect, building rumble, air handling, motor hum, etc.

SILK / TEXTURE
Pushing the Silk button engages the red Silk circuit, which reduces the negative feedback on the output transformer, adding harmonic content as the texture is increased. Red Silk accentuates the saturation in the mid and high frequencies, similar to that of the red silk mode on the Portico II Channel. By manipulating the Texture control, the amount of Silk can be changed from essentially absent, to roughly 10 times the amount of coloration / distortion found in Silk from the original Portico Series. With Silk / Texture engaged, the distortion characteristic and harmonic content of the unit are very reminiscent of many of Rupert’s class-A vintage designs.

LEVEL METER
An Eight-segment LED bar-graph meter displays output level (pre-Silk). The color range proceeds from green for lower level signals, yellow for intermediate signals, and red for high levels. When the 511 is clipped, the highest red LED will hold longer depending on how far above the clip threshold the signal was.

Rupert Neve Designs 535 500 Series Diode Bridge Compressor

Punchy, thick and versatile, the 535 Diode Bridge Compressor captures the soul of Rupert Neve’s original 2254 compressor while providing modern updates including advanced timing control, significantly lower noise, fully stepped controls throughout, and internal parallel processing capabilities. Originally developed for the dynamics circuit of the acclaimed Shelford Channel, the 535 is outfitted with Rupert Neve Designs’ custom transformers and class-A output amplifiers, all tailor-made for the popular 500-series format. 

Almost 50 years after Mr. Rupert Neve created his first diode bridge compressor designs, the 535 reimagines the larger-than-life personality of these classic circuits with new levels of precision and adaptability, helping virtually any track shine through a mix.

The Diode Bridge

Where the VCA compressor found in the 543 and Master Buss Processor provides unmatched clarity, the weighty, harmonically rich tonality of diode bridge compression can be essential in pushing key sources like vocals, electric guitars, bass and drums to the forefront of a mix. Mr. Rupert Neve’s original diode bridge compressors like the 2254 served as an inspiration for the design of the 535. By understanding the limitations of the original 2254 topology, painstaking effort was taken to reproduce the unique tone of the 2254 while improving the noise floor, expanding inflexible time constants, adding full wave sidechain detection for improved dynamic response, widening the range of threshold and ratio controls, and raising the headroom of the diode bridge itself. Delivering the powerful sound of these classic designs with enhanced flexibility for the modern age, the 535 is a dynamic tool equipped to make a statement on virtually any track. 

Threshold
A 31-position detented pot that sets the level at which compression begins, from -25dB to +20dB. Turning this control counter-clockwise will increase the amount of compression; turning it clockwise will decrease the amount of compression.

Ratio
The RATIO control has six selectable positions on a rotary switch, allowing the user to set the slope of the compressor curve with pre-selected ratios of 1.5:1 through 8:1 for levels above the determined THRESHOLD. This range of compression ratios allows the user to compress as moderately or heavily as desired.

Timing
The TIMING control is a six-position rotary switch that sets the compressor attack and release times. The timing can be further modified by the FAST button.

FAST – Fast Attack (750us), Fast Release (130ms)
MF – Medium Attack (2.25ms), Fast Release (130ms)
MED – Medium Attack (2.25ms), Medium Release (400ms)
MS – Medium Attack (4ms), Slow Release (725ms)
SLOW – Slow Attack (10ms), Slow Release (1S)
AUTO – Medium Attack (5ms), Dual Decay Release (T1 500ms, T2 1s)

Fast
The FAST switch divides the attack and release times available on the TIMING control in half, effectively doubling the number of TIMING presets available to the user.

Blend
The BLEND control has 31 detents and allows the user to mix the uncompressed (dry) signal with compressed (wet) signal. Turning the control towards 0% will shift the mix to fully uncompressed dry signal, whereas turning the control towards 100% will shift the mix to the fully compressed signal. This feature allows for parallel compression, enabling a wider range of compression subtlety.

Gain
The GAIN control has 31 detents and allows the user to add make-up gain to the compressed signal in order to bring its level back up to unity with the uncompressed input signal. It is much easier to evaluate the tonal effect of the compressor (via the COMP IN switch) when the compressed output level is matched to the uncompressed input level, thereby eliminating potentially misleading level differences.

Comp In
The COMP IN switch allows the user to audition the compression. By disengaging the COMP IN switch, the compressor is bypassed and the user can quickly compare the compressed sound to the dry input signal for an objective evaluation of the compressor’s sonic effect on the audio signal. COMP IN can be used in combination with the GAIN control to match the perceived level of the compressed audio signal with the level of the uncompressed input signal.

Link
The LINK switch allows the compressor to be linked to another 535 compressor module via a sidechain control voltage. In link mode, the compressor generating the greater sidechain voltage (resulting in higher amounts of compression) will control the compression of both audio signal paths to maintain proper stereo center image while compressing. Note: it is advisable to always audition the unlinked sound as well, to decide if the benefit of a constant stereo center image is worth the potential trade-off of reduced left / right independence in the stereo field.

Sidechain HPF
The S/C HPF switch allows the user to insert a 12dB/octave 150Hz high-pass filter in the compressor sidechain. When this filter is engaged, the compressor will be considerably less responsive to information below 150Hz. For example: if used on a drum kit, the low end of the kick drum would have less proportional effect on the compression than a snare drum or cymbals, since a significant portion of the kick drum’s dynamic energy is focused below 150Hz.

Level and Gain Reduction Metering
These two LED meters provide accurate representations of both the output level of the compressor and the amount of gain reduction being applied to the input signal.

Rupert Neve Designs 551 500 Series Inductor EQ

The 551 Inductor EQ is the only equalizer for the 500 Series actually designed by Rupert Neve. Featuring 3 bands of EQ inspired by Mr. Neve’s most prized vintage designs, along with custom-wound inductors, transformers and class-A gain blocks, the 551 brings the thick, powerful lows and sweet highs of Rupert’s classics to the 500-Series format for the very first time.

The “Best-Of” EQ

The 3-band, custom-tapped inductor EQ on the 551 was inspired by RND’s favorite portions of Rupert’s vintage EQ designs. The low frequency band is designed to produce a creamy, resonant bass response – however, unlike the vintage modules that inspired it, the LF band on the 551 can be used as either a shelf or a peak filter, adding punch, dimension, and control to your low end. The 551’s inductor midrange band is ideal for sweetening vocals and instruments while bringing them forward in a mix, and its proportional “Q” response makes it well-suited for minimizing problematic frequencies. The high frequency band is a hybrid vintage / modern design, blending inductor circuitry with capacitor-based topologies to achieve vintage tones with enhanced control. The High Pass filter is a 12dB/octave design with a fixed 80Hz frequency, and can be used in tandem with the low frequency EQ to add low-end presence without clouding the source material.

As Rupert originally intended with his most prized classic designs, each EQ section uses low-feedback, class-A discrete electronics to prevent low-level artifacts and harshness from detracting from the tonal shaping. However, this new circuit is a decidedly modern design with updated techniques and components that were simply not available 35 years ago, and should not be considered a “clone”.

Inductor EQ
The first 500-Series EQ designed by Rupert Neve. 551 EQ’s are built around custom-wound Inductors and are based on our favorite bands from Mr. Neve’s classic EQ modules

Low EQ
+/- 15dB Shelf or Peak, selectable at 35 Hz, 60 Hz, 100 Hz or 220 Hz

Mid EQ
+/- 15dB with 6 center frequencies; 200 Hz, 350 Hz, 700 Hz, 1.5 kHz, 3 kHz and 6 kHz, with High Peak switch to narrow the bandwidth (increase the Q) of the filter

High Shelf
+/- 15dB Shelf or Peak selectable at 8 kHz or 16 kHz

HPF
12 dB/octave high pass filter with a fixed 80 Hz frequency

Transformer I/O
Built around Rupert’s custom transformers, designed especially for the 500-Series format


Brand: Rupert Neve Designs

SKU: RND-CS-BUNDLE



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