Rupert Neve Designs 542 500 Series Tape Emulator

8749096900 (-10%)

In stock

  • Emulates the rich, musical sound of analog tape in digital tracks.
  • Utilizes True Tape circuitry with real tape heads for authentic tape recording characteristics.
  • Features versatile Silk/Texture circuitry for sonic sculpting.
  • Offers a wet/dry control for precise adjustment of tape saturation.
  • Includes a soft-clip circuit for taming harsh, transient signals.
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SKU: RUPERT-542-500S Categories: ,

The Rupert Neve Designs 542 is a 500 Series tape emulator module designed to add the rich, musical sound of analog tape to your digital audio recordings. It achieves this by incorporating various analog circuitry and controls that emulate the characteristics of tape recording. Here’s a breakdown of its key features and controls:


True Tape Circuitry:

The 542 uses a custom-designed interstage transformer acting as a “record head,” coupled to a correctly-equalized replay amplifier. This emulates the behavior of a real tape recorder, with saturation increasing as the voltage on the “record head” rises. A soft-clip circuit engages at higher levels to round off peak transients.

Silk Texture Control:

The Silk control provides a continuously variable texture with Silk Red and Silk Blue modes. Silk Red emphasizes transformer saturation in the high and high-mid frequencies, while Silk Blue accentuates saturation in the lows and low-mids. These modes allow you to shape the harmonic density and tonality of your tracks and mixes.

rupert neve 542

Wet/Dry Control (Blend):

The Blend control allows you to adjust the mix of pre-tape and post-tape signals. This enables you to dial in the perfect amount of tape saturation and soft clipping, allowing you to maintain detail and transparency while imparting a tape-like feel to your audio.

Soft Clip:

The soft clip engages in the “True Tape” circuitry when the drive meter hits 5 (first yellow LED). It becomes more apparent at higher levels and can be used to tame transient material, like drums. You can control the soft clip further by adjusting the blend control.

rupert neve designs 542

15/30 IPS:

This control selects the pre-emphasis and de-emphasis, as well as the record and replay tape characteristics. The 15 IPS mode has a distinct low-frequency bump around 60Hz, while the 30 IPS mode offers a flatter response with a bump around 120Hz.

Level/Drive Meters:

The 542 features two eight-segment LED bar-graph meters. The level meter shows the output level before the Silk circuit, while the drive meter reflects the level on the “record head” when the tape effect is engaged. The soft clip circuit is present at drive levels above 5.

Saturation:

The Saturation control adjusts the signal level being sent to the “tape head” circuit. As saturation increases, the record head level rises, and the replay gain is reduced to maintain a relatively constant overall output signal level. The saturation knob also controls a low-frequency compensation circuit, boosting low frequencies more at low saturation levels.

TAPE-IN:

Sends the signal through the “True Tape” circuitry, where it is affected by the saturation, blend, and 15/30 IPS controls.

TRIM:

Provides +/- 12dB adjustment of the incoming signal level before it reaches the tape circuit.

In summary, the Rupert Neve Designs 542 is a versatile tool for adding analog tape characteristics to your digital recordings. It offers a range of controls for shaping the harmonic content, saturation, and soft clipping, allowing you to achieve a vintage tape vibe or a more transparent, hi-fi effect, depending on your preferences and needs.

Talk with our ProAudio Consultant today and he will help for choosing the suitable outboard gear needed for your audio requirements.

 

Additional information

Type

500 Series Processor

Processor Type

Tape Emulator

Number of Channels

1

Controls

Saturation, Blend, Silk/Texture, Trim

Module Slot Size

Single

Power Usage

±16V DC, 125mA

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Rupert Neve Designs 542 500 Series Tape Emulator

8749096900 (-10%)

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