542 Tape Emulator
500 Series Module
From Rupert Neve Designs:
The 542 delivers a wide variety of elusive analog tones by incorporating a carefully crafted tape emulation circuit, complete with a soft-clipper that can tame the harshest sources, our unique Silk circuit with variable Texture control, and a Blend control to finalize exacting amounts of saturation.
Our analog ‘tape effect’ emulation circuit drives a custom interstage transformer that mimics a “record head”, which is coupled to a ‘replay’ amplifier with the appropriate EQ curve applied. Harmonic saturation increases as more gain is applied to the “record head”, and a soft clip circuit engages at higher levels, gently taming peak transients. The sound can be further modified with selectable 15 / 30 IPS modes and a pre/post-tape emulation blend control.
Our exclusive Silk circuitry provides additional control over harmonic density and tonality. The Silk Red mode accentuates transformer saturation in the high and high-mid frequencies to heighten the frequency range associated with Rupert’s vintage equipment, while Silk Blue accentuates saturation of the lows and low-mids to add thickness and weight to any source. Unlike traditional EQ, these Silk & Texture controls saturate the custom output transformer of the 542, adding rich, musical harmonics according to the amount of Texture applied.
Specs
- THD+N, tape effect disengaged (no Silk)
- @ 1 kHz, +20 dBu output level: Better than 0.0025%; @ 20 Hz, +20 dBu output level: 0.07% Typical (2nd and 3rd order harmonics)
- Noise, tape effect disengaged (main output, un-weighted, 20 Hz - 22 kHz, input terminated 40 Ohm)
- Unity Gain: Better than -100 dBV
- Frequency response, tape effect disengaged (main output, no load)
- 5 Hz to 60 kHz: +/- 0.25 dB; 120 kHz: -2 dB
- THD+N, tape effect engaged, 15 IPS, Input @ 0 dB, Saturation @ MIN
- 0.4% @ 3kHz typical; 1% @ 175 Hz typical
- THD+N, tape effect engaged, 15 IPS, Input @ 0 dB, Saturation @ MAX
- 1% @ 6kHz typical; 0.3% @ 1 kHz to 3% @ 50 Hz typical
- THD+N, tape effect engaged, 30 IPS, Input @ 0 dB, Saturation @ MIN
- 1 % @ 1 kHz typical; 0.6% @ 400 Hz to 5% @ 20 Hz typical
- THD+N, tape effect engaged, 30 IPS, Input @ 0 dB, Saturation @ MAX
- 1.5% @ 20 kHz to 0.4% @ 1 kHz typical; 2% @ 50 Hz typical
- Frequency response, 15 IPS, Input @ 0 dB, Saturation @ MIN
- -3 dBu @ 28 kHz; 0 dBu @ 10 Hz; +5 dBu Peak @ 60 Hz
- Frequency response, 15 IPS, Input @ 0 dB, Saturation @ MAX
- -3 dBu @ 20 kHz; -3 dBu @ 12.5 Hz; +2.4 dBu Peak @ 60 Hz
- Frequency response, 30 IPS, Input @ 0 dB, Saturation @ MIN
- -3 dBu @ 120 kHz; -3 dBu @ 10 Hz; +3.15 dBu Peak @ 125 Hz
- Frequency response, 30 IPS, Input @ 0 dB, Saturation @ MAX
- -3 dBu @ 100 kHz; -3 dBu @ 12.5 Hz; +1.3 dBu Peak @ 110 Hz
- Noise, tape effect engaged (main output, un-weighted, 20 Hz - 22 kHz, 40 ohm balanced source)
- Saturation @ MIN: Better than -100 dBu; Saturation @ MAX: Better than -100 dBu
- Power consumption (+/- 16 VDC)
- 110-125 mA
- Dimensions
- 1x 500 Series Module: 1.5” W x 5.9” D x 5.25” H (3.8 cm W x 15 cm D x 13.3 cm H)
- Weight
- 1.5 lbs. (0.7 kg)
Source: Rupert Neve Designs 542 product page