Rupert Neve Designs 500 Series Color XL Bundle Rig R10 with Two 542 and Two 535 Modules

For a limited time RND is bundling the R10 10-slot 500 series rack chassis loaded with two 542 tape emulator and two 535 diode bridge compressor modules for the Rupert Neve Designs 500 Series Color XL Bundle Rig. Act now - offer ends March 31st, 2023!

R10 TEN SPACE 500 SERIES RACK

With abundant power and unrivaled build quality, the R10 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 R10 has more than 150% the required current for a 10-space chassis to prevent the power rails from failing under a higher-than-expected load. To help monitor and troubleshoot problematic modules, the R10 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 R10 helps your modules realize their fullest potential.

To ensure many years of use, the chassis is made of solid steel with sliding nuts to accommodate various manufacturers’ 500 Series modules. And of course, all connectors and fittings are of the very highest quality.

A NEW LEVEL OF CONFIDENCE IN THE 500 SERIES

Because the R10 is built to official 500 Series specifications (surprisingly, not all racks are!) 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 R10 has variable-position screw holes to help make the installation process as smooth as possible.

The 500 series VCA buss link function can also be enabled in pairs on the R10 using the link jumpers on Channels 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 or 9-10. Enabling link allows compatible compressor modules like the 535 or 543 to share VCA control when their links are enabled. Matching blank panels are also available to cover any empty slots.

SOLID STEEL CONSTRUCTION

The chassis is constructed from solid steel with bumpers to support the unit in both horizontal and vertical configurations and features a collapsible handle for portability. All connectors and fittings are of the highest quality to ensure that the R10 will hold up for many years of use.

542 500 SERIES TAPE EMULATOR (2)

The 542 500 Series Tape Emulator is the ultimate "color box." In addition to the 100% analog tape emulation circuitry – great for bringing out 3rd-order harmonics – the 542 incorporates a soft-clip circuit that tames the harshest sources and enhances 2nd-order harmonics, variable Silk Red & Blue for an infinite variety of transformer tones, and a blend control to dial in in the perfect amount of saturation.

TRANSFORMERS IMITATING TAPE

Unlike digital emulations, the “True Tape” drive circuit works by feeding a custom-designed interstage transformer acting as a “record head”, which in turn is coupled to a correctly-equalized 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.

WHAT IS SILK?

In addition to the tape circuit, the continuously variable Texture control with Silk Red and Silk Blue modes provides a whole other level of control over the harmonic density and tonality of your tracks & mixes. The Silk Red mode accentuates transformer saturation in the high and high-mid frequencies to amplify the vibrant midrange harmonics 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 – especially useful for “thin-sounding” tracks or mixes. Unlike EQ, these Silk & Texture controls saturate the output transformers, and add highly musical harmonics to the source material according to the amount of Texture applied.

Drive the 542 hard, choose your Silk flavor, and crank the Texture knob for a rich, saturated, vintage vibe – or disengage Silk entirely for a more purist, hi-fi tape effect. The choice is yours.

CONTROLS:

• TAPE IN: Sends the signal through the “True Tape” circuitry, which is affected by the saturation, blend and 15 / 30 IPS controls.
• TRIM: Provides ±12 dB adjustment of level on incoming signal levels, prior to the tape circuit.
• SATURATION: Controls the signal level being sent to the “tape head” circuit. As the saturation level increases, the level on the “record” head rises, and the replay gain is reduced so that the overall output signal level remains more or less constant. In a real tape recorder, you would adjust the record and replay gain controls separately – however, in the 542 the record and replay gain controls are coupled so that the overall signal level only varies as the “Tape” saturation level changes. As you approach maximum saturation setting, the output signal level will drop due to the effect of extreme saturation and soft clip. Additionally, to compensate for low frequency loss at low “record head” levels, the saturation knob also controls a low frequency compensation circuit that boosts low frequencies more at low saturation levels, and tapers off at higher levels. This function can be useful on many sources like bass and kick drum to find the balance between a clean, boosted low end (low saturation) and a denser, more saturated low end (high saturation).
• 15/30 IPS: Selects the pre-emphasis / de-emphasis, record / replay tape characteristic. The 15IPS mode has a significant “head bump” in the low frequencies centered around 60 Hz, as well as a more pronounced roll of in the high frequencies. The 30 IPS mode is generally a flatter response through the high-end with a “head bump” around 120 Hz.
• BLEND: Controls the mix of pre and post tape signals. This allows the engineer to dial in a subtle amount of the tape effect, to better control the amount of saturation, tone and soft clipping in the post blend signal. As the signal gets more saturated, dialing back the blend can be a great way to impart the feel of tape, while maintaining a similar level of detail and transparency. NOTE: The blend control does not affect the Silk and Texture controls, as that circuitry is located at the physical output of the unit.
• SOFT CLIP: A soft clip engages in the “True Tape” circuitry when the drive meter hits 5 (first yellow LED), and becomes more apparent at higher levels. The soft clip can be used as a way to tame overly transient material like drums, and can be controlled further by using the blend control.
• SILK / TEXTURE: Pushing the Silk button engages the Silk Red circuit, and pushing it a second time introduces Silk Blue circuitry. Silk reduces the negative feedback on the output transformer, adding desirable harmonic content as the texture is increased. Silk Blue mode features more saturation in the lows and low mids, whereas Silk Red accentuates the saturation in the high mids and highs.
• LEVEL / DRIVE METERS: Two eight segment LED bar-graph meters are fitted to the 542 for output level and drive metering. The level meter shows the output level of the 542 before the Silk circuit, and 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.

535 500 SERIES DIODE BRIDGE COMPRESSOR (2)

Originally developed for the dynamics circuit of the acclaimed Shelford Channel, 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.

WHAT IS DIODE BRIDGE COMPRESSION?

Where the VCA compressor found in the 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.

By understanding the limitations of vintage units like the legendary 2254, painstaking effort was taken to reproduce the unique tone of these classics while improving the noise floor & accuracy, expanding inflexible time constants, adding full wave sidechain detection for improved dynamic response, and widening the range of threshold and ratio controls.

Delivering the powerful sound of these iconic designs with enhanced flexibility for the modern age, the 535 Diode Bridge Compressor is a dynamic tool equipped to make a bold statement on virtually any mix or track.

CONTROLS:

• THRESHOLD: A 31-position detented pot that sets the level at which compression begins, from -25 dB to +20 dB. 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 unified 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: 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 wide 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 engages the compression circuit. 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.
• LINK: The LINK switch allows the compressor to be linked to another 535 compressor module via a side chain control voltage. In link mode, the compressor generating the greater side chain voltage (resulting in higher amounts of compression) will control the compression of both audio signal paths to maintain proper stereo center image while compressing.
• SIDE CHAIN HPF: The S/C HPF switch allows the user to insert a 12 dB/octave 150 Hz high-pass filter in the compressor side chain. When this filter is engaged, the compressor will be considerably less responsive to information below 150 Hz. 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 150 Hz.
• LEVEL & GAIN REDUCTION METERING: These two LED meters provide highly accurate representations of both the output level of the compressor and the amount of gain reduction being applied to the input signal.