0% up to 48 Months on over 110 Brands!

New & Current Vintage King Card Holders

Best Seller
$ 849 .00
Your Savings: $ 46 .00 Msrp: $ 895 .00
or $24/month for 36 months 0% interest for 36 months. 36 equal monthly payments required. Learn more
In Stock
Item is in stock and will ship the next business day. To inquire if this item is available to ship sooner or is in one of our stores, please call 888.653.1184 or chat with us.

SKU

30500

Rupert Neve Designs Portico 542 500 Series Tape Emulator

True tape emulator for 500 Series with variable Silk/Texture control - the ultimate "color box"
MFR# 542

Product Description

The Rupert Neve Designs Portico 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.

Product Specifications

Condition New
Tube or Solid State Solid State
Channels Single-Channel
Chassis Module
Module Type 500 Series
Module Slot Count 1 Slot
Digital I/O No

Product Reviews

5 out of 5 stars.
Review Count (8)

write a review

This does outstanding things to my 2 bus. Great saturation.

By Matt S on December 8, 2022

If you have a 500 series rack a pair of these are a must have amazing on everything you run through it drums vocals whole mix ect

By John R on May 11, 2022

Got my pair of Shelford Channels running into a pair of 542’s out here in Hawaii. Life is good!

By Ryan H on January 7, 2022

Great

By SAMUEL M on June 14, 2021

This pair will forever live on my 2 bus. Without the silk channels engaged, the saturation pushed right up to the last green LED, and the mix knob at 50%, at least on my mixes, these bring an excitement and forwardness to everything, but especially the low end. In a very controllable and musical way. Turn it off while playing your mix back and that is when you will realize that these things are staying put.
Red silk is nice but on the 2 bus, it’s a little too nice. I usually need to dial it in and then run a low pass at the end of the master to tame it. I’m not using these for tracking at all, but can see plenty of use case for it on individual instruments or busses.
Blue channel, I am still trying to wrap my head around. I honestly can not hear much going on between dry and blue engaged. Maybe a slight high roll off. Maybe a slight low mid bump. I plan to do some freq response tests with it on and off so that I know for sure what’s happening. Maybe if I can see it with my eyes, then I’ll be able to hear the blue channel better.
For what it’s worth, I’m working with rock/punk/metal/hardcore. I wish that I had these back when I actually did this for a “living”. There’s no tape plug-in that quite does this. Not to my ears. And I have them all.
TLDR: for my purposes, this is color, body and excitement for my 2 bus that I am very pleased with.

In case it matters to you regarding my review, I’m running my mixes out from DAW to 16 (or 24) outs to a dangerous summing mixer, and back into DAW through the 500 box where these live.

By Christopher C on March 3, 2021

Can be subtle or sizzle but you definitely notice the difference when you hit the bypass. Everything sounds better through these. I bought a pair.

By AWH on October 26, 2020

I love it I want to remix everything I've done and add mr NEVE to it

By karl t on February 9, 2020

Game changer! process your tracks and you will use less compression or eq.

By Joan V on April 30, 2019

* Required Fields

Share Your Opinion

The best gear advice always comes from those who use it the most. That's where you come in! Let the pro audio world hear your voice with a review of the Rupert Neve Designs Portico 542 500 Series Tape Emulator . Once you submit your review, please check your email and verify your address to have it posted.

How do you rate this product?
I would like to thank VK for the wonderful sales assistance, service and prices. This was my first purchase with you and it won't be my last. I only wish I'd discovered you years ago!
Matthew R.
I had two Grammy wins this year - Ray LaMontagne & Carolina Chocolate Drops. Both made with help from Vintage King!
Ryan F.
In almost 20 years in Pro audio buying, never did I receive a unit so well packed and exactly as described. Works flawlessly. The whole process has been so smooth. I will never hesitate to do business with you guys in the future and will recommend you to everyone I know.
Martin C.
This was my first experience buying something from Vintage King (although I surf the "used" categories on the website frequently!), and, despite being on the other side of the world, I had absolutely no trouble and everything went very smoothly.
Phil T.
The speed of delivery exceeded my expectations! I was VERY pleased that my shipment arrived in time for a scheduled vocal tracking session. The packing insured that my order arrived safely. And the sales staff responded quickly to questions regarding the product.
James P.
Thank you so much! Vintage King has been so fair and easy to work with. I can't thank you enough. It feels good to trust such a hefty purchase to folks who are so helpful and knowledgeable. Vintage King is a sound designers dream store.
Noa L.
You guys have excellent customer service and I am excited about the next upgrade I complete on my fifth recording facility. I've been in the studio business for forty plus years. The salesman I worked with at Vintage King was the best of the best. You all rock!
Robby T.
I would recommend Vintage King to any one looking for top-class gear, unbeatable customer service and the best prices on the map!
Jake D.
My experience with Vintage King was excellent. The order was here fast considering it was out of stock. The sales person had SKB send it to me directly and I couldn't have been more pleased.
Michael D.
From the minute I placed my order I was kept well-informed through each step in your process. Even though I was buying a comparatively modest piece of gear, your attention to detail made me feel like I was purchasing a six-figure mixing desk.
Thomas W.
I am a new customer of yours. You guys provided me the absolute best deals in ordering all the equipment to power my brand new recording studio. Your customer service is amazing and i will always deal with you from here on out.
Rob M.
Thanks for your great service and getting this out today. You guys really are the Kings!
Alan B.
Better than expected! Truly impeccable service. Your team was professional, knowledgeable, provided speedy delivery above and beyond standard. Vintage King Audio is definitely my go to for all of my audio and information needs.
James O.