A band-pass filter can be independently inserted via a separate toggle switch and a full bypass switch is also provided.
12dB of stepped boost and cut is available at five set frequencies on each of the overlapping bands, with the top and bottom bands switchable between peak and shelving EQ curves. The three-band 550A parametric equaliser graced all of API’s ’70s consoles and has an outstanding recording pedigree. Attack time is fixed and four release times can be selected using a two-switch matrix. The compression ratios are 2:1 (compression) and 20:1 (limiting). A small but easily readable horizontal strip VU meter provides visual feedback, and separate switches engage an auto de-essing circuit and a silent hard-wired bypass.
The controls for this module are somewhat unusual – two small input (threshold) and output pots are linked to the ‘ceiling’ control, allowing the amount of compression to be adjusted without changing the output level. The 525 Compressor is an exact copy of the original early ’70s model, working on the ‘feedback’ principle a la the Urei 1176 and Fairchild 660. The 512c provides 65dB of quiet, crystal clear mic pre-amplification with bucketloads of API’s signature headroom-derived grunt. Also on the front panel are switches for mic/line selection, –20dB pad, phantom power and polarity reversal, as well as a diminutive gain pot and a seven-section LED meter. It features additional front XLR mic inputs as well as instrument/line jack inputs. The 512c is a mic/line preamp closely based on the original 512 (the very first modular mic pre, according to API).
#Diy 500 series lunchbox portable
Given the 500 series’ diminutive footprint the Lunchbox has become a particularly elegant and flexible portable audio solution, albeit a heavy one – the box I’m having for lunch here is a model 6B, housing a power supply, two preamps, a compressor and three separate EQs in something less than a 3U footprint – Yum! PREAMP & COMPRESSOR The 500 series modules are an extremely compact (135mm high, 40mm wide and 150mm deep), and in the Lunchbox configuration patching between modules is done via rear-mounted XLRs.
So, in a sense, this article is both a review and a revisiting of some truly heavyweight audio tools, which have only grown in stature over the past 40-odd years. Based around Saul Walker’s well regarded 2520 op amp, most of the modules covered here are bona-fide studio legends which have been re-issued to meet the ever increasing demand for classic ’60s and ’70s studio kit (see Neve, Universal Audio, Chandler et al). API’s 500 series modules are all discrete solid-state designs renowned for their openness, headroom and power as well as their exceptional reliability (a five-year warranty comes standard) and exquisite build quality. Its pioneering modular designs were initially aimed at the remote recording and broadcasting sector but it wasn’t long before record producers and engineers discovered their potential as high quality studio tools. 30 March 2006 An old favourite has hit our shores once again offering the best in all-American audio… lunch has never tasted so good.Īutomated Processes Inc., better known to you and I as API, has been around since the late ’60s.
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