When you call two and a half years of development on a product "Awesome Channel Amplifier", it had better be just that. It is. And we invite all debunkers.
So what is it:
1. Fucking Awesome.
2. A double wide 500 Module (5 Awesomes will fit in a Purple Audio Sweet Ten Rack)
3. A Mic Pre.
4. A Line Level Amplifier.
5. A three band EQ with a three frequency baxandall high and low shelf and an inductor based 10 band midrange.
6. A kick ass Direct Box for guitars, basses, electric pianos, lap steels or anything else with a pickup that needs an amazing high impedance input to shine.
7. A mixer.
which leads us to:
Unique among all current 500 offerings:
The Awesome Channel Amp has an LCR passive mix buss (left – center- right selectable just like most consoles had up to the late 60's, no pan pot) in the unit. Since it is a double wide module, we were able to use the extra set of I/O jacks for a mix buss. With a standard XLR cable, you can connect one Awesome into another and *POW* now you have a mixer. Just like that. The buss level, just like the paradigm of all lust worthy classic consoles with a passive buss, is conveniently set at mic level. After you've chained all your Awesome's together, we've devised a special (awesome if you will) breakout cable that plugs into the standard XLR jack and delivers the Left and Right buss to the mic pre's of your choice. This obviously sets you up for a myriad of tonal choices when both tracking with multiple mic's mixed to a mono source (there are still *some* people that track guitars like this, right?) and mixing your stems (or tracks) from your DAW.
The mixing functionality is designed to work with all (every) 500 rack currently on the market. If it has a male and female XLR, you can use that rack to build a mixer out of Awesomes. Please inquire if you have a rack with TT jacks and we'll come up with an easy solution for you.
So yeah, its a MIXER.
And a fucking good sounding one at that.
It's Special:
Our mission at AwTAC is to provide the elements to make a fully functional mixing system out of your 500 racks. Awesome Console. It's happening, check it. What we did with the Awesome Channel Amp is build exactly that: everything your signal would have encountered in line in the typical console design from around 1970. When you plug a microphone or line level signal into this unit, with the unit engaged, that signal passes through 6 (thats SIX) amplifier stages, two transformers and an inductor. Each amplifier stage is carefully tuned to be complimentary to the amp before and after it. We carefully tuned this unit so that whatever you put into it comes out bigger, rounder and better. It's not just a mic pre and an EQ thrown into a box with a label put on it. It's the result of carefully building a system that works in a complimentary fashion to make a really big, really good sound- just like every good mixing console should.
When you hear a pair in stereo, you'll see.
What's it made out of?
1. Discrete transistor through hole topology, just like they built them in 1970, by hand, with passion, because it just sounds good. There are no chips, IC's or any surface mount parts in this box.
2. A custom wound to Awesome specification Sowter input transformer.
3. A Cinemag inductor.
4. Secret element output transformer.
5. A small collection of the best sounding, discontinued capacitors ever made for audio. Dont worry, we bought a bunch, we can make a handful of Awesome Channel Amps without changing the spec.
What does it look like?
Currently we have prototype knobs on the units we are showing at AES this weekend, photos of the units will be published once our production knobs are fabricated and installed.
Each Awesome Channel Amplifier features a front panel which is not engraved, nor silk screened, but printed with a photographic process, so each front panel is unique, just like making a silver print of a photograph, because, well, it is a print of a photograph, just on a piece of metal.
If you have two standard 500 modules laying around, put them next to each other and that's how big it is, front panel is 3" x 5.25" and will work wonderfully in all 500 racks.
When can I get one?
We are hoping to be shipping the first limited edition of 50 units before December.
Is the rent too damn high?
The introductory factory direct price for the first 50 units is $1599.
The first 50 units will be available direct from AwTAC exclusively.
We will be accepting orders only when we have stock ready to ship. If you would like to be informed of availability please contact us.
More information will be up in the next few days, please check back. Preparing for AES was monumental and its way past my bedtime. Hope to see you at the show!