Vintage-flavored preamp and program equalizer from Industry Wunderkinds Black Lion Audio
Famed gear modification company Black Lion Audio has been building an impressive arsenal of unique studio gear, featuring variations on classic designs alongside completely original creations. Joining that list is the Black Lion Audio Eighteen channel strip. A utopia of sorts, the Eighteen combines a transformer-based preamp with a 2-band passive induction EQ. Now, you can't get more old school vibes than this! Many studio engineers have found that dialing in clean sounds on the Eighteen is no problem, but it really shines when pushed to sticky analog saturation. Add just a little to make a vocal fit into the mix, or boost it into a mono drum overload for a Bonham-esque flex. Dump the preamp into the program EQ for even more tonal control using simultaneous boost and cut functionality to sculpt a thick but focused edge and mid- and high-range clarity. You'll be shocked at how aggressively you can push the EQ without it sounding harsh or unpleasant. Need some mojo on the front end of your studio? The Black Lion Audio Eighteen has it in spades!
Characteristics
- Vintage-style preamp section with CineMag input and output transformers and custom discrete op amps;
- CineMag inductor-based 2-band passive EQ lets you boost and cut frequencies simultaneously to add focused bottom-end weight and controlled top-end presence;
- Output control to drive the preamp for rich harmonic saturation without signal clipping;
- Additional frequency control with 80Hz high-pass and 10kHz low-pass filters;
- Selectable mic/line inputs, polarity reversal, and 48V phantom power for condenser microphones, active ribbon microphones, and microphone enablers;
- Attractive backlit VU meter on the front panel;
- Internal power supply with AC input and voltage selector.
Specifications
- Preamplifier type: solid state induction EQ preamplifier;
- Number of channels: single channel;
- Phantom power: yes;
- Polarity switch: yes;
- Equalizer: 2-band EQ, low-pass shelving, 80Hz high-pass, 10kHz low-pass;
- Analog inputs: 1 x XLR;
- Analog outputs: 1 x XLR;
- Rack spaces: 2U;
- Power source: standard IEC AC cable.