Rupert Neve Designs 5024 Quad Mic Pre

Four channels of legendary front-end tone.

Incorporating four channels of renowned preamplification, independent Silk controls, two channels of DI inputs, and an M-S Decoder into a 1U enclosure, the 5024 is a workhorse equipped to enhance the front end performance of any digital or analog recording system.

In addition to 72dB of gain, the 5024’s mic preamps include individually selectable phase, mute, phantom power, a selectable frequency high pass filter, custom transformers, and the Silk circuit which yields the rich warmth and presence of the renowned classic designs. 

Channels 1 & 2 of the 5024 feature a high-Z direct input designed for instrument level sources. 

Channels 3 & 4 feature an M-S switch, which enables built-in Mid-Side decoding without the use of external devices or console channels.

What is Silk?

One of the key features of the 5024 is the Silk circuit, which adds a specified amount of musical, pleasing harmonic saturation to the unit’s output stage. So how does it work? 

By reducing negative feedback across the output transformer and adjusting this feedback’s frequency response, engaging the Silk switch provides the sweet, musical saturation found in Rupert’s legendary vintage designs.

MIC GAIN

A 12-way precision rotary switch controls gain from 0 to 66 dB in 6 dB steps.

TRIM

Continuously variable +/-6 dB level control.

SILK / TEXTURE

Pushing the Silk button engages the Red Silk circuit, which reduces the negative feedback on the output transformer, adding harmonic content as the texture is increased. Red Silk accentuates the saturation in the mid and high frequencies, similar to that of the Red Silk mode on the Shelford Channel. By manipulating the Texture control, the amount of Silk can be changed from essentially absent, to roughly 10 times the amount of coloration / distortion found in Silk from the original Portico Series. With Silk / Texture engaged, the distortion characteristic and harmonic content of the unit are very reminiscent of many of Rupert’s vintage class-A designs.

Level Meter

An eight-segment LED bar-graph meter displays output level (pre-Silk). from -30 dBu to +22 dBu.

Polarity

Reverses the polarity of the input signal.

High Pass Filter

Continuously variable from 20Hz to 250 Hz, and engaged with the HPF button.

Phantom Power

Provides 48V phantom power to microphones.

-6dB Output

A secondary split off the output transformer with a lower headroom, designed to allow engineers to fully drive the output of the 5211 without clipping converters and other devices.