AwTAC Channel Amplifier - 500 Series Double Wide Mic Pre/EQ

AwTAC - Channel Amplifier PRODUCT FEATURES:

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.

The AwTAC Channel Amplifier is:
Fucking Awesome
A Double Wide 500 Module
5 Awesome's will fit in a Purple Audio Sweet Ten Rack.
A Mic Pre
A Line Level Amplifier
A Three Band EQ
with a three frequency baxandall high and low shelf and an inductor based 10 band midrange.
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.
A Mixer

Unique among all current 500 offerings
The AwTAC 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 Channel Amps 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 Channel Amps. 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 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.

AwTAC Channel Amplifier TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:

What’s it made of?

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.

• A custom wound, to Awesome specification, Sowter input transformer. Only the best from Ipswich.
• A Cinemag inductor. Shining light from The Valley.
• Custom wound Crimson Audio Transformer from the grain belt.
• Sealed conductive plastic pots, all measured and hand matched for stereo operation, lower odd and higher even serial numbers (41 & 42, etc) constitute stereo pairs.
• A small collection of the best sounding caps ever made for audio, tuned by ear for combined goodness.
  
  

Gold Connectivity

No expense was spared with the switching in this box. Every single switch and connector contact is gold plated for maximum life and conductivity. This no compromise, high quality approach to connectivity is comprised of:

• Grayhill Rotary Switches with gold plated contacts.
• Neutrik gold plated Jacks.
• Sealed Relays with gold plated contacts.
• Pin Headers with gold plated contacts.
• Gold plated Toggle Switches.
• Printed Circuit Board itself, which carries audio in and out of the AwTAC Channel Amplifier has gold plated contacts on its card edge contacts.
  
  Dimensions:
  5.25″ x 3″ x 6″ (h x w x d, inches)
  Weight:
  2 lbs
  Power Requirements:
  ±86mA @ ±16VDC

• 4mA @ +48VDC (Only if using phantom-powered microphones)

For more detailed technical specifications and information regarding the AwTAC Channel Amplifier, please click here.

AwTAC Channel Amplifier SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:

The AwTAC Channel Amplifier is an analog audio signal processor conforming to the industry standard API™ 500 Series modular form-factor. It was designed according to API™ VPR Alliance specifications, and will thus install in any API™ or compatible 500 Series enclosure having two or more conjoined module slots. Such an enclosure, typically called “lunchbox” or “rack”, is required to operate an Awesome EQ, providing the necessary DC power and rear panel input/output connectors. While we at AwTAC™ have found the Purple Audio Sweet Ten Rack, a heavy-duty 10-slot 3RU enclosure which houses up to five  Channel Amplifiers to be our favorite sounding rack, to the best of our knowledge at the time of writing the following third-party 500 Series enclosures should also suffice.

Purple Audio Sweet Ten 10-slot rack with built-in power supply (5 AwEQ)
API 500-6B 6-slot lunchbox® with built-in power supply (holds 3 AwEQ)
API 500VPR 10-slot rack with API L200PS external power supply (5 AwEQ)
Atlas Pro Audio Revolver 2-slot rack with built-in power supply (1 AwEQ)
BAE Audio 11-slot rack with external power supply (5 AwEQ)
BAE Audio 6-slot rack with external power supply (3 AwEQ)
BAE Audio 6-slot lunchbox with external power supply (3 AwEQ)
BAE DLB Dual-Channel Desktop 500 Series Lunchbox
Radial Engineering Workhorse 8-slot rack with external power supply (4 AwEQ)
Radial Engineering Workhorse Cube
SPL RackPack 500 4-slot rack with external power supply (2 AwEQ)
Tonelux V4 Roadster 4-slot lunchbox with built-in power supply (2 AwEQ)