Rupert Neve Designs 511 500 Series Microphone Preamp

The Rupert Neve Designs 511 500 Series microphone preamp combines some of the best features of leading Neve channels, including the 517 preamp, and the 5012’s sweepable High-Pass Filter. The Portico 511 is a great addition to any recording studio's 500 series rack, an extremely versatile preamplifier that is suitable for any application. This transformer-based, Class A preamp can have up to 66 dB of dynamic range, each click of the preamp is in 6 dB increments for easy recall. The 511 is a TLA non-reactive design that precludes the loading of microphones with limited driving capability, this gives the 511 its signature Neve sound quality with very musical harmonic distortion.

WHAT IS SILK?

One of the key features of the 511 is the Silk/Texture control. The Silk circuit was initially developed for the original Portico series mic preamplifiers, and was only a single switch – on or off – that added a specified amount of musical, pleasing harmonic saturation to the unit’s output stage. Taking this concept one step further, the Texture knob is designed to adjust the actual amount of harmonic content from the source material.

So how does it work? By reducing negative feedback across the output transformer and adjusting this feedback’s frequency response, the Silk/Texture circuit provides the sweet, musical saturation found in Rupert’s legendary vintage designs – but with complete & precise control over the amount of classic tone you want.