A Designs EM RED 500 series Preamp, from A Designs

Features

Looking for punch and a mid range boost to your guitar cabs?  The EM Red module is the way to go!  With its custom wound “50/50” transformer, the EM Red module will have your guitars sitting in the mix like never before.  We love the push of the mid range, the robust bottom end, but what is even more impressive is that while providing this, the EM Red doesn’t sacrifice the top end presence like many other “mid pushed preamps”.  It sounds relatively natural on top (neutral) as a result of its intense and smooth midrange which is clearly pushed in a very musical sounding way.  The Red will still sound wonderful on other sources like acoustic guitar and vocals where you want to focus that midrange forward and simultaneously retain the upper content of the source naturally (but not hype it up), but it really brings your drums to life with its mid range ‘meat’.  The Red is probably not the most versatile of the EM modules, in some ways it is the most different from the others in the series, but on the correct source it sound simply amazing.  A variety of drums in the kit such as toms, snare, as well as certain vocals, and guitars, are all fabulous places to use it.  Check out our plethora of electric guitar recordings that we made relying on the Red 500-series module.

The Rest of the EM Preamp Cards

The full line of EM Preamp cards from A Designs were built to bring a few different flavors into your 500 series rack, but built with an extreme quality standard that is only possible with small quantity, boutique runs which guarantee each module is built to world-class audio standards.  Each module has custom wound transformers which really create a noticeable difference in tone, and to be honest, the difference is quite impressive compared to many of the modules available on the market today from other manufacturers.  Each module has a lot of gain (around 72dB), and the front panel DI sits prior to the input transformer which allows you to pickup that great coloration that each of the modules individually presents, even when patching in an instrument. The preamp modules from the A-Designs series are the: P1, EM Red, EM Silver, EM Blue and EM Gold.   With the exception of the P-1 (Since we own 3x Pacificas), Sound Pure owns pairs of EVERY SINGLE module above, and use them daily in our own world-class recording studio, the Sound Pure Studios.  We are here to report our findings after years of using them, and you should know any question you have can be e-mailed to us, or you call us toll free, we’d love to talk to you more about these modules, microphone pairings, comparing these to other pres on the market, and whether or not they are right for you. 

Read for more info on some of the other available modules if this one doesn’t sound exactly right for your application:

What We Think Of The Others

The P1 is modeled to be very similar to the Pacifica, with some moderate color and some very nice detail throughout the frequency range, with a very smooth and open top end.  The Red module has a “boost” to the mids due to the transformer, which we found to be wonderful on guitar cabs.  The Silver boasts a Steel output transformer that gives it the darkest tone of the bunch (and a big low end), and the Blue with its Nickel transformer has a very lofty, airy top end that is great for bringing a brighter life into darker sources.  Finally the Gold is a mixture of the Red (Input Transformer) and Silver (output transformer), which gives it the hottest output with a nice colored pushed midrange.

A Designs Audio is proud to introduce a new line of microphone pre-amplifiers. These Pre-amplifiers are original designs stemming from our inspiration of the "Quad Eight Sound". Each has its own unique character. Depending on which microphone you use, you will be able to open a world of color and sound to inspire you and your recordings.

The P-1 is based on our highly successful Pacifica.

The A Designs "EM Series" is a twist on the P-1. Each color has its own sound. This was accomplished by using different custom wound output and input transformers.

The EM-Silver has a custom wound steel output transformer which will translate into a darker sound than the P-1, EM-Red, and EM-Blue. We find the EM-Silver to be a very good match with "Ribbon Microphones". This is a good combination due to the fact that steel transformers were widely used in the early days of recording and broadcast along with ribbon microphones.

It depends on which ribbon you have or use which will determine the sound/color/flavor you will receive. With today's influx of ribbon microphones there is a wide choice of character range available for you to determine which tone you are looking for or need.

Another feature of the EM-Silver is a "DI" (direct inject) for use with electric instruments. We find that this is a great pre for Bass Guitar and Keyboards. Also, you may like to try the EM-Silver (depending on microphone) for your "kick" when recording drums! This is a very versatile tool for any recording situation.

The EM-Blue is equipped with a "Nickel" custom wound output transformer. This translates into "Highs" which will produce a much more airy top-end-ish tone. Used with a "dark" sounding microphone or a alto vocalist it can produce a "heavenly" sound.

You will also find this pre useful for recording a snare drum for a "crisp crack" sound. And if you use the DI Feature you just might want to hear what an electric guitar sounds like going thru the nickel transformers.

As with all the A Designs Audio modules, there is a -20dB PAD Switch. So, to get down and dirty with an electric guitar you will want to pad your input and crank the gain for a slight growl.

The EM-Red comes with a 50/50 output transformer. A Designs Audio added a little kick to this one by changing the "Input Transformer," as well. The results translates into more "Up Front Mids"! You may find this very useful when recording acoustic guitar with a condenser microphone.

As with all the A Designs Audio modules, there is a 48v Phantom Power Switch. With all the new condenser microphones on the market in a very wide price range, the engineer or musician now has limitless possibilities to choose from in their endless search for their "perfect sound." You may also like to use the EM-Red for recording Toms, both rack and floor.

All of the A Designs Audio module pres have the following features:
1. -20dB Pad
2. Phase
3. 48v Phantom
4. Cast aluminum knob
5. Thumb Screws (for easy install and un-install)
6. Solid construction
7. Custom Wound Transformers (input and output)
8. Original Design (no CLONES)
9. Red LED indicator for Phantom power

When developing our product(s) A Designs Audio feels the need to place units into the hands of both the professional and the average end user. In doing so, we have learned from their experiences and they have passed valuable information on to us. This helps us to produce a product with pride of craftsmanship and knowing we helped, in some way, to continue to inspire the art of creating and recording. So, no matter what your needs are for recording the perfect sound, A Designs Audio can help you by providing a solid tool to contribute to the job.