A Designs P1 500 series Preamp, from A Designs

Features

The P1 is extremely similar to one of our all-time studio mic preamp favorites, the A Designs Pacifica, a dedicated 2-channel mic preamp with internal power supply.  While we own 3 Pacificas in our studio, we elected not to add the P1 to our rack as they are simply too similar.  Although the P1 has a smaller custom wound transformer as compared to the Pacifica, A Designs went to great lengths to have the P1 and Pacifica share the same tone.  What you can expect is exceptional detail, an open and airy sound that also has a touch of color.  Overall a remarkably musical preamp design that seems to be an excellent choice on just about anything.  The top end is particularly beautiful, and tends to smooth out even some of the harshest microphones.   We love this preamp for all manor of stringed instruments as the clarity is simply stunning, but it is perfect as an “all around preamp” as it gets used on Vocals, guitar cabs, drums and just about everywhere else in the studio.  If you want to talk to us about the more subtle details of the P1 vs. the Pacifica, please let us know. 

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

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 plenty of gain for your quieter sources like acoustic guitar as well as traditionally quieter microphones like ribbons.  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. 

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 and 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.

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.

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.