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An extraordinary-sounding, all-tube channel strip with a unique multiband compressor designed for larger than life vocals and instruments.
The Tube-Tech MMC 1A, fast becoming a favorite of certain world-class producers, is a very unique unit in a sea of me-too channels strips. Along with a phenomenal-sounding tube preamp, it features an optocompressor with three bands, low, mid, and high, and adjustable crossover points so yo can compress each band individually. This allows you to tailor compression for problem solving or to create a vocal track that's truly larger than life. Thanks to its variable crossovers, you can use it to add body to thin vocals, allow the top end to open up during soft passages, reduce harsh midrange without losing lows and highs, tame highs without losing clarity for a more intimate sound, and all the while, save EQ for other purposes.
Tube-Tech MMC 1A Preamp and Mulitband Compressor
Channel strip with all-tube preamp and three-band compressor
Variable impedance preamp with +70dB gain
3-band compressor with variable crossover points
Balanced and fully floating I/O
Channel Strip With All-Tube Preamp And Three-Band Compressor
The Tube-Tech MMC 1A is a complete front-end. It includes an additional Direct Instrument input as well as a separate line input. The microphone input has switchable loading impedance, phantom power, phase reversal and a —20 dB Pad. All inputs are equipped with a low-cut filter. The 3-band optical compressor is designed to maintain optimum summing of all three bands with a remarkably flat frequency response. A bypass switch takes the entire compressor out of the signal path.
Mic Preamplifier
The microphone preamplifier consists of a microphone input transformer (with a static screen) with a step-up of +10 dB, two dual tube preamplifiers with a stepped gain switch, with 10dB/step (+20 dB - +60 dB) giving a total gain range of +20dB to +70dB. The microphone input is provided with a switchable -20dB attenuation (PAD), switchable +48V phantom-power, a phase reverse and has swithable input impedance (600, 1200, 2400 Ohm).
The high impedance DI input is unbalanced and placed in the circuit directly after the input transformer. The gain range for this input is +10dB to +60dB. When in use, the microphone input is disabled. A high pass filter for the microphone, DI and line input is switchable between off, 20 Hz (12dB/octave) and 40 Hz (6dB/octave). All inputs have a common stepped gain switch with 2dB/step (-10dB - +10dB).
Compressor
The signal is fed to the two crossover networks, each made with a single RC circuit thereby preserving optimum summation of the three bands at the output.
The crossover frequency between the low band and the mid band is variable from 60Hz to 300Hz or 240Hz to1200Hz and the crossover frequency between mid band and the high band is variable from 1,2kHz to 6kHz. The signals from the three bands are then fed to the three separate side chain circuits, each common for left and right channel. After processing, the three signals are fed to a gain control, separate for each band and thereafter summed and send to the output gain, controlling the entire output level for all three bands. The compressors are of the optical device type. It has controls for ratio, threshold, attack and release.
Balanced and Fully Floating I/O
Microphone Input/Output are balanced and have fully floating transformers with a static screen. Floating a transformer (not referenced to ground) provides maximum electronic isolation for superior noise rejection. The static screens shield the transformer's secondary windings from the primary and prevent RF (radio frequency) electromagnetic noise from getting across. The Line Input is unbalanced, but an optional transformer is available, which will allow the line in to act as though it's balanced. The power supply and the sidechain circuits are based on a solid-state circuit. With the exception of the output stage all DC voltages are stabilized. This prevents any variation in the DC energy when combined with the musical signal, which would otherwise cause certain types of distortion or hum.
About Tube-Tech
For over twenty years, Tube Tech has been one of the most prominent names in all-tube signal processing equipment. You'll find their gear in the best recording and mastering studios around the world. The company's founder, John Petersen is an electrical engineer who was factory trained at Solid State Logic, EMT, Studer, Sony, Neumann, and NTP Electonik (digital audio routers). He also designed tape recorder playback/recording amps for Lyrec tape recorders (found in the studios of the legendary Joe Meek and Vangelis). His first design under the name of Tube-Tech was an all-tube equalizer based on the legendary Pultec EQP 1A. Petersen continued to design and manufacture a number of innovative all-tube outboard processors including preamps, multiband compressors and summing amps. Thanks to John's dedication to high-quality analog sound you'll see Tube-Tech gear in the racks of pro audio legends such as multi Grammy Award winner Al Schmitt, (Frank Sinatra, Steely Dan, Toto, Quincy Jones, Natalie Cole, Diana Krall), Grammy winner Joe Chiccarelli, (Elton John, Beck, U2, Tori Amos, Counting Crows, Offspring), engineer Russ Long (Sixpence None The Richer, Wilco, Dolly Parton, Allison Moorer), producer-engineer Tony Shepperd (Elton John, Madonna, Kenny Loggins, Barbra Streisand, Lionel Richie, and Whitney Houston), and many more.
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