The Rupert Neve Designs 542 is a single slot, mono 500-series version of the highly popular Portico 5042 Tape Emulator designed to provide the thick and musical colouration associated with working with tapes.
The Rupert Neve Designs 542 features a "true tape" circuitry which brings out 3rd-order harmonics as well as the rounding and compression associated with the sound of tape. The RND 542 is the ideal companion to your digital recording setup helping breathe life and round harshness often associated with digital audio. The "true tape" circuit uses a small magnetic "record head", coupled with a correctly equalised replay amplifier. This hardware emulation works in the same way as true tape; as the voltage increases on the "record head", so does the saturation. An additional soft-clipping circuit emphasises 2nd-order harmonics rounding off higher peak transients and can be used tame harsher sounding sources.
The Rupert Neve Designs 542 is extremely flexible and offers many options to change the sound such as a 15/30 IPS switch which emulates the sonic characteristics of tape speed, from the punchy low-end of the 15IPS to the beautifully clean 30 IPS. A pre/post-tape blend control allows you to control the amount of tape distortion is used, and a variable Silk/Texture circuitry found in the Portico II series which allows you to fine-tune the harmonic relationship and tonality of the output transformer imparting a tonal colour very reminiscent of early Neve's vintage class-A designs.
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The RND 542 delivers true analog warmth using a custom tape emulation circuit with a magnetic “record head” and replay amplifier. It introduces natural 3rd-order harmonics, saturation, and compression — giving sterile digital recordings the thick, musical character of classic tape machines.
Switch between 15 IPS and 30 IPS tape speeds for either punchy low-end or smooth high-frequency detail. The pre/post Tape Blend control lets you fine-tune the amount of saturation applied — from subtle colour to full-bodied tape drive.
With its Portico II-inspired Silk/Texture circuit, the 542 lets you sculpt 2nd-order harmonics and transformer character. Dial in red or blue Silk modes to add classic Neve-style richness and harmonic focus to your audio, from subtle warmth to bold vintage coloration.
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