Rupert Neve... This man needs no introduction, he's a legend and his creations have been put to work on countless hit records from around the world. Walk into any major recording studio and there is a 50% chance you will see a console bearing the name Neve. The name Neve sends shivers down any audiophiles spine and touching one is akin to a car addict taking a Bentley for a spin. While the original Neve brand (AMS Neve) is now owned by SAE. (where I was educated) Rupert Neve has created a new brand, this one bearing his full name. Rupert Neve Designs is the new professional audio company churning out quality products for producers & engineers who demand the best.
The Portico II Channel is the latest product in the Portico line and the first full 2U rack space Channel Strip Portico Unit. This rack mount beast features the same circuitry & transformers from Rupert Neve Designs 5088 Console. The Portico II Channel strip features: Input Section (Mic, Line, DI) 4 channel EQ Section, Compressor Section & a unique Neve Texture Section. The larger unit size also means larger transformers for the Preamps. =) This Portico unit is a step above the rest. I'll start with a few words about the input section featuring Rupert Neve Pre's and move on from there to cover the rest of the Portico II Channel.
The input section of the Portico II Channel features a very unique preamp from Rupert Neve. The preamps are TLA (Tube Leveling Amplifier) design. You've got 66dB of gain with the Portico II Channel's pre and this can be adjusted in 6dB increments using the gain pot. You can also make fine adjustments with the trim pot between these 6db increments. The amplifiers are true Class A Tube preamps and as a result they process 100% of the incoming signal. Other Class B (Push-Pull) amplifiers only process 50% of the incoming signal. From the lips of Rupert Neve himself, "They are very inefficient as a result but who cares about efficiency when we're talking about music." You can also bring Line & DI signals into the Portico II Channel as well. All of the inputs are of course ultra high quality Neve Design Inputs. The input section also features; 48v Phanton Power, Phase Inversion Switch, Mute Switch and a transient optimized HPF from 20khz-20hz (High Pass Filter, also known as Low Cut Filter) The input section can handle a 26dBu signal without the use of a pad.
The EQ section of the Portico II Channel is incredibly advanced and unlike a lot of other analog rack mount EQ's that are available today. The design allows the EQ in the Portico II Channel to retain a variety of characters from classic EQ's while still allowing the EQ to be surgical enough to make precise EQ adjustments. The EQ is 4 bands and lies in between the HPF and the compressor in the signal chain. However it can be moved behind the compressor by switching the Post Comp Switch on the unit. The following sentences are from Rupert Neve Designs and they do a far better job than I could of explaining the nerdy details of the Portico II Channel's EQ/De-Esser Circuits.
"The Low Shelf has an independent engage switch, Classic Peak/ Accelerated Shelf selection, with +/- 12dB level adjustment, and selectable turnover frequencies of 35, 60, 100, and 220 Hz. The Fully Parametric LMF and HMF bands have a joint engage switch, providing +/- 12dB level adjustment, continuously variable “Q” from 0.7 to 5 and continuously variable frequency ranges from 70 to 1.4KHz and 700Hz to 14KHz. In addition to its standard capabilities, the HMF band can also be used to precisely tune a new De-Esser circuit. The De-Esser can be varied from off to full effect, and uses the Frequency, and “Q” controls to tame harsh sibilance in vocals and instruments with an independent high-mid limiter. Even when the De-Esser is on, the EQ level may still be used. The High Frequency shelf has independent engage switch, Classic Peak/ Accelerated Shelf selection, +/- 12dB level adjustment, and selectable turnover frequencies of 4.7, 6.8, 12, and 25kHz. When two Portico II Channels are used side by side, the EQ section can also excel at stereo material."
If you're not familiar with EQ terminology you're no doubt tripping out right now wondering what you just read but fear not, I will help put all this into normal human speak. When they say Low Shelf they are reffering to the Low End of the Frequency spectrum. This knob/pot (pot is a term used in the industry to describe knobs) controls the low end. You've got 12dB+/- of gain adjustment for the low freqeuncies at 35, 60 100 & 200Hz. The Classic Peak/Accelerated shelf refers to the Q (or shape) of how the EQ attenuates and boosts the selected frequencies. This little bit should help you understand EQ terms and you should be able to take this knowledge with you when you read about the LMF, HMF and HF sections of the EQ. A De-Esser is a tool used to remove sibilance (the sss sound in vocals) This sound can often get out of control when recording some vocalists and a De-Esser is a good way to cut out this sibilance that can be so disturbing to our ears when played back. If you're still confused about EQ terminology send me an email and I'll link you up with a bunch of tutorials to help you out!
The compressor section of the Portico II is just as felxible as the EQ and I/P sections of the Portico II Channel Strip. If you're looking for clean subtle dynamic adjustments or massive compression with a ton of fat ass Neve character the dynamics section of the Portico II can put itself to work for you. It features the same Forward Feed/Return Feed modes from the Portico 5043. Each of these responses features it's own character the first has a more transparent and modern response while the second option gives you a more tonally aggressive "old school" character. The HPF to SC feature allows you to insert the HPF into the side chain of the compressor which makes it much easier to tame the low end material that can really screw up dynamic compression processing in some situations. There is also a "Blend" switch which allows you to blend the compressed and uncompressed materials together thereby giving the less loud material in the track a chance to be heard dynamically with the louder signals. If you just smash a signal into a compressor you'll loose all the dynamics, the quietest sounds and the loudest sounds will all be at the same amplitude, the blend switch affords you a lot more control when compressing material. This whole idea goes into Parallel Compression which I will cover in a later post. There is also a "send" & "return" insert feed from the compressor so you can hook up external EQ's and other equipment to it for even more control. The "return" i/p can also be used as a key input for the compressor.
Finally we have the "Texture" or "Silk" Section on the Portico II Channel. This feature can be found in other Portico units but the idea has been expnaded upon in the Portico II Channel providing the user with even more texture options to shape their sound harmonically in a subtle or very aggressive manner while still maintain the original source material without destroying it. Here's a few words from Rupert Neve Designs explaining their unique "Silk" section.
One of the key developments in the Portico II is the new Texture section. Building on the “Silk” mode found in the Portico Series mic pre-amplifiers, Texture is designed to adjust the actual amount of harmonic music content from the source material, in effect, providing countless tonal options in one device. The texture section features distinct modes, controlled by a potentiometer from barely audible to dramatic!. With that said, we have placed great care insuring that the musical integrity of source material itself will not be compromised by these harmonic controls (these are not to be confused with controls from other manufactures that may “incinerate”, “demolish” or “destroy” source material), and we believe they can be confidently modified to fit the personality of any song, instrument or engineer. Like the original Portico, Silk mode works by reducing negative feedback on the output transformer and adjusting the frequency response to more closely resemble Mr. Rupert Neve’s vintage designs. “Silk +” mode pushes this technique still further, achieving a more harmonically rich sound.
Like the original Portico, Silk mode works by reducing negative feedback on the output transformer and adjusting the frequency response to more closely resemble vintage designs by Mr. Rupert Neve. Velvet mode pushes this technique further, by increasing saturation on the output transformer to achieve a more colored sound. With that said, we have placed great care insuring that the musical integrity of source material itself will not be compromised by these harmonic controls (these are not to be confused with controls that may “incinerate”, “demolish” or “destroy” source material), and we believe they can be confidently modified to fit the personality of any song, instrument or engineer.
That pretty much sums up Rupert Neve Design's Portico II Channel rack mount system. There is of course much more to be said on this monster but I unfortunately haven't gotten my hands onto one yet. Everything I wrote here I got from other information sources on the web. I'm pretty confident pumping up Neve though, they have been doing it right forever and will continue to break new ground in the audio industry so long as they continue to create new products. If you want to learn more about the Portico II Channel be sure to watch the video below featuring the one and only Rupert Neve. You can also learn more by visiting Rupert Neve Designs Website.
All the best,
Nick
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