RUPERT NEVE DESIGNS PORTICO 511 PREAMP

• Published in: The Mix (Berkeley, Calif.) Vol. 38; no. 2; p. 68
• Main Author: Grainger, Chris
• Format: Magazine Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Future Publishing Ltd 01.02.2014
• Subjects: Guitars; Harmony (Music); Product reviews; Receivers & amplifiers; Sound; Sound design; United States > US
• ISSN: 0164-9957

The eight-step LED meter on the right side of the Portico 511 becomes bright once signal passes and will hold a peak in the red range depending on how far above the clip threshold the incoming signal is. The Silk button found on the Portico 11 series is included on the 511-pushing the red button engages the red Silk circuit, which reduces the negative feedback on the output transformer, adding harmonic content as the texture is increased. The Silk circuit itself allows the engineer to create roughly 10 times the amount of harmonic content and distortion characteristics found with many of [Rupert Neve]'s earlier Class-A vintage designs. 1 had done a few comparisons to the other Class-A and tube pre's in my studio, and then wanted to try the 511s against some other Nevetype clones. 1 chose the Avedis MA5s preamps for my overheads, as 1 like the way they react with a pair of Mojave MA200 tube mies or the Royer SF12 stereo ribbon. The 511s were similar to the MA5s, but 1 preferred having the highpass filter and onboard metering of the 511s. Although RND preamps go from -6db to 72dB, and can take a full +26dB before clipping, the drummer was quite the hitter, so 1 found myself wanting a pad on the 511s, but ended up putting a -lOdB pad on the mic lines. Adding the Silk really brought out the transients in the overall kit and created a full overall picture without any other mies engaged. The 511s fared equally as well on kick, snare and toms when auditioned against a set of Daking preamps. The upright piano and the 511s became fast friends with a set of Coles 4038s. A Hammond B3 also shined through the 511s with a pair of Mojave MA301 FETs. 1 set the mies in figure-8, opened up the Silk knob, and the room became an important part of the take, adding vibe without being intrusive. The 511 on a vocal with a Sony C-800G tube mic gave a balance to the vocalist's higher range while enhancing his lower register. This was a great choice for rock vocalists as it handles louder and gritty voices really well.