A-Designs EM- Blue

For example, when used with a dark-sounding microphone or an alto vocalist, the brighter A-Designs EM-Blue can open the sound up perfectly. This pre is also useful for providing a crisp “crack” when recording a snare drum.

If you use the direct input, you just might fall in love with how an electric guitar sounds going thru the nickel transformers. The A-Designs EM-Blue has a -20dB pad. This enables you to get down and dirty with an electric guitar. Just switch in the pad and crank the gain for a slight growl.

The A-Designs Audio 500 microphone preamp series is comprised of five different 500 series. Each one meticulously voiced with a specific sonic functionality in mind.

These units are physically compatible with any API or VPR Alliance mounting device. They also meet the precise power rating requirements necessary to function perfectly from the moment you plug them in.

How they get their character..

Transformers occupy a key position in circuit design due to their ability to affect  timbral quality. Apart from the utilitarian task of electronic isolation for noise-free operation, the alloys used for the transformer’s winding – along with the number of windings – will impart a distinct sonic quality. Nickel-wound transformers provide a more transparent sound with an airy high end, while steel can impart a thick “Neve-like” midrange or low-end “API  growl”…you get the idea.

To give each preamp in the A-Designs Audio EM-Series its own unique character, each has custom-wound transformers using proprietary A-Designs alloys that have been painstakingly tested to produce the perfect sound for the right application. That doesn’t mean that the EM-Series preamps are one-trick ponies, far from it! What it does mean is that decades of collective experience between A-Designs Audio and highly respected audio professionals have taken the guesswork out of finding the right preamp for the job. Think of each of the EM series preamps as the master of a specific domain in the frequency spectrum.

For example, the EM- Silver is stunning on the lower frequencies thanks to its steel-wound transformer, making it a perfect choice for bass or kick  drum, while the EM-Blue’s nickel transformer provides the clarity needed to bring out the “crack” on snare drums, or to gently coax the highs from ribbon mics…

Here you can take a closer look at it’s sibling!