Rupert Neve Designs Portico 511

Main features:

MIC GAIN

A 12-way precision rotary switch controls the gain from 0 to 66 dB in 6 dB steps.

TRIM

Continuous level adjustment +/- 6 dB.

+ 48V

Activates phantom power on the microphone input, as supplied by the 500 series rack.

POLARITY

The button reverses the polarity of the signal path and lights up when activated. The "Ø" symbol is often used to indicate opposite polarity.

HIGH PASS FILTER

The high pass filter is continuously variable from 20-250 Hz and activated by the HPF switch, which lights up when activated. It is a valuable aid in any signal chain, but particularly in a mic preamp. Signals below the selected frequency are attenuated at a rate of 12 dB / octave, eliminating the proximity effect, construction rumble, air handling, engine hum, etc.

SILK / TEXTURE

Pressing the Silk button activates the red Silk circuit, which reduces negative feedback on the output transformer, adding harmonic content as the texture increases. Red Silk accentuates saturation in the mid and high frequencies, similar to that of the red silk mode on the Portico II channel. By manipulating the Texture control, the amount of Silk can be changed from essentially absent to about 10 times the amount of coloring / distortion found in Silk from the original Portico series. With Silk / Texture activated, the distortion characteristic and harmonic content of the unit are very reminiscent of many of Rupert's A-class vintage designs.

LEVEL METER

An eight-segment LED bargraph meter shows the output level (pre-Silk). The color range proceeds from green for lower level signals, from yellow for intermediate signals and from red for high levels. When the 511 is cut, the higher red LED will stay longer depending on how far the signal was above the clip threshold.