EQ Magazine - December 2008 - (Page 59)

ROLL MUSIC SYSTEMS TUBULE RMS5A7 PRICE: $1,000 STRENGTHS: Tube amplification circuitry. Very substantial chassis. Cool old school button-style switches. Input level trim. LIMITATIONS: No metering or output level control. No DI input. CONTACT: www.rollmusic.com Using a tube (with a high-voltage plate supply) for amplification, the RMS5A7 has a 10dB variable input attenuator, and a gain control switch that goes from 33 to 66dB of gain in 3dB steps. It also features a 20dB pad and a wellmade chassis. The Tubule was very evenly-balanced over the entire frequency range and it seemed just as comfortable on kick, snare, overheads, guitar, bass, or vocals. While not as aggressive-sounding as the solid state pres, the Roll Music’s Tubule delivers what you want from a top-shelf tube pre: big, solid tube lows with no harshness, and great overall balance. A-Designs sent us five pres for evaluation. The P-1, EM-Blue, and EM-Silver units offer 65dB of gain while EM-Red and EM-Gold offer 63dB gain, all using a continuously variable pot. They also include a DI input and a -20dB pad. While all share a big/bold sound, feature set, and cosmetics (except the front panel color), each has a distinct sonic signature. While all five pres are multi-purpose, A-Designs has varied each pre’s character by using different combinations of custom-made input and output transformers, making each a little better-suited for specific applications. The P-1 has a pronounced upper mid/top end and solid lows with smooth mids—it’s ideal for vocals, overheads, direct keyboards, and acoustic instruments. The EM-Blue offered a great overall balance with a little more high mid and top end air; that extra high-end “zing” helps dark snare sounds, or vocalists who need additional definition. The EM-Silver serves up a thick, slightly extended low end response with very smooth mids and slight low mid dip. It’s our favorite of the five for kick drum, bass guitar, direct synths, and other low end sources. I also had good luck with soft, intimate vocals. The EM-Gold creates a similar low end to the Silver, but with slightly pronounced upper mids. It’s useful for sources that need strong lows and very good definition (heavy distorted guitars, rock vocals, drums that need both thud and attack, etc.)—it’s the smoothest pre of the group. The EM-Red is excellent for thick sounds that need a little less top; the mids are strong, and have a “woody” quality. I really liked the Red on bass guitar and electric guitars that need plenty of beef without the sometimes annoying top end buzz. Its slightly darker top also works well on overly-sibilant vocalists. (CONTINUED) www.eqmag.com DECEMBER 2008 EQ 59 http://www.rollmusic.com http://www.eqmag.com http://www.eqmag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of EQ Magazine - December 2008

EQ Magazine - December 2008 Contents Talk Box Sounding Board Punch In My Morning Jacket Guitar Trax Bass Management Key Issues Drum Heads Vocal Cords Mix Bus Cheat Sheet Cakewalk Sonar 8 Propellerhead Reason 4 Indie 500: Lunchbox Pres and Compressors 500 Series Preamps 500 Series Compressors Gadgets and Goodies Sounds Room with a Vu

EQ Magazine - December 2008

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