Recording - March 2020 - 57

THE

P-280

DELIVERS

ULTRA-HIGH

RESOLUTION SIGNAL, CRYSTAL CLEAR LOW

Gamechanger Audio Plasma Rack

NOISE-FLOOR AND VACUUM TUBE WARMTH. THE
PERFECT COMBINATION TO RECORD THROUGH ANY

INTRODUCING THE
NEW PELUSO P280

P280

OF TODAY'S WIDELY DIVERSE SIGNAL CHAINS.

it sound murderous. I recently tracked a
band using a mono drum room mic about
6-8 feet in front of the kit with an ADK Z-47
tube microphone. In the mix, I tried running that Z-47 through the PLASMA Rack. I
cranked the low band, attenuated the mids,
kept the high band around 12 o'clock, and
engaged the clean EQ. The resulting sound
gave the kick drum enough thunder to resonate deep inside my chest. When blended
just right, it's a very usable tone with rich
harmonic overtones and a well-rounded
saturation character that never gets too brittle or abrasive. There's something magical
about the way the clean EQ stacks with
the distorted signal; the amount of clean
low end on tap is remarkable. Even with
the low band cranked, it doesn't get too
muddy or boxy-it just adds a clean and
powerful thump, likely because the low
band is a +/- 20dB lowpass shelving filter
centered down at 10Hz. It's hard to stay
away from, even though it's not always the
most practical thing in a full mix. The mid
frequency band is +/- 6dB at 600Hz, and
the high-frequency band is +/- 10dB at
20kHz with a high-pass shelving filter.

Tremolo

P-280

Detailed, ultra-high resolution
Crystal clear low self-noise
Excellent on all vocals and instruments
Rich lows, detailed mids & clean high-end air
Unique FET-tube combination ampliier
Center-terminated 3-wire brass capsule
9 indexed
polar-patterns
ind
Case, power supply, cable, & mounts included
Handmade in USA

PELUSOMICROPHONELAB.COM

I've used plenty of tremolo pedals before, but the PLASMA Rack trem has a
few unique properties. When the depth
knob is all the way clockwise, both the
wet and dry signals pulsate in unison.
With the depth knob below the 'zero'
position (12 o'clock), the tremolo starts
to pulsate out of phase, causing the wet
and dry signals to alternate.
The rate knob controls the pulsation
speed. Beyond 12 o'clock pushes the
tremolo into ring modulation territory.
Ring modulation can create some wacky
effects, especially when paired with the
expression pedal input on the back panel. At times this application reminded
me of a whammy pedal. I found it very
useful for creating or building tension in
an arrangement, and musically resolving that tension as the ring mod matches the tonic of the key or disengages.
My only note here would be that the

Peluso Microphone Lab
56 RECORDING March 2020

expression pedal is extremely sensitive
and requires a delicate touch to control
with any accuracy. The expression pedal can also be programmed to control
any other parameter on the front panel.
The dynamic mode is a unique feature
that dictates when the tremolo circuit is
engaged. When the dynamic button is
pressed, the depth knob takes on a new
role. When it's clockwise, the tremolo will
only be triggered by the loudest transients
and dynamics. As it rolls counter-clockwise, the tremolo will only be triggered
by lower signal levels. I found this setting
to be more musical. With one pickup volume maxed, and the other pickup volume
set at around 50%, you can creatively
trigger the tremolo by toggling between
pickups. This is just one example, but I
found it to be a creative spark.

Conclusion

Admittedly, I went into this review a little
bit skeptical that this would be a gimmicky
distortion box. I'm not a metal guy, and
I'm usually not reaching for high levels of
distortion in my mixing and guitar playing.
The PLASMA Rack got me excited to play
rock music again-it sounds remarkable!
When I introduced the PLASMA Rack to
the rest of the engineering crew at the studio where I work, we spent the better half
of an afternoon passing around a guitar
and bass. Everyone wanted a turn-they
beamed in excitement as the face-melting distortion blasted through the control
room. But the coolest part was, everyone
was creating actual music with it, not just
fuzz for fuzz' sake. The saturation character is incredibly rich, and the punchiness
pairs nicely with the natural gating effect
from the PLASMA Tube.
This is an innovative product and
comes at a high price. Undoubtedly the
cost will be the most significant barrier
to entry, but for a sound that you won't
be able to recreate anywhere else, it's
well worth the investment.
Price: $1,499
More from: gamechangeraudio.com

http://www.pelusomicrophonelab.com http://www.gamechangeraudio.com

Recording - March 2020

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