Recording - May 2021 - 16

Rupert Neve Designs
MBC: Master Buss Converter
enabling me to quickly determine which
ADC is sonically best for a given song.
Most high-end or mastering grade
converters generally sound great, and
choosing a converter now is more down
to nuance, but that doesn't mean there
can't be a best fit for a song or project.
It's hard to put into words what makes
me choose one converter over another,
but I found that the MBC quickly became
the better fit on a majority of the material
I sent through it compared to my other
ADC options.

Silky colors

I prefer to have multiple converter options because I can set one to be more
colored and keep the others cleaner.
Then I can automate between them in a
mastering session on a per-song basis.
The MBC is perfect in this scenario as it
can stay very clean or get flavorful via
the transformer and Silk options.
Red Silk adds saturation to the upper
mids and highs; Blue Silk adds saturation
to the lower mids and lows. The texture
knob allows you to dial in how much transformer saturation is present in the signal
path before it hits the converter stage.
While the conversion quality is clear,
clean, and mastering-grade, even with
the transformer out of the signal path, the
unit does exhibit an identifiable sound-
in a good way. In my non-scientific blind
A/B/C tests, I could usually pick out the
forward, detailed signature of the MBC.
Due to its sound and color options, my
initial thought was that maybe the MBC
would be better suited for certain types
of material or genres, but I found that it
complemented a wide range of music,
and I wouldn't be afraid to have this unit
as my only ADC option.

Take it to the limit

If you've read some of my previous
reviews, you'll know that I prefer to do
most limiting in my mastering DAW for
fear of painting myself into a corner.
That said, thanks to the variable sidechain highpass filter, the link option, and
the release controls, I found the limiter to
sound smooth, functional, and musical,
making the MBC a highly effective way
16 RECORDING May 2021

of achieving more average loudness before hitting the converters.

In summary

The Rupert Neve Designs Master Buss
Converter is a highly versatile tool for
mastering. It has the build quality and
sonic characteristics we've all come to
know from Rupert Neve Designs, and
you can tell they put some serious thought

into its design and feature set. While it
costs more than many combined AD/DA
units, the MBC is a serious contender for
the new benchmark in ultimate analog to
digital conversion technology for years to
come. The MBC definitely just earned a
place in my mastering desk!
Price: Price: $3999
More from: rupertneve.com

MBC for tracking and mixing
REVIEW BY PAUL VNUK JR.

ollowing Justin's impressions, I pried the MBC out of his rack to give
it a whirl in my studio. While it makes sense as the final stage on the
master bus when mixing, it also has some features suited to tracking.

Not so limited

On my mix bus, I usually use light, perfectly timed compression at a 2:1 ratio-I
rarely use a high ratio limiter in my mix chain, preferring to leave that in the hands of
a mastering engineer. I placed the limiter as the final stage after my usual mix compression and eq choices, only tickling it for final control. While (as Justin pointed out)
its attack is on the fast side, thanks to the detailed release and sidechain options, it
was easy to dial in extra level and control that never sounded over-baked-so much
so that I decided to get rid of my mix bus compressor and use just the MBC, and I
was impressed with the subtle glue, punch and a few extra dB of level it gave my mix.
I also used it to aggressively process some drum and electric guitar stems, pushing the gain with a low limiter threshold. The results ranged from subtle and pleasing to bold, pinned and dramatic. Experimenting with how much low end to let
through the detector and timing the release to the music produced great results.

Transformed

Strapped across the mix bus, the (pre-Silk) transformer option is generally subtle.
Red Silk adds a harmonic excitement to the mid and upper frequencies, while
Blue adds a saturated weight to the low mids on down. I've used the Silk feature
many times over the years on RND preamps, and here, when pushed to full texture, the effect is nicely more noticeable than I'm used to.

Tracking

I also used the MBC for tracking an acoustic guitar and vocal session. I enjoyed
tracking through the Blue Silk to add weight to the voice, and Red Silk added a forward sparkle and presence to the strummed acoustic. Tracking with limiter, I found
subtle, occasional tickling to be a better option than deep-level riding. While the unit
can be used in dual mono, I wish that the Silk option could be unlinked like the limiter,
allowing Red to be used on channel A and Blue on channel B. That said, this is not
designed to be primarily used in this scenario, so I'm being picky, and the fact that
the limiter can work independently on each channel is a nice feature in and of itself.
The conversion quality was stunningly clear and stayed out of the way of the
source while not sounding clinical nor imposing.

Conclusions

I admit, $4000 is a bit extravagant for two channels of A/D conversion, but if
your business model revolves around high-end mixing with the occasional mono
or stereo overdub, the Rupert Neve Designs Master Buss Converter could easily
be a next level piece of kit for your studio.

http://www.rupertneve.com

Recording - May 2021

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