RECORDING May 2022 - 52

REVIEW
Black Lion Audio
Auteur mkIII
A two-channel transformer-coupled preamp with a unique design
REVIEW BY ALEX HAWLEY
B
lack Lion Audio is famous for its converter and preamp mods
designed to take even the most boutique interfaces to new levels
of sonic accuracy. Black Lion also offers a lineup of original,
standalone preamps, interfaces, compressors, word clocks, and power
conditioners. Today's review is the Auteur mkIII, a new third-generation
edition of the company's popular two-channel mic preamp.
Overview
While other preamps in the line pull
inspiration from studio classics, such as
the B173 and B12A (1073 and 312,
respectively), the Auteur mkIII is an original
design. Black Lion Audio calls it " Chicagostyle "
for the company's hometown.
Auteur mkIII is an excellent example
of a solid, well-built, no-frills preamp. It's
designed with an IC-based front-end for
a fast and transparent capture, with a
Cinemag transformer-coupled output for
added color and weight. The result is a
well-rounded workhorse fast enough to
catch delicate, transient details yet with
enough heft to thicken things up. The
preamps offer up to 62dB of gain with
a 10 Hz - 30 kHz frequency response.
It is housed in a small 1U, half-rack enclosure
and ships with removable rack
ears. Its size and rugged build quality
52 RECORDING May 2022
make it well suited for traveling and remote
recording sessions.
The front panel offers simple, matching
controls for each channel: a weighted
gain
knob,
phase
invert,
pad, and 48V
phantom power buttons. Each channel
also features a 1
/4
/4
" TRS input jack. There
is also a front panel power switch. The
back panel has two XLR inputs, balanced
1
" TRS line outputs, and a barrel
connector for the external power supply.
Latest and Greatest
The leap from mkII to mkIII brings a
few significant upgrades. Adding the
1
/4
" inputs expands the unit's flexibility
to record line-level sources such as
keyboards. You can also plug in your
favorite guitar or bass and hit the
Hi-Z switch. The other significant
change is the new Cinemag transformer
in the output stage - the mkII edition
used an Edcor transformer and had
65dB of gain.
In Use
Hi-Z/line input selection,
-10dB
I recorded a range of sources
through the Auteur mkIII, including
electric guitar (both miked and direct),
vocals (sung and spoken), and acoustic
guitar. On the guitar amp, I used both
channels by pairing a Royer R-121
ribbon mic and a Shure SM57 while
playing a variety of tones and styles.
The third-gen Auteur felt right at home;
it delivered a clean and clear signal,
with detailed highs and thick yet
controlled lows. It had more character
than a straight-ahead transparent pre,
yet it wasn't as colored as some other
vintage-inspired preamps I've used. It
gives sources a touch more weight and
body, but it doesn't sacrifice clarity.
I am very particular about microphone
preamps. For voiceover work, clear and
transparent is usually the best way to
go. Happily, the Auteur mkIII provides
enough balance that I wouldn't hesitate
to
use
it
for
professional
voiceover
recording. As I prefer more weighted
preamps for sung vocal tracks, I was
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