TAMPA is a professional microphone/instrument preamp unlike any other. That’s because our design team set out to discover just why expensive tube technology sounds so good, and devise a way to land that sound at affordable solid state prices. The result is far beyond tube modeling. It’s a whole new technology called Temporal Harmonic Alignment™. TAMPA even has a built-in world-class dual optical servo compressor offering low noise and distortion, consistent accuracy and exceptional transparency. You also get a digital output for driving your digital recording gear directly without degradation.
Features:
- temporally-aligned harmonics for natural sound
- built-in dual servo compressor
- direct 24-bit digital S/PDIF and AES/EBU output
- Class A circuitry throughout
- classic VU meters
- professional mic/instrument preamp with Temporal Harmonic Alignment™
- built-in dual optical servo compressor (servo controlled, peak responding)
- balanced phantom-powered XLR mic input with variable impedance
- variable input impedance for optimized performance with vintage mics
- balanced/unbalanced instrument input
- 24-bit S/PDIF and AES/EBU digital output for direct digital recording
- 20dB gain switch with an amazing maximum system gain of 66dB
- 20dB passive output pad switch
- low-cut switch to eliminate rumble (-12dB / octave below 80Hz)
- Class A circuitry throughout
PREAMP
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| mic input: |
XLR with variable impedance loading (2400/1200/600/300 ohms) |
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| instrument input (TRS): |
200K balanced / 100K unbalanced |
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| digital outputs: |
AES/EBU and S/PDIF 24-bit mono (44.1/48/88.2/96kHz) |
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| continuously variable gain: |
34dB |
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| low-cut switch: |
-12dB / octave below 80Hz |
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| system gain (balanced in/out): |
12dB to 46dB (20dB gain switch off) |
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32dB to 66dB (20dB gain switch on) |
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| maximum analog output at soft clip: |
+30dBu (balanced) |
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+24dBu (unbalanced) |
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| output impedance: |
600 ohms |
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| digital clip level: |
+30.5dBu |
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| Class A circuitry throughout |
20Hz to 40KHz (+/- 0.25dB) |
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| distortion: |
increases with level until soft-clip occurs (0.5% max) |
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| signal-to-noise ratio: |
110dB (Typical, A-weighted) |
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| EIA noise rating: |
-127dBm; 600 ohms (gain set to maximum) |
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| VU meter: |
registers 0 VU at +26dBu |
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| clip indicator: |
lights at 4dBu below digital clip
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ANALOG COMPRESSOR
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| compression type: |
dual passive optical attenuator; servo controlled, peak responding |
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| gain reduction: |
20dB minimum |
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| threshold: |
continuously adjustable from –20dBu to +20dBu |
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| compression ratio: |
continuously adjustable from 1.1 / 1 to 10 / 1 |
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| attack time: |
continuously adjustable from 1ms to 11ms |
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| release time: |
continuously adjustable from 250ms to 5 sec. |
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| headroom: |
30dB (20dB gain switch on) |
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24dB (20dB gain switch off) |
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| VU meter: |
registers 0 VU at zero gain reduction |
Temporal Harmonic Alignment —the secret behind the sound
In natural sound sources such as strings, drum heads and vocal chords, harmonics share a characteristic temporal (phase) relationship to the fundamental. Our ears exhibit the same qualities. Solid state electronics induce distortion in the form of additional harmonics that are out of phase with the original source. Tube-based devices strike the ear as having such a “warm” sound because the added harmonics have the same temporal relationship as natural mechanisms (although predominantly in the midrange). This results in a sweet spot that makes vocals, guitars and other midrange-rich content sound especially pleasing. TAMPA’s revolutionary new Temporal Harmonic Alignment technology produces that same phase relationship found in both tubes and nature. And unlike tubes, TAMPA’s sweet spot spans the full spectrum of your sound.
Dual optical servo compressor
TAMPA also includes a dual optical servo compressor that is worth the price alone. Three fundamental problems plague engineers in designing compressors—distortion, noise and accuracy. The VCA technology used in inexpensive compressors exhibits less than professional specs on all three counts. Simple optical servo technology is much more quiet and accurate, yet has its own issues with distortion. The dual optical servo technology we use in TAMPA yields low noise, consistent accuracy, low distortion and exceptional transparency—and it comes built-in to a great mic preamp.
