Calling it the return of the Focusrite Red Mic preamp, Focusrite has revived its Red Series mic preamplifier with the introduction of the Red 1 500 Series Mic Pre.
Now a module for the popular Lunchbox format, the new module is et to build on the reputation of Focusrite’s Red Range gained following its release in 1992. The Red mic preamps rapidly became sought-after in the world’s top studios.
Featuring the same circuit topology and components, the Red 1 500 Series Mic Pre offers the performance of the original Focusrite Red microphone preamplifier in the popular 500-series format, complete with a Lundahl LL1538 input transformer, and a custom Carnhill output transformer.
The unit has switchable phantom power, polarity invert, and an easy-to-read illuminated vu meter, suited to use in studio or on location. Its stepped gain structure (with a Grayhill gold-plated military-grade switch) in 6dB steps from -6dB to +60dB, provides accurate, precise channel matching and recall. The output stage of the Red 1 500 Series Mic Pre will easily drive long cable runs without significant loss of quality, making it suited to remote recording.
Focusrite's mic preamp topology provides very high common-mode rejection, overload margin and, with its shared gain structure (20dB from the transformer and up to 40dB from the amplifier), a very low noise floor combined with a 10Hz-140kHz bandwidth. This performance is maintained over a wide range of impedances applied to the input, allowing the Red 1 500 Series Mic Pre to perform with almost any microphone – ribbon, dynamic or condenser.
The Red 1 500 Series will be available worldwide from April 2013, with an MSRP of £799.99 (inc vat)/US$1249.99 and US$999.99 at dealers.
If you are based in the UK and wish to be one of the first to add the Red Mic Preamp to your 500 Series Lunchbox, call Focusrite UK on 0845 894 0874 or e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
