Rupert Neve Designs Portico II Master Buss Processor

OVERVIEW

The Rupert Neve Designs Portico II Master Buss Processor provides two linkable channels of compression and mid/side equalization based upon the circuitry of the Neve designed 5088 mixer. While designed as a master buss solution for both project and professional studios alike, the Portico II MBP offers you a range of control over all the features of this 2 rack unit making it optimal for recording and mastering as well as mixing. 

Built to Neve's specifications, the Portico II MPB combines the classic warm tone of the Neve consoles of the 1970's with a few modernizations in design, such as mastering grade dented pots allowing for an increased headroom and dynamic range in comparison to his vintage gear. The customizable signal flow and straightforward parameters of both the compression and equalization components are geared towards analog gear users and those who want to add analog warmth to their digital or "in the box" mixes.

Dual Compressors

• The MBP's two compressor sections allow for a variety of possibilities in dynamics for either dual mono or stereo sources, with controls for ratio, threshold, attack, release, blend, side chain HPF, limit and up to 20 dB of makeup gain
• With the stereo link control engaged, Channel A settings act as the master control for convenient operation
• The compressor section can be used in either feed-forward mode, for a transparent, modern response or feed-back mode for a vintage, more musical sound
•  Peak mode alters the compressor’s attack to react to peak transients with a roughly .1ms response time. When the Peak switch is disengaged, the compressor responds to the RMS, or average signal in conjunction with the attack and release settings
• SC HPF, or the Side Chain High Pass Filter, inserts a high pass filter at 250 Hz into the side chain to deal with intense low frequencies that may skew the response of the VCA with certain songs and instruments
• “Blend” creates a parallel mix between the compressed and dry signals

The Limiters

• The limiter has a simple, single knob operation that utilizes Neve's new Adaptive Release Technology that allows it to simultaneously respond quickly to transient material, such as the “snap” of a snare drum, and slowly to more sluggish signals, such as a bass guitar
• The release time is varied with the position of the knob; as the knob is turned counter clock-wise, the release time is increased accordingly, as typically one would want a longer release time with a larger amount of reduction
• The limiters share the same discrete, class-A gain module and VCA with the compressors, so using the limiter does not introduce more stages that the music would have to pass through, which provides transparent processing

The Stereo Field Editor

• The Stereo Field Editor (SFE) provides a variety of M/S equalizing and compression options
• The width control enables the user to increase or decrease the width of a stereo image, wide/mono, and adjust the amount of ambience inherent in the recording
• The depth control of the MBP adjusts the spatial positioning of elements in the sound stage, affecting center panned elements such as vocals, bass, or solo instruments
• For fine tuning of the SFE, there are individual filters that allow you to select what information is reintroduced from the width and depth circuits, thus tailoring each effect to a specific bandwidth
• Additional routing of the Mid and Side signals to the Channel A and Channel B compressors is available