Rupert Neve's Portico 5012 Units Bring Classic Analogue Sound to Watermark

Full-service remote recording specialists Watermark Communications, Inc. have purchased 16 channels of the new Rupert Neve Designs Portico 5012 Duo Mic Pre. The eight dual-channel microphone preamplifier units have been installed in the company’s mobile recording facility.

According to company founder and president David Habegger, an industry veteran with 30 years of recording experience, the lineage of the Portico 5012 Duo Mic Pre design imparts a crucial analogue flavor to the hybrid signal path through the Watermark remote unit. “We have established an analogue character in our recordings, both in the record path and mix path through the preamps, digital converters, and the mixing console,” he explains. “These new 5012 units will take a really vital role in what we’re doing by contributing some of that classic analogue quality.”

The Watermark remote recording vehicle is outfitted with a fully automated, 80-input analogue Amek console and dual 72-track IZ RADAR hard disk recorder setups, as well as a large Nuendo DAW system, with a substantial quantity of outboard analog mic preamps. “We’re very committed to the quality of the analogue character and have obviously made a significant investment toward that,” stresses Habegger. “These 16 channels of Rupert Neve Designs 5012 mic preamps contribute toward that and add an important sonic color to our palette.”

Custom designed transformers, very short signal paths, minimal negative feedback and single-sided transformer-coupled amplifier designs characterize the audio quality of the new Portico series. The first Rupert Neve Designs Portico unit to be launched, the 5012 Duo Mic Pre is a half-rack, dual-channel microphone preamplifier that incorporates a number of unique features, including a “Silk” switch that introduces an element of the harmonic distortion for which Mr. Neve’s designs are renowned and the ability to buss together units in a multi-module setup.

The state-of-the-art Watermark mobile recording facility features a spacious control room, acoustically designed isolation room and climate control system and provides a comprehensive and effective solution for multitrack audio, professional broadcast, or web-cast production needs. Watermark specializes in complete music production on location and audio for video, with a diverse credit list of pop, gospel and Contemporary Christian artists that includes NASCAR, John Tesh, Smash Mouth, LeAnn Rimes, Israel Houghton, and Michael W. Smith. For more information please visit www.watermarkinc.net.

The 5012 Duo Mic Pre will be joined during 2005 by additional Portico products, including equalization, filtering, dynamics control, assignment, mixing and monitoring modules, as well as a tape emulation channel.

During the past two decades Mr. Rupert Neve, revered for his classic audio designs, put his talents to work for a number of manufacturers under the ARN Consultants LLC moniker, including Amek, Legendary Audio Masterpiece Mastering, Summit Audio and Taylor Guitars. Now trading as Rupert Neve Designs, the company recently expanded its staff roster and moved into larger premises in Wimberley, TX to meet the increasing demand for products embodying the principles of very high musical quality that has become synonymous with Mr. Neve’s name over the years.

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Rupert Neve Designs
PO Box 1969
Wimberley, TX 78676
Tel: (512) 847-3013
Fax: (512) 847-8869