PureDrive Quad has four PureDrive™ mic pre-amps from the SSL Origin console, while the Octo version has eight. PureDrive Pre-amps have three different amplifier operating modes and sound signatures: Clean, Classic Drive and Asymmetrical Drive.
Start by using a certain mic gain setting and then audition a super linear and low-noise clean sound or try Classic Drive with mostly odd-harmonic distortion products or go with Asymmetrical Drive for an even-harmonic series. To have all three modes selectable on the front panel a single 2U unit is unprecedented.
Further tonality choices come from the four, input selectable mic input-impedances available: 400, 600, 1.2k and 12k-ohms. Not important for condenser mics, but if you record using dynamic and ribbon mics, changing how the pre-amps “loads” the microphone’s output with different input impedances makes a tremendous difference in tone and level. Dynamic and ribbon mics’ whole set of sonic characteristics change depending on the input impedance.
PureDrive has front panel switches for +48V phantom power; Insert In/Out but Polarity flip happens by way of just pushing in on the Gain and Trim knobs. In addition, each pre-amp has its own, 18dB/octave, high-pass filter. These are precise, 31 positions you can feel in the dark ranging from bypass at full CCW and up to 300Hz at full CW. The front panel finishes with high-impedance, 1/4-inch Direct Input jacks (for bass, guitars or keyboards), 14-segment metering for all four mic pre-amp output levels, Word Clock indicators and setup for the onboard, 32-bit/up to 192-kHz A-to-D converters.
In addition to PureDrive’s four, rear panel microphone XLR inputs, there are TRS and D-Sub Line inputs/Insert returns, two stereo AES/ EBU digital outputs (1/2 and 3/4), four analog line level outputs, ADAT LightPipe facilities, External Word clock in/out BNCs connectors, and an USB-C connector for the built-in audio interface!
The manual has several connection scenarios for using Solid-State-Logic’s Pure Drive Quad as an outstanding centerpiece for any recording/mixing system. PureDrive Quad sells for $1,399 MSRP.
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