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DATA |
Production: | Obsolete |
| Hire stock: | No | |
| New stock: | No | |
| Used stock: | No |
SPL
Charisma 2
CHARISMA is an tube processor designed to improve the power, punch,
dynamics as well as the subjective loudness of the signal being processed.
CHARISMA also optimizes the headroom exploitation of digital recording
systems by helping to prevent overload while recording. Subjectively,
CHARISMA introduces tonal warmth and a smooth bottom end into digital
recording. CHARISMA is a joint development with Manfred Reckmeyer, whose
exceptional knowledge of tube technology, plus his aural imagination, have
resulted in some amazing custom designs for tube guitar preamps. Who could
better describe the concept of CHARISMA than the developer himself? - we
quote from an interview with Production Partner magazine: "Since
digital multitrack like ADATs or DA-88 have been around, I have heard from
many recording engineers that these are practical and affordable products
that represent a real recording alternative. Still, many miss the punch of
analogue tape machines, so they decide to record certain instruments on
analogue, or they dub the digital multitrack onto an analogue 24-track to
breath some life into the tracks. It is very similar with hard disk
recording systems. These systems provide incredible editing features, but
many engineers miss something in the sound, too." What is described
here is familiar to many of us. CHARISMA represents a solution that
exceeds by far the mere simulation of tape saturation. CHARISMA's tube
saturation characteristic can actually be manipulated. Even so, the
concept of operation is kept simple: Each CHARISMA-channel has three
potentiometers with which you can drive the tubes (Drive), change the tube
saturation characteristic (Charisma) and set the output level (Output).
See SPL's own data sheet & reviews
Drive
The Drive control sets the drive level to the tubes. You have control over the tube's onset of saturation to find the optimum point of processing. The higher the Drive, the more tube harmonics are being generated. At the same time, limiting gets stronger, increasing the density of the tube distortion. Charisma This unique control varies the tube saturation sound and allows you to create varying sound characteristics from 'soft' to 'hard'. Creating different tube sounds results in varying harmonic structures, and adjustments in the soft control range bring in the harmonic distortion and the tube limiting very slowly (you can compare this with the soft-knee characteristic of a compressor). In comparison to the hard control range, the soft effect starts off at relatively low levels. The sound becomes smooth and warm, is a little softer, and contains more harmonic distortion than the hard sound. In the hard control range, CHARISMA operates comparably to the hard-knee characteristic of a compressor. The processing starts with full effect at one point whereupon the signal is sharply limited, and at this point, the sound becomes punchy and crisp. Depending on the selected characteristic and intensities, a readjustment of the Drive control may further emphasize the desired effect.
Output
The Output control sets each channel's output gain to compensate for the
level increase when the Drive control has added level to drive the tube
circuitry. The bypass switch switches each CHARISMA channel in and out of
processing (hard-bypass), and the bypass switch is labeled according to
channel number.
Applications
CHARISMA can be used everywhere, where audio signals might benefit from
the excellent tube sound. The 8-channel concept is ideal for use in
conjunction with digital multitrack or hard-disk recorder systems, but it
can equally be used with analogue tape or DASH machines. In the MIDI
studio, CHARISMA is ideal for processing single tracks such as keyboard or
sampler sounds as well as vocals. In this application, the CHARISMA is
inserted into the mixer's channels inserts or directly between the source
and the desk. The most flexible way to use CHARISMA in the studio is to
wire it into the patchbay. That way you can decide, whether it should be
used while recording or later during mixdown Ð or simply inserted into
specific channels. Processing subgroups is another interesting
application. Using CHARISMA while recording to digital is the most
beneficial application as the tube limiting prevents clipping.
Connections
CHARISMA is equipped with high quality Neutrik TRS stereo jacks for
balanced operation. The SSM precision input and output stages feature
laser trimmed resistors that make possible common mode rejection of better
than 87 dB. Mono-jacks may be used for unbalanced operation without level
change - a valuable feature as most desks have unbalanced insert points!