The makers behind Kerwax recording studios and Recording The Masters have teamed up in Brittany, France, to create a replica of the legendary tube processor. The goal: to process, warm up and color the sound to enrich our mixes and set them apart from the generally flat “digital crowd.”
Its unique design combines features that pair easily with vintage tubes to color and shape sound artistically.
The Kerwax replica creates a wide variety of characteristic harmonic distortions, from subtle sonic enhancements to powerful blasts. It's one more step toward the signature that sets you apart from the “digital crowd.” Thanks to the processor, we can warm up signals, using the Trim and Bias controls to adjust the depth of the sound and produce the harmonics we need. The gain, meanwhile, lets us add progressive saturation.
Thanks to the smooth Baxandall curves and the precision of the bass and treble EQs, we get gentle, progressive nuances. We also have filters to remove unwanted frequencies (between 80 Hz and 120 Hz).
This Kerwax replica is a window into the golden age of recording studios, allowing us today to give digital sequences a touch of tube character. To do so, it uses two 12AX7 tubes per channel: the first for preamplification and the second for saturation. The tubes are also replaceable, so if we want to experiment with other types in the 12AX7 family, we can try out different alternatives and “colors.”
The company Recording the Masters is now launching a premium series, limited to 100 numbered units. More info here.
