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Hitmaker 4000 Colour Module

Hitmaker 4000 Colour Module

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80's British Hitmaker Console

for Chroma, Mister Focus, & DIYRE Colour

 

Overview

HITMAKER 4000 brings solid state British console sound to the Colour format. This circuit was inspired by the classic VCA console's Mix Amps through which thousands of hit records have been mixed since the early 1980's.  

The heart of the famed mix bus was a balanced summing architecture with a hybrid combination of a discrete quad-matched transistor input and a then-state-of-the art Signetics NE5534A op amp to provide open loop gain and load-driving capability.  While a dual amp NE5532 could have been chosen to simplify the design and reduce cost of this Colour module, the audio performance of the NE5532 is not the same in terms of distortion, soundstage, and overall tone.  Our design respectfully pays homage to the original console's Mix Amp by using multiple IC stages of a carefully selected modern production NE5534A that best matches the depth and tone of the out-of-production Signetics part.  Another critical component defining the gritty and punchy sound of these consoles was the VCA used for master fader level control.  This is the same VCA fader that the legendary Bus Compressor sidechain controls for 2-bus smack and levelling.  We have included this essential ingredient along with original spec bipolar coupling capacitors to help achieve the harmonic texture reminiscent of the vintage console.  HITMAKER 4000 isn't merely an enhancement effect trying to approximate the harmonic distortion characteristics of hybrid transistor summing amps and VCAs - it is those very kinds of circuits using the correct components. 

One of the signature features of these consoles was its powerful yet musical 4-band EQ, which many mix engineers have used to shape sounds into hit records.  As a tribute to the most favorite high frequency shelving EQ setting of one particular award-winning mixer dude we have included a jumperable 8 kHz shelving boost to add an in-your-face presence and sparkle your tracks and mixes.  

To further expand the range of tones possible in a way the original console could never offer, we have provided two user-selectable THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) settings.  The RICH setting has a more forward and aggressive character with its dominance of 3rd order harmonics pulling sounds to the front of the mix as the module is driven harder.  An alternate FAT setting configures the module for more 2nd order harmonics, which gives the low end more roundness and depth; the top end thus feels more refined and less edgy.

Features

Documentation

About Colour

INTRODUCING COLOUR

MODULAR MOJO

Colour is an exciting new modular platform for creating your own custom analog signal chains. The ever-growing family of modules allows you to bring multiple stages of high end analog processing to your setup a la carte.

The Colour platform consists of Colours and hosts. Colours are ultra-compact, swappable analog circuit blocks that snap into the host, and impart various types of analog color such as distortion, saturation, compression, EQ, and even echo.

EXPLORE COLOUR OPTIONS
Mister Focus console

COLOUR HOSTS

Proucts like Silver Bullet mk2ChromaChroma+, or Mister Focus can all host Colour modules. The host device provides level controls, power, and support circuitry for one or two Colour modules.

C-DRV knob simultaneously allows you to adjust the amount of input gain and output attenuation for intuitive level control.

C-MIX knob allow you to blend the smoothly dry and processed signals.

Colour modules can also be used various rackmount and 500 series gear from other manufacturers like DIY Recording Equipment.

BUILD YOUR DREAM CHANNEL

Choose from our growing list of Colour module options to customize compatible Louder Than Liftoff products. There are one or two analog plugin slots you can use to build your dream channel. You can also install any of the Colour modules from DIY Recording Equipment. This is a platform that adapts to the needs of your studio.

Disconnect power, remove the 500 Series module or cover, install the Colour Modules of your choice, and power back on.

  • MISTER FOCUS

    Choose two modules for each 500 Series unit

  • CHROMA

    Choose one module for each 500 Series unit

  • CHROMA+

    Choose two modules, one for each channel

  • SILVER BULLET mk2

    Choose two modules, one for each channel

Expand each section to learn more

NERDY DETAILS

Colour Modules are compatible with Silver Bullet m2, Chroma 500 Series, Chroma+, and Mister Focus products.

They are also compatible with host products from DIY Recording Equipment.

We chose every component in our Colour modules by ear for maximum mojo and its sonic synergy with the rest of the circuit.  Our meticulous development process involved both empirical measurement and real-world studio use to validate the design.  We also leveraged what we learned designing and building our other products. In this design you will find high end parts from Nichicon, Panasonic, Vishay, Susumu, Wima, and TI.  All audio path resistors are 0.5% or 0.1% thin film types for low distortion and noise.  Where applicable, some modules features custom American wound transformers and our very own discrete op amp.  Our PCBs use high temperature Tg 170 material for long-term reliability.  The entire assembly is RoHS compliant (lead free).