Rupert Neve DesignsMBT Master Bus Transformer

Rupert Neve Designs MBT

As the culmination of everything that makes products by Rupert Never Designs so special, the MBT Master Bus Transformer is a studio coloration tool for enhancing and driving audio signals of all types. Within the MBT you'll find a filter + two-band EQ, a Color Comp optical compressor, a stereo Width controller, and an enhanced Super Silk harmonic coloration section all working together to add sonic lift to full mixes, stems, or any other part of your production.

Starting from the very beginning, MBT sends audio through an input gain trim, followed by a highpass filter in the range of 15-100Hz. Often a troublesome area of a mix, MBT allows you to roll off troublesome low-end frequencies before hitting the later sections of the device. Next, the two-band Equalizer offers +/- 9dB of boost or cut at a variable range of frequencies—Q is internally pre-set from the factory for versatile and musical usage. From there, RND introduces their new Color Comp design, a characterful optical compressor that feels right at home in the context of MBT. Selectable ratios of 2:1 and 5:1 allow for different compression intensities, while the sidechain highpass and blend control afford versatility in mixing.

In the Width section, MBT allows you to impart broader stereo images to your tracks, with a variable highpass filter to keep low-end centered in the mix. Last but certainly not least, MBT introduces the new Super Silk section, an enhanced version of the staple circuit found in many other Rupert Never Designs products. Traditionally applied to the output transformers, Super Silk adds an additional set of transformers for even more coloration and sonic interest. Now, you don't have to choose between Red and Blue Silk modes: independent controls for each allow you to add harmonic sparkle to upper mids and highs or lows and lower mids, respectively. A new Harmonics control sets a baseline for overall harmonic coloration, and a new Zener Drive soft-clipper veers into more aggressive sonic territories. If you turn to outboard gear for coloring your mixes and tracks, then you perfectly align with the vision and goals of the Master Bus Transformer.

MBT Features

• Studio-grade coloration tool built upon Rupert Neve's transformer-based designs
• Detented controls
• Contains the following processing sections: 2-band EQ, Color Comp, Stereo Width, Super Silk
• Input highpass filter: 15-100Hz
• 2-band shelf EQ with +/- 9dB boost or cut
• Low shelf: 30-240Hz
• High shelf: 3-24kHz
• Color Comp optical compressor
• Selectable 2:1 or 5:1 ratio
• Release: 100ms - 1.5s
• Compressor blend control
• Sidechain highpass: 20-350Hz
• Up to +20dB makeup gain
• Stereo width enhancer with highpass crossover
• Width HPF: 50-800Hz
• Super Silk transformer coloration section
• Independent blue and Red Silk controls
• New Harmonics and Zener Drive controls
• LED output meter