PUREDRIVE QUAD

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Mic Pre’s with Prestige

The PURE DRIVE QUAD harnesses Solid State Logic's renowned SuperAnalogue PureDrive™ microphone preamp technology, originally featured in the ORIGIN console. This advanced unit introduces a new DRIVE mode, comprehensive connectivity, and state-of-the-art digital conversion, all within a compact 4-channel 2U rackmount format. The ORIGIN recording console, a contemporary-classic from SSL, first introduced the groundbreaking PureDrive™ microphone preamplifier. This innovative preamp maintains the clarity and punch of SSL's previous designs while also offering the flexibility to switch its character to a warm, harmonically rich, and driven tone that varies with gain.

ORIGIN, in combination with the PureDrive™ microphone preamp, has left an indelible mark on the world's top recording studios. Whether you're capturing the delicate nuances of a piano concerto in PURE mode or adding warmth to a drum recording in DRIVE mode, the PureDrive™ microphone preamp has become an indispensable tool in some of the industry's most prestigious studios and recording facilities due to its versatility and exceptional sonic characteristics.

Analogue Obsession

PURE DRIVE QUAD continues the legacy into rack format, delivering four microphone preamps with ORIGIN’s renowned PURE and DRIVE modes, but takes it further, adding a new ‘Asymmetric’ DRIVE, advanced digital connectivity, and an onboard USB interface.

PURE DRIVE QUAD offers four mic preamp input impedance options, enabling engineers to explore various tonal possibilities or match the mic pre's impedance closely to the microphone. Additionally, each mic pre includes independent +48V phantom power, polarity inversion, and a sweepable High Pass Filter.

PURE DRIVE QUAD stands as one of the most capable and feature-rich outboard microphone preamplifiers available, introducing a host of new sonic possibilities and workflows for the discerning producer and recording engineer.

3 Flavours, 1 Mic Pre

PURE DRIVE QUAD is a testament to SSL's commitment to progressive analogue circuit design. No electro-mechanical components (potentiometers, mechanical switches, relays etc) are used in the critical audio signal path of PURE DRIVE QUAD, increasing product longevity, and allowing impeccable ‘matching’ between all channels – not just a stereo pair. The use of digitally controlled analogue circuits, controlled by detented pots and electronic switches simplifies recall and precision of settings. Each of PURE DRIVE QUAD’s mic pre’s can be independently switched between three distinct DRIVE modes: Clean, Classic Drive, and Asymmetric Drive.

Clean Mode

Clean mode (White) delivers the highly regarded, ultra-low noise floor, linear SSL preamp that is recognised for its ability to faithfully capture the sound of the source with exceptional clarity and detail.

Classic Drive

Classic Drive (Amber) is the symmetrical mode that generates predominantly odd harmonics; the same drive sound found on the ORIGIN console.

Asymmetric Drive

Asymmetric Drive (Green) offers up a new colouration option, specifically designed for the PURE DRIVE range, making the even harmonic content dominant and providing more pronounced thickness, colouration and softening of transients.

PURE DRIVE QUAD Overview

View https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jqJfUHp4B8

Mic Impedance Input

PURE DRIVE QUAD offers four mic preamp input impedance options, enabling engineers to match the mic pre's impedance closely to the microphone or even change the tonality of the input signal (on ribbon and dynamic mics), giving further creative control when recording with the PURE DRIVE preamps.

Independent Gain, Trim and HPF Controls

PURE DRIVE QUAD features three independent controls:

GAIN - Stepped Gain control up to +65 dB Gain

TRIM - 31-step Trim control, with precise 1 dB increments – overdrive the signal with the Gain control and then reduce to a suitable level using Trim.

HPF - Variable High Pass filter going up to 300Hz.

Hear PURE DRIVE in Action

Listen to the selection of high resolution (48kHz 24-bit PCM) audio files below and hear how PURE DRIVE mic preamps can enhance your productions.

Advanced connectivity

PURE DRIVE QUAD’s advanced connectivity opens a world of recording possibilities. Its comprehensive selection of analogue and digital I/O offers microphone preamps with exceptional performance and flexibility, whether you're tracking a band in a world-class studio or adding warmth to stems in a production scenario. It's also ideal for project studios and on-location sessions where quality cannot be compromised, thanks to its integrated USB sound card.

PURE DRIVE QUAD features four rear-mounted combo XLR inputs, four front-panel Hi-Z/DI instrument inputs with automatic input detection, and three sets of D-sub connectors for line-level inputs, as well as insert send and insert return. PURE DRIVE QUAD’s insert returns/ADC inputs operate up to full +24 dBu line-level, for interfacing with other professional equipment.

PURE DRIVE QUAD’s versatile digital connectivity features an integrated USB soundcard providing four channels of audio into your DAW up to 32-Bit/192 kHz. Two AES/EBU output pairs, and ADAT out, offering four channels at 24-bit/48 kHz, or cascade two PURE DRIVE QUADs via its convenient ADAT LINK IN connection and access up to eight channels. The AES and ADAT outputs can even be individually repurposed to be fed from the onboard USB soundcard as outputs from your DAW. Finally, there's an auto-ranging word clock input and output for robust digital clocking.

Key Features

4 channel high-performance PureDrive™ mic preamps 
+48V phantom power, polarity invert and 3rd order hi-pass filter
Stepped Gain control up to +65 dB Gain 
31-step Trim control, with precise 1 dB increments – overdrive the signal with the Gain control and then reduce to a suitable level using Trim. 
3 modes for each preamp – Clean, Classic Drive and Asymmetric Drive 
Mic/Line Input Switching 
- Mic via XLR  
- Line via choice of TRS Jack or dedicated D-Sub connectivity

4 x front panel Hi-Z/DI Instrument unbalanced inputs with automatic input detection 
4 mic preamp input impedance options – explore new tonal possibilities from your dynamic and ribbon microphones

Balanced analogue outputs/insert sends for external processing 
+24 dBu professional line level insert returns/ADC inputs 
Analogue to digital connectivity via ADAT, AES and USB
Ability to switch ADAT and AES connections to source audio from DAW outputs (USB) instead of the A/D converter 
USB soundcard mode : QUAD – 12 in / 12 out (@44.1/48 kHz) ; 4 x analogue + 8 x ADAT in (via Link in) / 4 AES + 8 ADAT outs
Stepped pots and digitally controlled analogue electronics for precision, stereo matching and ease of recall 
Up to 192 kHz and 32-bit conversion, professional I/O levels (+24 dBu = 0 dBFS). 
Selectable Auto-Sleep mode 
Auto-ranging Wordclock In and Out