Warm Audio TB12-500 Mic Preamp/DI
The Tone Beast is a great mic pre with loads of gain that can effortlessly capture an array of sources very well. With top notch CineMag transformers and multiple discrete signal paths, it's hard to beat its big, bold, fully-professional sound at its price.
The Tone Beast is a mic pre that likes to be pushed and when pushed will colorize your signal ever so sweetly. The 2 opamps and 2 output transformers at the flip of their switches won't appear to be much different, but as one drives the pre into harmonic distortion, the unique character of each of these components becomes apparent. Additionally the Tone Beast is customizable and allows for other opamps to be sourced and easily swapped into the unit. I've pulled my best tones from this pre right at the saturation point (as loud as I can push the gain before clipping). The output control on the TB12 allows you to limit the signal exiting the preamp even when pushing the gain to really hot levels, giving you maximum control.
Packed With Performance
The WA12 MKII is a completely discrete, high voltage, dual-transformer microphone preamplifier design with high gain (+71dB), high headroom, low noise, and an exciting sonic performance – great for all types of recording applications. A high quality mic preamp is one of the most critical pieces needed to achieve the elusive ‘larger than life’ sound, and the WA12 MKII is more than capable of delivering.
Affordable Tone Shaping Mic Preamp
Our goal was to make a microphone preamplifier affordable for the first time, without compromising the quality and design parameters that make this type of microphone preamplifier so desirable. Home-based musicians and professional studios alike will find the Tone Beast to be an extremely powerful and fully professional piece of gear that is capable of warming and shaping signals/mixes in a way that is very pleasing to the ear.
Premium Components
The TB12 "Tone Beast" 500 is a high-voltage microphone preamplifier, utilzing CineMag USA Transformers. Our own reproduction of the legendary original 2520-style discrete opamp found in the classic american consoles of yesteryear. These op-amps will work in any preamplifier or other device which conforms to the 2520-style footprint and +/-16 voltage standard. Have no fear of hurting the Beast, you can push it very hard into full-on distortions if you wish, and these can sound quite nice on electric guitar, bass or anything else that likes some nice grit.
When hand building mic pres I learned a bit about the "subtle" differences component choices can make. A little change here, and another there often times became a huge deal in a finished mix, but often times is not very noticeable at first take. The different component options in the TB12 are subtle, but when driven into saturation are noticeable and can make a big difference to the way your final mix will sound. Home-based musicians and professional studios alike will find the Tone Beast to be an extremely powerful and fully professional piece of gear that is capable of warming and shaping signals/mixes in a way that is very pleasing to the ear.