Any Portico 5042 or 5043 Users/owners here? Post Your Feedback In This Thread!

[perx]

I have not heard any of these in action, but Ive heard alot about the 5043 compressor. I really find the 5042 interesting, but I dont know anyone that owns one.

I am thinking of buying both and using either the compressor on the 2bus or simply sending complete mixes through both separetely..

If you use or own any of these 2, post what you like or dislike about them here!

Looking forward to seeing some good feedback..

THANKS!

[PMoshay]

I have and use the 5042 Line Amp/Tape Simulator box.
The Tape effect is real nice, the best of the bunch (vs any plug in's). When used for tracking its fantastic, across the mix buss i find you have to go easy as you can saturate and loose your punch. But it does nice things to the top end just like tape, a little goes a long way.
It is also very sensitive to any strong electrical or magnetical fields near it (just like a tape machine) It will hum if its too close to my tube gear (maybe its just growling at it)
Its the kind of unit that if you try it, you will want it.....
I've liked everything ive tried in the Portico series....im gonna get some more of the modules & a rack kit.

[Oldone]

5043 owned here. I like it very much on the mix buss, drum buss, tracking vocals, most instruments except bass. For bass I use other things. It's kind of a swiss army knife compressor. Can be neutral and also colored depending on the setting. It can also do the pump thing on the mix but is probably not a rap or hip hop type of tool. It's great for R&B, Pop, Country, Jazz, Folk.

I've built a rack of their preamps, compressor and EQ and have not found any of the modules lacking. Waiting on the 8 channel summing module to complete my Portico array.

[janek 68]

I own 5043 - really nice compressor :) i like results on piano( keyboard) and vocals and bass ( Feedback mode).I dont like or i dont know how to use it recording acoustic guitar....

[effectsnut]

I have both!! along with the stereo field editor...that tape sim is the best I've heard and I've used tape extensively and have a fatso jr..I haven't used tape in 10 years but this tape sim is really cool.its kind of set it and forget it unless your into overkill..we all know the compressor smokes...the stereo field editor is nice BUT tricky to set..you really have to play with the knobs to get a good sound and can make a mix sound thin really fast...

[perx]

Originally Posted by Oldone

5043 owned here. I like it very much on the mix buss, drum buss, tracking vocals, most instruments except bass. For bass I use other things. It's kind of a swiss army knife compressor. Can be neutral and also colored depending on the setting. It can also do the pump thing on the mix but is probably not a rap or hip hop type of tool. It's great for R&B, Pop, Country, Jazz, Folk.

I've built a rack of their preamps, compressor and EQ and have not found any of the modules lacking. Waiting on the 8 channel summing module to complete my Portico array.

its going to be used for techno/electro.. You feel it cant handle fast music?

[t_d]

anyone who owns a 5042 ever compare it to ColorTone Pro's impulse response?

of course i'm sure the hardware is superior.. i really love the impulse response in CTP... so i bet i'd love the hardware even more..

i'm just curious to hear comparisions from someone who has heard both..

thanks

[Oldone]

Originally Posted by perx

its going to be used for techno/electro.. You feel it cant handle fast music?

Depends on your definition of fast music; it's just not super snappy, don't know how else to put it. Give it a try and sell it if you are not happy. It works for 95% of what I do but I don't do techno/electro.

[thermos]

Originally Posted by perx

its going to be used for techno/electro.. You feel it cant handle fast music?

I wouldn't use it for that personally. Its plenty fast in ff mode, but I think the sound of the transformers may be a little too rounding and the release times a little too audible. It would probably be easier to use some kind of ssl variant for that kind of stuff.

Fwiw I love the compressor for everything except tracking drums and acoustic guitar. Love it for tracking bass, vox, electrics, and pretty much anything else.

[Simon Young]

Originally Posted by PMoshay

I have and use the 5042 Line Amp/Tape Simulator box.
The Tape effect is real nice, the best of the bunch (vs any plug in's). When used for tracking its fantastic, across the mix buss i find you have to go easy as you can saturate and loose your punch. But it does nice things to the top end just like tape, a little goes a long way.
It is also very sensitive to any strong electrical or magnetical fields near it (just like a tape machine) It will hum if its too close to my tube gear (maybe its just growling at it)
Its the kind of unit that if you try it, you will want it.....
I've liked everything ive tried in the Portico series....im gonna get some more of the modules & a rack kit.

I got my 5042 today and intend to use it on the mix buss. You say go easy, do you have any advise. On this first mix I am hitting 6-10 on the tape level with SAT set to MIN and the 7.5/15IPS switch on "red" (is that 7.5 or 15 by the way). I think it sounds very good, I am just a little afraid that I am getting caried away.

Thanks

[Simon Young]

Listening back to the first mix with the 5042 on the mix buss, it seems that a lot of low end is taken out and the stereo image is not as wide as before. The mix seems tigther though, I wish I could land somewhere in between.

Anyone with that experience?

[sashbash]

I have only used the 5042 on the drum bus before and found my experience to differ slightly to the post above.
Firstly I agree that the bass does loose a little of its sub boom, and gets crunched (like tape...). The high end jumps out a little more, and I found I had to slightly change the levels of the hi hat once it had passed through the 5042 because of this.

Where my experience differs is that I thought the 5042 really adds quite a bit of extra width to the original source. One the drums were put through th 5042 I found the snare to be a far bigger image than before....width had definitely been added.

All in all I really enjoyed the 5042, I think the trick is not to over do it....which can easily be done if you like the effect of tape when pushed real hard.

Waiting to borrow a 5043 from a colleague...looking forward to it, as I've heard some rave reviews.

BTW I love the half rack size....if only more were like this.

[t_d]

i've been testing out a 5042 in my studio for the last day... and, frankly, i'm having trouble hearing what it's doing at all!

i'm a little disapointed, as i have been lusting after this box since the day it was released...

i start to hear the effect when i'm in 7.5ips (that's with the button NOT red(up) right?).. but even at 15ips, with saturation all the way at max, i'm having trouble hearing anything.

now, granted, my music is quite quiet and non-dynamic (think brian eno).. but i have tried it on a variety of sources and not heard much!

!

?

[effectsnut]

Originally Posted by t_d

i've been testing out a 5042 in my studio for the last day... and, frankly, i'm having trouble hearing what it's doing at all!

i'm a little disapointed, as i have been lusting after this box since the day it was released...

i start to hear the effect when i'm in 7.5ips (that's with the button NOT red(up) right?).. but even at 15ips, with saturation all the way at max, i'm having trouble hearing anything.

now, granted, my music is quite quiet and non-dynamic (think brian eno).. but i have tried it on a variety of sources and not heard much!

!

?

this might be a stupid question but do you have it plugged in?

[t_d]

yes :)

the input meters are pumping, the tape level meters are pumping...

but i really have to strain to hear a difference

and i have pretty good ears!

the Portico is being fed from a MOTU HD192 > Benchmark DAC > Portico > Vari-Mu > Adam A7

Originally Posted by effectsnut

this might be a stupid question but do you have it plugged in?

[Simon Young]

My first reaction was the same. But if you bounce a mix with and without the 5042 you hear the difference. I have played with it all day now and the funny thing is that all the things my 5043 brings to the mix (wider+deeper) the 5042 seems to take away. I might not have found the right way to use it yet, but that is how it sounds at the moment.

[fooman]

Any of you guys find yourselves getting carried away in terms of using this on everything? I only use plugs, but the one I use came with my sequencer and I find myself getting great results from using it as a 'distorted' effect rather than a warming effect. The type of music I do calls for it a lot. I would find myself wanting to try the 5042 on everything if I paid over $1000 for it!

Anyone have problems taking it easy?

[PMoshay]

Originally Posted by Simon Young

I got my 5042 today and intend to use it on the mix buss. You say go easy, do you have any advise. On this first mix I am hitting 6-10 on the tape level with SAT set to MIN and the 7.5/15IPS switch on "red" (is that 7.5 or 15 by the way). I think it sounds very good, I am just a little afraid that I am getting caried away.

Thanks

I am careful with levels in & saturation level too. Just bypass it while the music is playing and see how much transient info you may be compromising.
Tape saturation is great, but the compromise is you may loose all that great attack that you capture so well in digital recording. Its a trade off that depends on the music or song.
You can make things mushy with too much tape saturation to me..... but that may be a desirable thing.........do whats right for the song and you won't go wrong.
Sometimes i wanna punch and sometimes i wanna smush.

Do a A/B bypassed and in and adjust to taste