The punchy, forward sound of a vintage American console.
Transformers and discrete opamps (DOAs) are the core building blocks of the American console sound. The punchy, present sound of those classic 70's consoles derives from the unique character of the DOA and transformer and the complex ways they interact with each other. Countless plugins have tried to imitate this sound, but why imitate when you can have the real thing?
The CTX combines the RED-25 DOA with a Cinemag transformer and then cranks the gain to pack the sound of a channel strip into a single Colour. At moderate operating levels, the module's effect is vanishingly subtle, but makes everything sound more "finished" when stacked over numerous tracks in a mix. As levels increase the transistors of the DOA and core of the transformer saturate, thickening the signal with low-frequency harmonics and natural compression.
MKII Improvements
In 2019 to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Colour Format, we redesigned the first three Colours, the 15IPS, CTX, and JFT, to use only discrete, class-A transistor circuitry. You could think of this as the opposite of an update—we’ve revered the technology of the Colours back to the late 60’s. The result is an authentic vintage character that’s more nuanced and refined.
In the process of revamping the CTX, we realized that incorporating a 2520-style DOA would be a natural choice given the history of API and Cinemag. Thus the CTX went from being a simple transformer Colour to a more full-featured American console Colour.
The DOA adds another layer of saturation that complements that of the transformer. The overall effect is more pronounced than the mkI, with higher harmonic distortion at low levels and the ability to impart noticeable compression effects at high levels.
Features
- Transformer wound by Cinemag in California
- Steel core emphasizes the phase distortion and hysteresis effects associate with the "iron" sound
- Compatible with the Colour format
- Red PCB!
- Full, step-by-step assembly instructions and guaranteed support
What the Pros are Saying
"CTX may be my favorite of the bunch. As you push the input level, it substantially 'thickens' just about any source. A stereo pair across a drum bus can dramatically change the character of the drums without sounding heavy-handed."
-Scott Evans
TapeOp Magazine (review of the CTX mkI)
Customer Reviews
After watching all the demo videos, this was the module I wanted most, and when I actually ran it through, it was exactly as I expected.
When using it for mixing, if the input signal is too loud, the sound will distort sooner than expected. While this subtle effect is nice, I prefer to lower the input signal significantly in my DAW and run it through the Duo's CTX. This allows me to achieve great saturation without unnecessary distortion, even when turning the CTX knob all the way up. (Both effects are excellent.)
Also, I had never heard of this consumer transformer, the cinemag CM-10100, before, but it's small enough to be incorporated into the Colour module, yet has excellent characteristics. Combining it with the RED-25 op amp seems to maximize the effect in a minimal configuration. I believe this is the result of a lot of experimentation and hard work.
It might be interesting to use this combination as a reference and discover new combinations yourself. It was an eye-opener for me.
I highly recommend it.
Easy fun build that adds just the right amount of ‘stuff’. High quality kit!
I spend a lot of my time at a studio with API mic pres and the CTX completely surpassed my expectations. Really forward sounding bottom end, sounds great on just about everything.
Love these cards, the flexibility of using various DOPAs is awesome. Price is also a lot more forgiving than the LTL Royal Blues/Mass Drivrs without sacrificing quality.
It just adds good stuff.
