Nightingale II

The Nightingale II is a

2 channel mic amp/equaliser and also a mono compressor, based around the now classic Phoenix design, with summing facilities included. The 2 preamplifiers with EQ and the compressor can all be used individually or may be combined in 3 different modes by using the summing section. This can be done whilst still taking un-combined outputs from each pre-amp out put .This set of features and the superb quality valve sound make the Nightingale a unit like no other that we know of. The unit comes in Thermionic Culture's half rack design format and has a built-in but detachable power supply. It will work normally as a standalone unit but if desired The Nightingale can be put together in a Thermionic Culture 19 inch rack case with another Nightingale to give stereo compression and 2 more eq./mic. amps, or you can add a different Thermionic Culture half rack unit such as The Freebird 3 channel equaliser. The 2 preamplifiers (A and B) have switched input level controls which allow them to amplify mic or line level signals, or take DI signals that can be accessed from the ¼" jack inputs on the front panel. The preamp sections also include useful and musical sounding EQ and filters on each channel. This is based on the EQ principle found in the Earlybird 2 and the Rooster. The EQ section allows a variable boost of 'Bass', 'Presence' and 'Top' with indented rotary controls. The indented rotary gain controls allow adjustment of pre-amp gain with the ability to exactly recall settings. The filters work in conjunction with the boost EQ. The 'Bass cut' has 2 shelving type filters that work at progressively higher frequencies. These will interact with the boost EQ to allow a simultaneous bass boost and mid cut if desired. The 'Top Cut' is a similar set of 2 filters acting on the high frequencies. The 'high pass' filters will act to remove problem frequencies in the very low frequencies. They may also interact with the boost EQ to tighten up the bottom end when a lot of bass is being applied. The 'phase invert' switch changes the polarity of incoming signals. The Compressor is based around the Phoenix compressor but has differences in valve choice and transformers to give a little more gain. This gives the Nightingale compressor its own flavour with a bit more bite and attitude. Compression can be monitored by the miniature Phoenix style meter in the centre of the unit. Stepped and indented controls allow for easy recall-ability. This may come in very useful on a unit with so many possibilities in tracking, mixing and "live" use. The summing section of the Nightingale allows the compressor input to be taken from it’s input ‘Line’ connector on the back of the unit, the output of preamp ‘A’, the output of preamp ‘B’ or a sum of both preamps ‘A+B’. This unique feature really allows the unit to be used in a huge variety of ways and to achieve some classic high quality valve sounds as well as some more unusual and creative effects, especially as the outputs from the preamps can still be taken separately to the mixing desk / DAW whilst being routed into the compressor section. The Nightingale was originally designed for Live use, where 2 vocalists can be blended together through 1 compressor to give a really tight sound with better separation from the backing band, but, like our Culture Vulture, it has many other uses, most notably on drums where the phase reverse can achieve great snare sounds.