Rupert Neve Designs 5043 Limiter | Compressor

The 5043 Limiter-Compressor features fully controllable dual mono or stereo operation plus innovative feedforward/feedback detection switching and yields a combination of rich warmth, flexibility and precision that is sure to resonate in the ears of sound engineers the world over.

Perhaps the most significant aspect of the Portico 5043 is the ability to switch between feedforward and feedback detection. In most of Mr. Rupert Neve’s earliest designs, feedback detection — controlling the VCA with a rectified voltage from the unit’s output — was intrinsic to the musical dynamic response. However, the very nature of a feedback compressor limits the attack time of the compression circuit. To offer faster, more technically accurate response times, feedforward detection was implemented on all of Mr. Rupert Neve’s more modern designs.

Conceived, designed and built in Texas Hill Country by Rupert Neve Designs, the 5043 is the first Portico module created to utilize the secondary buss signal outputs incorporated into the product range. By accepting buss outputs from other units in the Portico range, chains of modules may now be integrated into flexible arrays, configured to function as cue feeds, solo busses, or secondary outputs.

Each channel of the 5043 encompasses individually controllable threshold, makeup gain from -6dB to +20dB, ratio and VCA detection mode (feedforward/feedback). The channels may be used independently or connected in sequence to provide two separate control slopes on a single source. The D.C. control circuits may be linked via a front panel push-button so that the level of each channel may be held in a constant relationship for stereo operation. With the compressor inactive, the 5043 may be used as a transformer-coupled, high-performance line amplifier.

Rear panel connections are provided to enable the linking of multiple Portico 5043s. The 5043 can link both internal control lines or multiple additional 5043s, enabling one of them to serve as “master.” When either the buss or line level input is selected, custom-designed transformers couple the input and output to create a true floating ground, ensuring compatibility with modules outside of the Portico Range, and imparting the rich warmth that is so revered in Mr. Rupert Neve’s classic designs.

With the introduction of the 5043, the need to purchase multiple dynamics units to choose between transparent and musical dynamic control is no longer a necessity. Ideal for either standalone operation or forming the core of a larger Portico- based mixing system, the Portico 5043 represents the signature of excellence so often associated with the Mr. Rupert Neve name.