TK Audio have announced the launch of a new creative tool that combines multiple stages of analogue saturation in an effort to offer some additional ‘colour’ to those working in the box. Aptly named The Transformer, the unit is divided into two sections, with one dedicated to generating additional harmonics and the other housing a Class-A transformer-coupled stage.
The unit features two channels, each equipped with their own independent set of controls. A TX Drive parameter controls the amount of harmonics generated by the unit’s first stage — a transformer-based saturation circuit that can generate up to 1% of harmonic distortion in the lower frequencies, with a more gentle increase in high-frequency harmonic content. A Gain control follows, allowing the signal level to be increased as it reaches the processor’s subsequent stages. The second stage is a passive circuit that offers a choice of even and odd harmonics thanks to a front-panel switch, while the third stage houses a germanium-based circuit that adds more even harmonics than odd.
Next up is an Output Trim level control that allows users to pull the signal back down to compensate for the additional gain introduced by the saturation stages, and there’s a Blend control for mixing some of the dry signal back in with the the processed signal. Finally, another selector switch makes it possible to engage a Class-A transformer-coupled output stage that has been designed to introduce the ‘punchy’ midrange and high-frequency boost associated with British consoles from the early 1970s. There’s also a built-in Mid-Side encoder and decoder that allow the two channels to process a signal’s Mid and Side elements rather than left/right (or dual mono) — the Mid-Side decoder is placed before the Class-A stage, and so Mid-Side processing is reserved for the first few saturation stages.
Pricing & Availability
The Transformer is available now, priced at $1799£1654.80 including VAT / €1549.
