Alpha VHD 4-Channel Microphone Preamp

The XLogic Alpha VHD is a four-channel analog microphone preamp with attitude. Whether you need to track pristine vocals, crunched drums or electric guitars on the edge of sonic destruction, the Solid State Logic VHD Pre delivers a powerful and versatile sound shaping tool kit - the perfect analog companion to your digital recording system.

Based on the VHD (Variable Harmonic Drive) circuit from SSL's acclaimed Duality console, the VHD Pre adds four SSL mic preamps to any line level DAW audio interface, transforming it into a professional quality, multi-channel analog recording system.

The four ultra-clean, high-grade mic preamps are combined with independent Variable Harmonic Drive circuits that use 100% analog signal paths to generate rich harmonic distortion - adding SSL analog attitude to your digital recordings.

Variable Harmonic Drive
It may look like just another knob, but the VHD (Variable Harmonic Drive) preamp is far from a traditional linear gain control - it's more like a time machine of overdrive characteristics.

When VHD is used in conjunction with the input gain control, a huge variety of preamp sounds can be created, from gentle warming to serious distortion. At relatively low input gain settings the VHD Pre preamps deliver transparent signals with all of the sonic fidelity you'd expect from SSL. As the input gain setting is increased, more of the signal is passed to the Variable Harmonic Drive circuit, increasing the intensity of the effect from subtle to extreme. By adjusting the VHD control the distortion characteristics can be shifted from '50s valve-style overdrive (if the VHD selection control is turned fully anti-clockwise for 2nd harmonic distortion) to '70s transistor-style grit (if the VHD selection control is turned fully clockwise for 3rd harmonic distortion)¦ or a blend of the two.