Rupert Neve Designs MBC (Master Buss Converter)

The ultimate tool for creating digital signals with the tone, transparency, and power expected from
Rupert Neve Designs.

Whether you’re tracking, printing mixes, or mastering, the Master Buss Converter is a revelation in quality
and functionality of A-D conversion technology. The analog drive circuitry allows the MBC’s converter to
be fed by either a class-A transformerless path for maximum transparency, or by custom inter-stage audio
transformers with variable Silk for a wide variety of tonal enhancements. Coupled with an astonishingly
musical limiter, the MBC is always the best choice to capture your analog signals with breathtakingly
three-dimensional accuracy.

A Long Time Coming
With over seven decades of analog circuit design experience, Mr. Rupert Neve had never considered a
converter worthy of his hallmark until the release of the RMP-D8 Dante-connected microphone
preamplifier in 2018. While the RMP was primarily designed as a mic preamp, its adoption by engineers
at the highest levels of recording, mastering, and touring as their preferred converter led to the
development of the MBC, creating a new standard for PCM conversion quality.

Dual Path Analog Design
As the last link in the analog chain before digitization, converter drive circuitry is critical in determining the
imprinted digital sound quality. From the ground up, the MBC was designed for reference performance
regardless of genre or desired sonic character, and the key to this lies in the quality and adaptability of the
analog drive circuitry.
For a bolder, more powerful imprint, a custom-designed inter-stage transformer with Rupert’s acclaimed
Silk circuitry can be inserted to recreate the classic tonality of his vintage designs. Uniquely, unlike our
audio transformers intended for line-level output, this new transformer is designed to achieve output
transformer harmonic content characteristics at a level appropriate for input to the converter itself. With
the addition of variable Silk, the engineer is able to precisely dial in the desired amount of harmonic
content – with the Red mode highlighting harmonics in the mid and high frequencies, and the Blue mode
accentuating harmonics in the low-end. From a subtle transformer tonality without Silk, to significantly
more color than vintage modules with the Silk / Texture circuit fully pushed, the selectable transformer
path fills your tracks with enhanced dimensionality and power.

Compound Active Release Analog Limiter
The challenge here was to design a limiter that could act as both a musical sculpting tool exceeding the
quality of available plug-in limiters, while also being able to act as a transparent safety limiter for tracking
or live performance & broadcast.
To achieve this, we refined our compound active release topology to enhance both the accuracy and
musicality of the limiter response. The resulting limiter achieves both transparency and the capability of
pushing the level of tracks or mixes without damage to the integrity of the source.
To further adapt the sound of the limiter, we’ve added a number of controls to fine-tune its response. The
built-in Side Chain High-Pass Filter, sweepable from 20-250Hz, minimizes the limiter’s reaction to low
frequencies, which tend to be more sustained in nature than high frequencies. The threshold control sets
the maximum levels for your digital signal, and the variable release time constant alters the response
characteristic to better fit different source material. To further push levels into the limiter, the class-A line
amp stage is capable of adding 20dB of ultra-clean gain. The limiter may be used as a dual mono or
stereo linked design via the Link switch, depending on the desired use.

Features

Selectable Analog Drive Paths
The very best of class-A transformerless and custom transformer-coupled designs at the touch of a
button.
Transformer Path with Silk / Texture
Add weight and punch with a dedicated custom inter-stage transformer before the converter. Silk /
Texture allows you to dial in the harmonic content and drive saturation of this signal path.
Class-A Transformerless Path
Maximizes clarity and transparency of the input signal.
Active Compound Release Analog Limiting
Push your levels further with fewer artifacts than plug-ins, and introduce clip safety for tracking or
broadcast.
24-bit/192kHz Reference Conversion
Unparalleled analog capture with precision clocking using top-of-the-line chips.
Multi-Standard Connectivity
Connect to any of your digital devices with AES, S/PDIF and TOSLINK all simultaneously available.
Precision Clocking
Maximum accuracy with minimal jitter and phase noise, able to operate as a master clock or sync from
another master.