Two Channels of Definitive API Preamplification
Huge, punchy drums, in your face. Beautifully open vocals, loud ’n’ proud. A mammoth wall of guitars, wide as a barn. This is the classic, bold American sound of API. Countless iconic hits were recorded through API consoles in the Golden Age of Analog; every mic signal pumped up larger than life through the legendary 312 microphone preamplifier outfitted on every channel. Today’s API 3122V 2-channel mic preamp delivers the sonic magic of API co-founder Saul Walker’s original design — with additional enhancements for the contemporary studio — in a stout 1U rackmount chassis. Serving up that coveted analog warmth and girth along with enormous headroom, the API 3122V is loaded for bear. Add one (or more) to your rack and infuse your projects with the inimitable sonic authority only API preamplification can provide.
Related Videos: 3122V 2-Channel Mic Preamp
Classic bulletproof build quality
The 3122V 2-channel mic preamp preamp houses the latest variant of the vintage 312 circuitry used in API consoles from the 1970s. API engineered today’s 3122V to be faithful to the original, right down to the smallest details. A meticulous, state-of-the-art rendition of Saul Walker’s original 312 circuit, today’s 3122V is a masterful design that includes API’s storied 2520 op-amps, AP2516 input transformers, and vintage-style analog VU meters with separate peak LED indicators. In a modern twist, the API 3122V adds a 3:1 output transformer tap that lets you add additional harmonic saturation to your signals for even more tasty vintage flavor.
Powerful punch and massive headroom
Like all API mic preamps, the 3122V is packing big iron. Proprietary API transformers balance the inputs and outputs, which, along with API 2520 op-amps, imbue this versatile 2-channel pre with the muscular punch and colossal headroom that veteran recording engineers and producers have sought after for half a century. Notwithstanding the 3122V’s vintage bona fides, the unit also gives you conveniences for streamlined integration into your modern studio workflow. These include two front- or rear-panel female XLR mic inputs (selectable from the faceplate), front-panel 1/4-inch hi-Z instrument inputs, a fixed-frequency highpass filter, a gain control, and the ever-popular variable output level control; as well as 48-volt phantom power, a polarity reverse switch, and a 20dB pad.
API: the legendary American pro audio company
No American pro audio company is more iconic than API. Launched in 1968 by Saul Walker, Automated Processes Inc. began building quality consoles for broadcast applications. Soon, the company’s products found favor with recording studios, and a string of industry-leading innovations (including the 500 Series module, the first VCA, computerized console automation, and more) followed. API produced the 2520 amplifier, one of the most famous op-amps in the recording industry, and their consoles and products found homes in such iconic studio facilities as the Hit Factory, Record Plant, Ocean Way, Sunset Sound, and many others. In fact, there are over 700 vintage API consoles around the globe — many of which are still in use. And the company certainly isn’t resting on its laurels; today’s API products give you the same unbeatable combination of utility, innovation, and great sound. That’s why, at Sweetwater, the name API commands reverence.
API 3122V 2-Channel Mic Preamp Features:
- Classic API circuit design
- Proprietary AP2516 input transformer
- API 2520 op-amp and output transformer
- Maximum gain: 68dB
- Variable Output control
- Fixed-frequency highpass filter
- 3:1 output transformer tap selection
- 2 selectable front- or rear-panel female XLR mic inputs
- 2 front-panel 1/4-inch hi-Z instrument inputs
- Front-panel mic/instrument selection switch
- Front-panel polarity switch
- Front-panel 48V phantom power switch
- Front-panel -20dB pad switch
- Vintage-style analog VU meters
- Peak-level LED
