AwTAC Awesome Channel Amplifier

There is quite a lot of info on our website, please take a minute and dig through this page, which should address much of what you are inquiring about:

awtac.com/philosophy

The Channel Amp is the entire input channel for a console, the same way and with similar function that a 1073 was the entire input channel for a console.  Our circuit makes a different sound, but the feature set is similar.  Contained in each Channel Amp is a dedicated mic pre, dedicated line amp, and dedicated DI amp (which feeds the input transformer).  There is a 3 band EQ covering 14 frequencies total, a high pass filter, fader and mix buss.  Incidental control for 48v phantom, phase reverse, and output transformer loading is included as well. 

Each unit has a mic pre, so it is entirely stand alone for tracking, but there is a separate line amp which can accept the output from a mic pre if you have something else specific youd like to use.  You can absolutely put a pair on your mix buss and mix through them.  The EQ is very gentle, never really gets harsh and most stuff comes out of it just sounding bigger in general.

We are building the modules to assemble a console, as much as our head might be stuck in early 70's design, I dont imagine the day where Im going to offer a frame any time soon.  Custom work is always an option, but right now the focus is bringing all the modules to market.  We are of course delighted to assist customers put together a multi channel system.  Our whole intent was to make a system with this type of design available to people on a small scale without requiring the financial and physical commitment of a 24 channel desk all at once.  With hybrid systems taking on all variety of shapes and sizes, it seems far more sensible to approach this one channel at a time and a 500 rack of course makes that very easy to do.

The Channel Amp as mentioned is the input channel and it also contains an LCR mix buss.

The Panner module adds a stereo panning mix buss and a mute.  The Panners can also function as a stand alone summing mixer if you add mic pre's for makeup gain.  Panners and Channel Amps used together can provide a 4 buss system.  Panners and Channel Amps can be used in Parallel or Series, so you can set up 10 panners and 10 channel amps to sum either 10 channels with stereo panning or put them in series for 20 channels of summing. 

The Channel Compressor is our brand new compressor for each channel.

Future plans include a stand alone mic pre to be used as our buss output amp.  Our passive mix buss is at mic level, like the old neve consoles, so a mic amp is required on the output.  If there is some demand we have loose plans for an Aux and Master module, all 500.

As it stands now you can put together a killer sidecar with the modules we offer.  I know Noah Shain had posted a thread here a while back, he's been using channel amps on the record he's working on now and currently has a 16 channel AwTAC sidecar setup on his mix.

If you study the signal flow of an early discrete transistor console, the era prior to the introduction of consoles disigned around discrete opamps, we are building a system that subscribes to that ethic.

Delighted to answer any specific questions that the information on the website might inspire.

like anyone that was designing discrete transistor split consoles in 1969 or 1970 really. Everyone pretty much had the same rule book and were ultimately designing similar consoles, or at least starting their designs from the same place with common limitations, perhaps thats a better way to look at it.

What would you say the AWTAC sounds like, noah shain?

I'm not so good at comparing 1 unit to another! If I have the time I listen for specific resonances and dynamic envelope properties when choosing a mic pre. Most of the time though I don't have much time and I need to keep things rolling! I have never tried an awtac channel amp on a voice, guitar or bass and then decided to go with something else. It's the only mic pre I own that I can say that about. I like the company's aesthetic and their artisan approach to design and manufacture but the reason I use them almost everyday is because they sound good. I guess they sound like I always hope great vintage units will sound...warm, present midrange, clear open top without being strident or harsh. The EQ is very "human" sounding to me...or it pleases my ears I guess. It's the best damned 1k boost I've ever heard. Gives guitars a toothy snarl that just makes me feel like I'm cheating. I like the sound of them when the input is pushed and the transients start to round out a bit and I like the sound when the input is backed off and the fader amp takes over. Subtle but audible differences. I hear something I love in the midrange...maybe like 700hz up to 2 or 3 kHz. Not that there they don't sound good in other ranges but I like the character in those areas A LOT!
It's worth adding that I like knowing where they're built, how they're manufactured and how much research, time and effort went in to their design. AWTAC is as transparent a company as I've ever encountered and I feel a connection to that aesthetic. Un-compromised passion for sound, ethics, aesthetics and craftsmanship.
I have a channel comp in my 1608 as we speak. It's been parked on the bass for a few mixes and I'm scared to take it off of there. Ha. I'll be doing some tracking soon though and I'll move it around and work it out. It rules on bass though. Flat out love it. It's a demo and I'm avoiding Dave's calls until is have some extra $$ so I can buy it. Just kidding Dave!!!!
This gear rules. They are an honest, transparent company who's main focus seems to me to be to make fantastic recording tools that find their way in to the short list of classic pieces that shape the sound of music. Amen I say. You have no reason at all to hesitate when considering an AWTAC purchase.

Got toward the end of a complex mix last night (which included a pair of awtac comps on the drum/bass bus and 1 on the bass...fantastic) and needed just a couple percentage points of saturation/peak bending/glue/smoothness on my 2 bus. Put a pair of channel amps on there as the last stage pre-print, low impedance, EQ in but flat, forward mode and...print. Home.
I love AWTAC gear. It's special.