Channel strip
The Iron Age 500 series 622 channel strip module was designed as a flexible tracking and mix solution. The module is packed with features like no other in the 500 series format and has instant Iron Age tone. It is a swiss army knife for tracking - you get to quickly adjust your tone to sound like you're in the room, so you can get back to to the music. Put simply: this is a tracking monster, and a huge value in the format.
Each 622 features a discrete mic / line console style input stage. The preamp is the same as our QPP and QP5 designs, with a direct-coupled Jensen transformer input. This design works on any source, and has the same punchy low-mids and creamy clear top without being sterile. An embedded Flickinger-style op amp provides the gain and doubles as a balanced transformerless input in line mode. The pad switch lowers the level by 20 dB in mic, 6 dB pad in line. 48V phantom power is available in mic mode and is disabled in line.
The preamp stage feeds an active high pass filter set for 60 Hz to tame rumble, followed by a intuitive and powerful VCA compressor. The single knob control adjusts all compressor characteristics at once with a simple "more is more" approach. As you increase compression the threshold, ratio, and makeup gain are all adjusted to quickly dial in what's needed - from gentle vocal massaging to "in your face" drum room mangling and everything in between. Feedforward and feedback selection change the behavior of the dynamic and program-dependent timing, giving you two compressors in one.
The output stage is a three band “swinging input” classic console-style inductor equalizer. The low and high bands are shelves, offering 15 dB of boost and cut at the extremes of the sonic spectrum. The mid band is set to dial in the right amount of midrange content quickly. The broad curves are incredibly musical no matter how hard they're pushed, and the controls allow for speed to capture what you want on the way in. They are also a fantastic solution for processing stems in mixdown.
A second discrete Flickinger style op amp is used for gain driving a custom-wound steel core Cinemag output transformer. These amplifier blocks sound good set flat, and can be used to sweeten any source.
As with all Iron Age products, the 622 is as discrete as possible, designed and made in the USA.
