Retrosonic Pro Audio R8XL401 Original Midas XL4 8-ch Mic Pre EQ

Midas, the leader of the industry since the sixties, was producing this top of the line mixing desk from 1990 until 2000. With only 1000 pieces made, the XL4 and quickly became the dream of every front of house engineer. The XL4 model was the improvement on the XL3, which took into account all the requirements associated with the broadcast environment.

Designed by engineers with decades of experience and built with the finest components, the XL4 delivers the most pristine and majestic sound out there. And the main reason for that, of course, is the famed channel strip!

Thirty years later our brilliant techs has breathed a new life into the this legendary product. With R8XL401 we have taken 8 original XL3 channel strips and carefully repackaged them into a 8U rack with a built-in power supply.

Now every sound engineer and producer has a chance to enjoy the unmatched quality of 8 Midas preamps and EQ in their studio in a in a convenient 8U rack format. This unit consists of a preamplifier with 48v power supply and a pad, a 4 band parametric EQ, a low pass filter that goes down to 1kHz, a high pass filter up to 400 Hz and a master output trim for each channel with an original LED VU.

Preamp module is a standalone block and EQ is a standalone block.
Meter on the Preamp shows the signal level coming from the Preamp. EQ doesn't have any signal meter, which is different from the original XL4 console design.

Preamp module has XLR Mic and XLR Line Inputs as well as an XLR Direct out.

The input signal goes through the Preamp module and into the EQ module. The EQ module can be switched on and off.

The insert module with TRS i/o is Pre-EQ.

Preamp and EQ can be used as separate units:
Activate the insert module, send the signal to MIC Or Line input then Preamp module output is Insert Send.
Then the other signal can be sent into the Insert Return and EQ output will be the Direct Output.

Insert is normalized, if something is connected to Insert SEND normalizing is cut. This will prevent audio cutting in case of false Insert switch position.

The unit is an 8 channel rack. 30cm deep, 8U high, mounted inside a 19" rack.
Power Supply is a Linear transformer based, providing +5V, +/-18V and +48V.

The channel consists of a MIDAS XL402 POD module and a straight copy of the EQ section from the XL401 channel.

EQ circuitry is using original KlarkTeknik KTR014 and KTR015 modular buffers.

The VU meter shows channel input levels.
All inputs and outputs are electronically balanced.
Pre-EQ Channel insert is half normalled with TRS jacks.

PSU is switchable between 110V and 240V, currently set to work on 240V. Fuse has to be changed for 110V operation. EU power cord included

US and EU parcels ship via UPS, ETA 1-7 working days from pickup day zero. That also applies to most locations worldwide.

All shipments are fully insured.

Bigger shipments requiring pallets or custom made crates ship to US, CA, JP, CN, AU and other outside of EU locations via DHL Air Freight, ETA is normally approx. 7-14 working days from pickup day zero.

Big shipments inside EU ship via different freight companies, recently mostly via ACE Logistics. Freight forwarders can use different courier companies for deliveries to final destinations.

Palletising and crating time can vary depending on the size of the shipment and packaging queue. We pack all our shipments with great care.

You are most welcome to pick your order up yourself from our Retrosonic Pro Audio showroom, studio and warehouse in Tallinn, Estonia.

We ship worldwide – contact us for a personal shipping quote or any other questions.

VAT (Value Added Tax) can be deducted if you have a company with a valid EU VAT number or if you're based outside of the EU. Non-EU buyers pay all and any import tax and duty as regulated by their local customs.