A-Designs Ventura

The name is a nod to the classic Quad Eight console after which the unit’s three-band parametric EQ is inspired.

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In addition to its new moniker, the A-Designs Ventura features a cream-colored faceplate with black nomenclature designed for improved visibility in low-light environments, plus a US MAP price of $2,095.00.

Built in the USA, the single-rack-space Ventura is a tracking and mixing device featuring a transformer coupled mic pre, instrument input, and three-band parametric equalizer.

The Ventura features a three-band parametric equalizer inspired by the classic Quad Eight consoles from the 1970s. Also, the Ventura’s EQ can be accessed via its own insert return for sweetening tracks during mixdown. 

The separate 1/4-inch instrument input section is designed to enhance the response of an active or passive guitar/bass pickup or other instrument with a high impedance output. This feature is useful during direct tracking or as a front-end preamp for live performances.

The heart of the device is a transistor operational amplifier designed by Carl Johnson for the Ventura. Operating on high voltage rails, this opamp is a high gain audio block with virtually no DC offset over the audio spectrum, according to A-Designs. It is used in the microphone preamp, instrument input amp, and main output/EQ stages. The mic preamp, itself, is a single-stage, transformer-coupled design with balanced I/O and is equipped with phase reverse, a –20 dB pad, +48V phantom power with LED indicator, and a conductive plastic gain control pot. The preamp section feeds both the EQ section and a preamp output mult simultaneously.

The Ventura’s three-band parametric equalizer is a design featuring 33 frequencies with three bands of overlapping ranges from 50Hz to 15 KHz. Both the frequency selection and the +/-12 dB boost/cut controls are stepped for repeatable settings. Each band has a Q switch with three fixed positions: sharp, wide, and narrow. The low and high bands are peak/dip, but flipping the shelf switch changes their characteristic to shelf type. The shelving switch disables the Q feature on high and low bands only. When in the up position, the high/low filters insert the fixed 12dB/octave high- and low-cut filters, which work whether the EQ is in or out. And, finally, the equalizer’s input/insert return provides direct input to the EQ, bypassing both the mic pre and instrument input.

Separate from the mic pre is the instrument input section. This is a single-stage, single-ended, high-impedance preamp that also benefits from its own discrete opamp and includes a front-panel 1/4-inch jack and gain pot. This section also feeds the EQ and preamp output mult simultaneously via the input selector switch.

Pricing:

US MAP price of $2,095.00

For a complete list of Ventura’s features, specifications, and a downloadable owner’s manual, visit A-Designs Audio’s  website at www.adesignsaudio.com.