HERITAGE AUDIO BRITSTRIP Channel Strip with Diode Bridge Compressor

Diode Bridge Compressor Channel Strip

The HERITAGE AUDIO BRITSTRIP is a diode bridge compressor channel strip, the culmination of 50 years of analog design in a single rack unit.
The HERITAGE AUDIO BRITSTRIP combines a true 73 preamplifier, an expanded 73 equalizer, a discrete Class A DI, and the infamous Heritage Audio Successor diode bridge compressor. The closest equivalent to the HERITAGE AUDIO BRITSTRIP would be chaining a 73JR, 73EQJR, and mono Successor (a $3000 value pack in itself) with greater routing flexibility.
The HERITAGE AUDIO BRITSTRIP features a new custom input transformer co-designed with Carnhill and manufactured exclusively for HA at the St Ives factory. The preamplifier also features a custom Carnhill St Ives output transformer, completing the fully discrete, Class A, 3-gain stage design. The preamplifier has 80 dB of gain, a 20 dB pad, phase inversion, and an impedance switch for 1200 or 300 ohm input.
The DI is also taken from the acclaimed Heritage Audio 73JR design, an all-discrete Class A JFET circuit before the microphone transformer, offering all the color and weight one could ask for.
The DI also includes a passive output for feeding a separate amplifier.
The HERITAGE AUDIO BRITSTRIP is equipped with 3 Vinkor pot core inductors in the high-pass and mid-band filter sections. The impact is incredible with exceptionally musical extreme boosts. The mid-range is great for sculpting snare drums, kick drums, guitars, fat and punchy vocals. There's no need to be "subtle" as you would with most EQs: The HERITAGE AUDIO BRITSTRIP doesn't sound phasey or lose headroom at extreme settings. The inductor-based low-pass filter, taken directly from the 73 design, allows you to control out-of-range low end without affecting the quality of the desired frequencies. The hi-shelf and low-shelf have been extended to include a bell mode, making them more versatile than ever.
The diode bridge bus compressor needs little introduction, as it is the same compressor found in the award-winning Heritage Audio Successor. Diode bridge compression, a 60-year-old patent, has taken on a new life with the Successor's expanded features and incredible fast attack/release times.
With the HERITAGE AUDIO BRITSTRIP, this powerful compressor is perfect for tracking, thanks to its blend control and elaborate sidechain filter, offering extensive tracking potential. The compressor section offers plenty of sidechain flexibility, with 5 frequency options and an external sidechain input. And if that's not enough, you can link the compressors of 2 HERITAGE AUDIO BRITSTRIPs for a definitive stereo tracking solution.
The HERITAGE AUDIO BRITSTRIP allows for compression and equalizer routing. Pre-compression equalization makes the compression detector more sensitive to boosted frequencies and less sensitive to cut frequencies. Conversely, post-compression equalization makes the detector insensitive to equation settings.

Specifications

Mix Amp Section

• Transformer-coupled Carnhill-based balanced inputs and outputs for added character and vintage feel
• 73 Class A output stages bring the desired 73 sound to your mix or drum buses
• Microphone input impedance: HI, 1200 Ohm minimum, LO, 300 Ohm minimum. Higher gain settings have gradually higher impedances, optimal for low-gain ribbon microphones. Input is transformer balanced and floating
• Line input impedance: 10K Ohm bridge, transformer balanced and floating
• DI input impedance: greater than 2 megaohms, unbalanced
• Output impedance: less than 75 ohms, transformer balanced and floating, to drive a 600 ohm load (factory terminated)
• Maximum output: greater than +26dBu into 600 ohms
• THD: less than 0.025% at 1 Khz, less than 0.05% at 100 Hz
• Frequency response: 20 Hz (+0.3 dB) to 20 Khz (-0.2 dB)
• Maximum gain: slightly greater than 80 dB
• Noise: less than -125dBu EIN

Equalizer Section

• 73 Hi and Low shelving bands with additional bell-like response
• 73 dual Vinkor inductor based mid band with extended Q features
• 73 inductor-based low-pass filter

Compression Section

• Diode bridge based compression excels at bringing 2nd order harmonic distortion characteristics and true vintage sound by eliminating odd and unpleasant harmonic content
• Ultra-fast attack and release time options never found in vintage designs allow for much more flexible settings, including FET-like sounds and volume maximization without artifacts
• Complex sidechain filtering options work with the already common high-pass filters, introducing mid-band peak and high-frequency compression type filters, allowing for previously impossible bus correction
• Sidechain SEND and RETURN connections allow for external sidechain signals or further external processing of the internal one
• Blend control offers built-in parallel compression without external equipment. The Blend ON/OFF button allows instant comparison between WET and DRY signals.
• Stepped controls for easy recall of settings