The entire Focusrite Heritage Sound in one unit: mic pre, EQ, VCA/optical compressor, expander/gate and de-esser.
The Focusrite Heritage Sound - in a complete channel strip
Focusrite's ISA range is based around the original 'no compromise' designs that recording console design legend Rupert Neve built for Sir George Martin back in the mid-1980s, and every unit delivers the sought-after Focusrite Heritage Sound that lies behind thousands of top class recordings made over the intervening years in the world's leading studios. With the ISA Range, you can put that sound at the heart of your own work - and the ISA 430 Mk II is the most sophisticated of them all: a complete channel strip in which every element can be used independently or patched in virtually any order - including a classic mic pre, versatile EQ, VCA/optical compressor, expander/gate and de-esser.
The original mic pre - with just a little more
Inside the 2U rack-mount enclosure, the ISA 430 Mk II features a Lundahl transformer-input microphone preamplifier and equaliser based closely on the original ISA 110, itself based on the design for the A7971 console by Rupert Neve, incorporating suggestions from George Martin and engineer Geoff Emerick. Virtually all we've changed is to give the mic pre a variable input impedance to get the best out of any microphone, modern or vintage, accurately or for effect. There's also a special "air" button that opens out the sound without EQ.
Heritage equaliser with extra flexibility
The equaliser itself features two separate parametric bands plus shelving low and high frequencies, high- and low-pass filters and the ability to switch individual EQ elements into the compressor side-chain for frequency-conscious compression, gate keying and other effects. Indeed, the four powerful processors that make up the ISA 430 MkII can all be used independently or patched into each other in a variety of ways for maximum versatility.
Dynamics section combines heritage and modern technology
The dynamics section, once again, recalls the original Trevor Stride/Rupert Neve ISA 130 that dates back to 1987. It features a sophisticated expander/gate section as well as a versatile compressor, both featuring modern transparent VCA-based control elements for maximum compression without artefacts. But in addition, the compressor also features the original vintage optical design for a truly traditional sound, and you can also mix the original signal into the compressor output, maintaining dynamics as you take control. Like the other sections of the ISA 430 Mk II, there's a "Listen" button so you can hear exactly what each module is doing.