API The Box

Summing Mixer and Recording Console

For those looking to bring home the legendary API console analog warm and punchy sound that is optimised for the digital era and are working on a smaller budget, The Box is the option for you. This console uses the same circuitry and components as every other API console and features a smaller footprint so it won’t take up as much space in your studio.

• Stereo program bus with master fader, insert, and external input
• One stereo and mono auxiliary sends/buses
• Stereo cue send/bus & headphone system
• PFL, AFL, and Solo-In-Place solo modes with stereo solo bus
• Full-featured monitor section that supports two stereo monitor systems
• Talkback system
• Comprehensive rear panel connections with balanced inputs and output
• Integrated power supply

API MC531

Monitor Controller

Leveraging its illustrious legacy in crafting top-tier mixing and recording consoles, API is delighted to unveil the cutting-edge MC531 Monitor Controller. Meticulously engineered with the same peerless craftsmanship inherent in API’s comprehensive product range, the MC531 presents a standalone embodiment of the monitoring capabilities ingrained in the central section of API’s iconic analog consoles. Tailored to deliver comprehensive monitor control tailored for DAW workflows, the MC531 seamlessly integrates into diverse audio production environments. Its design places a premium on functionality, user-friendly operation, and precise reference for each audio source, making it an indispensable tool for professionals seeking excellence in their audio production endeavors.

• 7 selectable stereo input sources, including 3 analog line-level inputs, AES, USB, 3.5mm, and Bluetooth
• 41-detent control room knob puts volume control right at your fingertips
• Dual independent headphone outputs enable 2 people to benefit from personalized monitor mixes
• Built-in talkback mic for easy communication between the engineer and artists

Very few equalisers in the world enjoy the respect and admiration of the coveted API 550A. Designed by the now legendary Saul Walker in the late 60s, the discrete 550A was first used as a modular OEM equalizer.  As the industry rapidly embraced the sonic quality of the 550A, it quickly found its way into many custom console designs by Frank DeMedio and other leading engineers.  Many of these consoles are still in use today. Forty years later, the 550A remains the standard against which other EQs are measured and it has played a major role in the recording industry for decades.  Still copied but never duplicated, the 550A became API’s standard channel module EQ when the company began manufacturing consoles in 1971.  With virtually all existing units spoken for, popular demand for this EQ resulted in API finally resuming production in 2004. 

• EQ bands 1 and 3 offer shelf/peak switching
• “Proportional Q” narrows filter Q at extremes
• Traditional API fully discrete circuit design
• High headroom: +30 dB clip level

API 512v 500 Series Mic Preamp

The API 512 preamp design is a classic but now there are even more reasons to love it. Although the original 512 preamp was soon succeeded by the 512b and, later, by the 512c, its design topology — a transformer-balanced input feeding API’s own 312 microphone preamp card with its proprietary 2520 discrete op-amp and 2503 balancing output transformer — has been carried forward pretty much unchanged since the 1960s, into the latest member of the dynasty, the 512v 500-series microphone preamplifier. By any standard, the API 512v is a superb microphone preamplifier with its own distinctive sonic signature. The way that this latest variant of the 512c enables you to drive its transformers whilst still maintaining your level matching with the next link in your audio setup opens up a range of artistic decisions on how you manipulate transformer-based distortion to create the sound that you want to hear.

• Front Panel Combo-style XLR + 1/4 inch Line/Instrument Input
• LED VU meter for Gain Level Indication
• 20 dB pad switch, applies to mic/line/instrument
• 48 V Phantom switchable power
• Traditional API circuit design

API 527A 500 Series Compressor/Limiter

The API 527A enriches your projects with the iconic sound that has defined countless hit records. Building upon the success of API’s renowned 500 Series compressor/limiter module, the 527A introduces enhancements such as a redesigned 10-segment gain reduction meter and a bypass switch featuring a soft bypass option, allowing you to impart color to your signal without applying compression. This module is imbued with the unmistakable API sound, thanks to the inclusion of 2510 and 2520 discrete op-amps. It incorporates 31-position detented controls, ensuring easy repeatability in your settings. Offering versatility, the 527A provides both feed-forward and feedback compression, along with options for hard- and soft-knee compression. Additionally, it includes API’s patented Thrust function, enabling frequency-dependent sidechain control. Take advantage of the option to link two 527A modules seamlessly for efficient stereo operation. Elevate your audio production with the API 527A, delivering the signature API sound that has been a staple in the music industry’s most successful recordings.

• Hard- and soft-knee compression settings
• Selectable New/Old switch for modern feed-forward or vintage feedback operation
• Link 2 527A modules together for effortless stereo operation
• Flexible soft and hard relay bypass options

The API 500-8B 8-Channel 500 Series lunchbox includes all of the features that have made the 500-6B so well regarded in the industry, including DB-25 (D-Sub) connectors for easy I/O, universal power supply (100 or 250V, 47 to 63Hz), phantom power, and easy rack-mounting with optional rack-ear kit. Built for robust performance, with new toggle switches for channel linking.

• Rubber feet & carrying handle for portability
• Rugged steel chassis
• Perfect for remote recording of Vocalist and Instruments
• Includes external power supply