Purple Audio Pants

The Purple Audio Pants is a four op-amp differential microphone preamp designed for standard 500 Series racks. It features a unique dual-bobbin input transformer from Cinemag that offers distinct tonal qualities. The unit allows precise control over sound with a smooth Gain control and a separate Level control for output adjustment. It has a "High" switch that changes the feedback network to provide up to 78dB of clean gain, suitable for very low output microphones. The preamp can generate a variety of tones at the same output level using different Gain, High mode, and Level settings.

The Pants also includes a front panel Direct Input (DI) that goes through a FET buffer into the input transformer, adding complexity to the sound. With the DI load switch, there are two options for optimizing the direct tone of instruments. The device has two LEDs to indicate signal levels for gain and output, with colors green (signal present), yellow (10dB below clipping), and red (clipping).

Specifications include a maximum output level of +33dBu, frequency response from 10Hz to 60kHz ±1dB, and different maximum gain settings for mic and line modes depending on the normal or high mode switch position. The Pants uses KDJ op-amps and offers features like output level control, input impedance options, and tri-color LED metering, which make it versatile for enhancing vocal, instrumental, and other audio sources with a thicker low end and smooth mids, particularly effective on thin sources needing fattening like rap vocals, snare, or bass guitar.

Overall, the Purple Audio Pants is praised for its thick low end, pronounced top presence, and smooth midrange, making it ideal for adding body and clarity to recordings in a professional audio setup.