Thermionic Culture The Rooster

The Thermionic Culture The Rooster is a stereo channel strip, which each consisting of a mic pre and built in EQ.  The unit is all analog, and fits into a two space rackable unit.  I'm not sure about the types of connections it has in the back as the one that I used was pre-racked in the studio that I used it in, however, it does have 1/4" inputs in the front for plugging your instrument directly into this.

UTILIZATION

The Thermionic Culture The Rooster definitely has a good amount of parameters to work with, and can seem a bit overwhelming at first, but let me assure you that everything is pretty easy to understand once you dissect it a little bit.  Each channel has parameters for input level, bass lift, mid/hi lift, mid cut, and bass cut.  The mid/hi lift also has a switch to choose the exact frequency that you'd like to use it at.  In addition to this, you've got switches for mic/line selection, phase, low pass filter, phantom power, and mode.  Lastly, the strip has output level knobs and an 'attitude' knob, which is quite interesting.  If you think by looking at The Rooster that you might have some problems figuring it out, the manual should clear things up for you.


SOUND QUALITY

The overall sound of the Thermionic Culture The Rooster is very impressive through and through.  I've only had the pleasure of using the stereo channel strip a small number of times, but each time that I've used it I've been incredibly happy with the sounds that I was able to get.  It is definitely suitable for recording any and everything, as it has the parameters to adapt to just about any situation.  It will reproduce your sound exactly as you put it in, beyond of course the EQ changes that you might make.  There is no coloration of your sound here, and you will definitely be getting a full and realistic tone here.


OVERALL OPINION

While expensive, Thermionic Culture's The Rooster is designed for professionals looking for top notch tone quality regardless of price and availability.  I don't think that the Rooster will be letting anyone down in that regard, as this is simply a fantastic sounding channel strip with a lot of versatility.  It has a stellar look as well, and definitely has the sound to back it up.  There is nothing fake about The Rooster - check it out for yourself and you'll see what I mean.