The Axe Integrator

Axe Integrator – Instrument Preamplifier

Conceived at Pearl Music Studio in Hollywood and given birth on the bench at Rock It Science Audio in 2015, the Axe Integrator is an all-discrete FET input Class-A circuit instrument preamplifier with a Jensen output transformer. Designed to be transparent with tons of gain and headroom provided by it’s 36 Volt power supply, it has an input impedance similar to a tube guitar amp, and the ability to mildly saturate the transformer in a subtle way that enhances the responsiveness and playability.  Simple to operate and built to endure constant use, the Axe Integrator is an ideal choice for recording straight into the A/D converters on your DAW. Once inside the computer, the signal exists in the virtual world of plugins and amp simulators.  What happens to that signal next, is totally up to the user.  However, afterward you have complete confidence that what you actually recorded to digital (pre-plugin) is a clean track, that can be redubbed later or punched-in with a new track that matches perfectly, when using the Axe Integrator. 

Often confused with a conventional “direct box”, the Axe Integrator is actually quite different.  A conventional direct box takes a high-impedance output from a guitar or bass and converts it to a low-impedance balanced output through the use of a transformer.  The end-result is an attenuated signal that requires a mic preamp to bring it up to a nominal +4dBu line level.  The Axe Integrator does the same thing without any attenuation.  It just adds enough clean gain to bring the signal up to a healthy +4dBu line level and then balances it with a 1:1 transformer.  Overall, a much more efficient and optimal process for handling a critical audio signal in the studio.