ADDAC System: ADDAC712 Vintage Pre

This is an introduction to the ADDAC712 Vintage Pre by ADDAC System, available at Takazudo Modular.

The ADDAC712 Vintage Pre is a dual-channel discrete gain stage amplifier based on a famous discrete preamp board used in legendary equipment from the 1970s. It produces distinctive saturation and distortion effects.

This product is available for purchase below.

• Features of the ADDAC712 Vintage Pre
• Interface Overview
• Use Cases for the ADDAC712 Vintage Pre
• Reference Videos
• Manual
• Technical Specifications
• Included Accessories

Features of the ADDAC712 Vintage Pre#

When ADDAC System designed this module, they focused on the original preamp board because of its attractive saturation/distortion character produced when the board clips audio.

This module not only adds distortion/fuzz character to modular signals, but can also be used as a preamp for external audio sources such as guitars and keyboards when paired with a module that accepts balanced inputs.

Interface Overview#

The knobs on this module’s panel control the gain for the following two stages:

• A: PREAMP stage GAIN (upper GAIN knob)
• B: OUTPUT stage GAIN (lower OUTPUT knob)

The BYPASS switch at the top of the panel toggles whether the input signal passes through the PREAMP stage (A) (switch up) or bypasses it (switch down).

The PREAMP stage GAIN amplification range is set by the GAIN knob (A), and the maximum amplification level can be configured by the user using the MAX GAIN trimmer.

Input signals up to +/-5.5V maintain their integrity, but beyond that point, saturation begins to increase. Hard clipping starts at approximately +/-6V. This clipping has a distinctive quality that creates the module’s unique tone. At extreme levels, the audio’s 0V bias reference shifts upward, producing a gate-like signal shape at the output.

The OUTPUT knob (B) at the bottom of the panel controls the final volume level. The CLIP LED next to it provides visual indication of output clipping at the final OUT.

In practice, you turn the upper GAIN knob to control the amount of clipping, and adjust the final volume with the lower OUTPUT knob.

Use Cases for the ADDAC712 Vintage Pre#

The primary appeal of the ADDAC712 Vintage Pre is undoubtedly the quality of its distortion. Personally, I enjoy hard-hitting techno music with heavily compressed drums, bass, and other sounds, so this module is one I could never have too many of.

While saturation and distortion may sound like a single category, the actual sonic processing varies enormously depending on the circuit design or, in the digital domain, the algorithm used.

The distortion effect produced by the ADDAC712 Vintage Pre doesn’t abruptly clip and cut the signal. Instead, I found that the hard-clipped portions are gently rounded. To hear exactly what this sounds like, I encourage you to check out the demo videos below.

Reference Videos#

In the video below, you can hear the sonic characteristics produced by the ADDAC712 Vintage Pre.

Below is a demo I recorded, running a 909-style kick drum and mono synth module — Patching Panda: BD-Z — through this ADDAC712 Vintage Pre and the companion ADDAC714 Vintage Clip. Use it as a reference for how the sound changes.

Manual#

The manual (English only) is available on the official website below.

• ADDAC System: ADDAC712 Vintage Pre

Technical Specifications#

• Width: 6HP
• Depth: 40mm
• Power consumption: 40mA +12V / 40mA -12V

Included Accessories#

• Power ribbon cable
• Screws

---