ISA 220 Session Pack Mic Preamp

The ISA 220 Session Pack provides all the audio precision tools required to infuse your session with Focusrite's renowned sonic performance. It features many of the original circuits of the flagship ISA 430 MKII Producer Pack, and also includes some new facilities of its own. It also features the same digital output option as the original ISA 430, providing you with a high-quality digital route direct from the ISA 220 into your digital recording system.

The ISA 220 starts with the classic Focusrite transformer-coupled microphone pre amp, with phantom power and phase reverse. A four-band Focusrite EQ section follows, based on the EQ circuits featured in the ISA 430 and ISA 110. (The original ISA 110 was designed by Mr. Rupert Neve for George Martin's Air Studios in London.) The compressor features a proprietary Class A VCA with side-chain circuitry, and can be placed in the signal flow before the EQ at the press of a button, if desired. Also included is a unique feature labeled "Blend," which provides a means of achieving smoother compression at extreme settings by mixing uncompressed source signal along with the compressed portion.

The ISA220 also features an opto-based de-esser which uses a combination of EQ and phase cancellation to create a smoother and less obtrusive result. Last but not least, a frequency adaptive, 3-band limiter is provided to ensure distortion-free limiting. For visual reference, ISA 220 provides a classic analog VU-style meter which can be switched to display input or compressor gain-reduction levels. A pair of 16-segment LED meters are included to display output levels, both analogue and digital in conjunction with the optional 24-bit/96 kHz stereo digital output (AES/EBU, S/PDIF & TOSLINK) card. This card offers 44.1 - 96 kHz operation and can be used as a high-quality mono/stereo tracking converter, or at mix down as a stereo converter for final mastering.