Black Lion Audio Launches Auteur Quad2: A Boutique Mic Preamp Four Times Over

Black Lion Audio is proud to introduce the Auteur Quad2, a four-channel rack-mount mic preamp that brings its celebrated Auteur sound into high-channel-count workflows without compromising on tone, build quality, or price.

The Auteur Quad2 is built around the same hybrid design that made the original Auteur a studio favorite: a fast, transparent input stage working in tandem with fat, colorful Cinemag transformers on the output stage. This American-meets-British-style circuitry delivers the detail and transient attack flattering to drums and percussion, with the option for just a bit of analog heft and color when the gain is pushed.

“The Auteur Quad2 embodies what we call Chicago-style preamp design,” says Preston Whiting, VP of Operations at Black Lion Audio. “It’s a uniquely Black Lion take on classic American and British preamp topologies. You get the transient response of an American console preamp, plus the tonal weight and saturation of a vintage British design — on four channels, with modern features, and at a price that defies comparison.”

Designed for modern studios in need of a rock-solid, great-sounding workhorse, the Auteur Quad2 includes per-channel +48V phantom power, polarity reverse, and -10 dB pads. Front-panel instrument/line inputs make it a breeze to track DI bass or keys, while rear-panel XLR and TRS outputs offer flexible routing.

The Auteur Quad2 is also a significant upgrade from the classic Auteur Quad. New to the Quad2:

• More gain than the original Auteur Quad

• All-new analog VU meters on all four channels

• Front-panel ¼” inputs now accept both instrument and line-level signals, and are available on all four channels

All of the above is packed into a rugged 1U chassis built from brushed black aluminum and loaded with premium components, including US-made Cinemag transformers, Nichicon and Vishay capacitors, and more, ensuring the lowest noise and highest fidelity in its class.

• Four-channel mic/line/instrument preamp

• Transparent, ultra-fast input stage for transient-rich sources

• US-made Cinemag output transformers for added depth and character

• 66 dB of gain — perfect for power-hungry ribbon and dynamic mics

• Four Instrument/Line DI inputs add console warmth to direct recordings

• Per-channel phantom power, polarity reverse, and -10 dB pads

• Built Black Lion-tough