Black Lion Audio Auteur MkII Dual Microphone Preamp

{
  "schema_version": "capability-outboard-v1",
  "id": "blacklion-auteur-mkii",
  "name": "Black Lion Audio Auteur MkII Dual Microphone Preamp",
  "maker": "Black Lion Audio (Chicago, IL)",
  "clone_of": null,
  "clone_of_note": "Original Black Lion Audio design. Not a clone or homage. Manual p.3 Introduction positions it as 'bridging the gap between clean, transparent preamps and those with lots of color and bite ... combining vintage and modern sound at an affordable price'. The MkII is a revamped successor to the original Auteur with higher gain, lower noise/distortion, and extended frequency response (manual p.3).",
  "device_class": "preamp",
  "device_class_subtypes": [
    "preamp"
  ],
  "device_class_subtypes_note": "Single-class device. The Auteur MkII is a clean dual-channel microphone preamplifier with no onboard EQ, no compressor, and no HPF -- just the preamp stage with phantom power, phase, pad, and gain (manual p.4 Front Panel). The block diagram (manual p.5) confirms the simple signal flow: XLR IN -> Op-amp + Pad -> Phase -> Output transformer -> TRS Out.",
  "topology": "discrete ultra-high-speed op-amp input stage + Edcor output transformer",
  "topology_note": "Manual p.3 Features: 'Ultra High-Speed Input Stages', 'Edcor Output Transformers'. Manual p.5 block diagram: 'Op-amp / Active gain set by Gain pot / Pad / Phase / Output transformer / TRS Out'. The input stage is solid-state op-amp (not transformer-coupled); ONLY the output is transformer-coupled (Edcor). The MkII's revamped gain stage delivers 'higher gain, lower noise, lower distortion, and a more extended frequency response than the original design' (manual p.3).",
  "channels": 2,
  "linkable": false,
  "linkable_note": "Dual independent channels with no stereo-link / couple switch. Each channel has its own POWER, 48V, GAIN, PHASE, PAD controls (manual p.4 Front Panel). No central LINK button.",
  "params": {
    "preamp": {
      "gain_range_db": "+14..+65",
      "gain_range_db_note": "Manual p.3 Specifications: 'Gain (no pad): +14dB to +65dB'. 51 dB total gain range via the front-panel GAIN knob (continuous, no detents documented). The features list cites '65dB Gain' (the maximum).",
      "phantom_48v": true,
      "phantom_48v_note": "Manual p.4 Front Panel control 2: '48V: engage to turn phantom power on, disengage to turn phantom power off'. Per channel.",
      "pad_db": 10,
      "pad_db_note": "Manual p.3 Specifications: 'Pad: 10dBu'. Manual p.4 Front Panel control 5: 'PAD: engage to reduce input signal amplitude by 10dBu'. Per-channel 10 dB input pad switch.",
      "polarity_invert": true,
      "polarity_invert_note": "Manual p.4 Front Panel control 4: 'PHASE (Ø): engage to adjust input signal polarity by 180°'. Per channel.",
      "hpf_hz": null,
      "hpf_hz_note": "No HPF on the Auteur MkII.",
      "inst_input": false,
      "inst_input_note": "No instrument-level Hi-Z input. The Auteur MkII accepts only mic-level signals on the rear-panel XLR (manual p.4 Back control 1: 'XLR IN: balanced, mic-level XLR input').",
      "transformer_coupled": true,
      "transformer_coupled_note": "Output-only transformer coupling (Edcor output transformers per manual p.3 Features + p.5 block diagram). Input is solid-state op-amp. The schema's boolean field doesn't distinguish input vs output transformer coupling -- noted here for accuracy. The 'colour' character of the Auteur MkII derives from the Edcor output transformer."
    }
  },
  "io": {
    "audio_in": {
      "format": [
        "xlr"
      ],
      "balanced": true,
      "impedance_ohms": 6000,
      "inst_zi": false,
      "note": "Manual p.3 Specifications + p.4 Back control 1: 'XLR IN: balanced, mic-level XLR input ... Input Impedance: 6000Ω'. Max input level +1 dBu (mic-level only; high-SPL sources require the 10 dB pad)."
    },
    "audio_out": {
      "format": [
        "trs"
      ],
      "balanced": true,
      "impedance_ohms": 600,
      "note": "Manual p.3 Specifications + p.4 Back control 2: 'TRS OUT: balanced, line-level TRS output ... Output Impedance: 600Ω. Max Output Level: +26dBu'. Per channel 1/4\" TRS jack (no XLR output)."
    },
    "sidechain": {
      "send": false,
      "return": false,
      "format": null,
      "per_channel": false,
      "_note": "No compressor and therefore no sidechain. No insert points either -- the Auteur MkII is a pure single-stage preamp; the only signal-path I/O is the rear-panel XLR IN + TRS OUT per channel."
    },
    "stereo_link": false,
    "bypass": "none",
    "bypass_note": "No processing bypass switch. The PAD and PHASE switches are signal-shaping per channel but not a bypass mechanism; the preamp stage cannot be bypassed (no straight-through path).",
    "operating_level": [
      "+4dBu"
    ],
    "operating_level_note": "Professional +4 dBu nominal (Max output +26 dBu = 22 dB headroom above +4). No +4/-10 dBV switch on the unit.",
    "rack_format": "desktop",
    "rack_format_note": "Manual p.3 Package Contents: 'Auteur MkII ... ½ Rack Connector Plate'. Product Dimensions 9.5\" x 6.5\" x 1.75\" -- half-rack desktop unit. Mountable to 1U via the supplied half-rack connector plate joined with another half-rack unit, or used free-standing on the desktop. Schema enum has no `half_rack` token; `desktop` is the closest existing token. Note left here in case a future `half_rack` token earns first-use surfacing (council-grounded, per capability-outboard-v1 §B locked-enums rule)."
  },
  "meters": [],
  "performance": {
    "bypass_per_channel": false,
    "auto_release": false
  },
  "provenance": {
    "manual_path": "manuals/preamp-outboard--black-lion-auteur-mkii-manual.pdf",
    "confidence": "high",
    "last_verified": "2026-05-27",
    "manual_pages": [
      3,
      4,
      5
    ],
    "verify_via": "SM46 single-seat manual extraction. P8 rack-tier completion (4-device cluster).",
    "verify_note": "Manual-grounded extraction from manuals/preamp-outboard--black-lion-auteur-mkii-manual.pdf. Single-class preamp -- no EQ, no compressor, no HPF, no insert, no aux input, no stereo link, no meters. Front panel is minimal per channel: POWER + 48V + GAIN + PHASE + PAD. Output is transformer-coupled (Edcor) on the OUTPUT side only; input is solid-state op-amp. The schema's `transformer_coupled` field doesn't distinguish input from output coupling -- noted in transformer_coupled_note for accuracy. The half-rack desktop form factor maps to the existing `desktop` enum value with a note about the ½-rack connector plate; a future `half_rack` token may earn first-use surfacing if more half-rack-format devices land in the catalog.",
    "fields": {
      "device_class": {
        "conf": "high",
        "pg": 3
      },
      "device_class_subtypes": {
        "conf": "high",
        "pg": 5
      },
      "topology": {
        "conf": "high",
        "pg": 5
      },
      "channels": {
        "conf": "high",
        "pg": 3
      },
      "linkable": {
        "conf": "high",
        "pg": 4
      },
      "params.preamp.gain_range_db": {
        "conf": "high",
        "pg": 3
      },
      "params.preamp.phantom_48v": {
        "conf": "high",
        "pg": 4
      },
      "params.preamp.pad_db": {
        "conf": "high",
        "pg": 3
      },
      "params.preamp.polarity_invert": {
        "conf": "high",
        "pg": 4
      },
      "params.preamp.transformer_coupled": {
        "conf": "high",
        "pg": 3
      },
      "io.audio_in.format": {
        "conf": "high",
        "pg": 4
      },
      "io.audio_in.impedance_ohms": {
        "conf": "high",
        "pg": 3
      },
      "io.audio_out.format": {
        "conf": "high",
        "pg": 4
      },
      "io.audio_out.impedance_ohms": {
        "conf": "high",
        "pg": 3
      },
      "io.bypass": {
        "conf": "high",
        "pg": 4
      },
      "io.operating_level": {
        "conf": "medium",
        "pg": null
      },
      "io.rack_format": {
        "conf": "medium",
        "pg": 3
      }
    }
  }
}