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KTBK-1B

The King Tubby’s Big Knob (KTBK-1B) is a dub filter which provides the same genuine tone as an Altec 9069B, a 3rd order Variable Passive High Pass Filter with 10 stepped cut-off frequencies which enable a great control over the sound tone. Our replica is adapted for the modern studio including new controls, a mode selector and a resonance leveler.

Validated with DSP techniques to achieve the most accurate frequency response utilising a handmade customized multi-tap inductor coil 🙌🏽 Originally it was designed to reduce low frequencies on dialogue and program content, diminishing room rumble, hum and other low frequency noises.

Clearly the KTBK1B is a replica of the Passive High Pass Filter installed on the King Tubby’s MCI console🎚, the red big button on the top right corner🎛, the Tubby’s exclusive secret weapon, well-known as the “Big Knob”.

495,00 €

Taxes not included!

SOLD OUT – Preorder available!

5 in stock

"The KTBK filter gives exactly what you expect from it, whether on drum tracks, brass, rhythm sections or on a effects return bus."
Roberto Sánchez - A-Lone Ark Muzik StudioReggae Dub Producer
"It's amazing that something as simple as a HPF brings so much magic to the mix. It has become an essential tool in my day to day."
Chalart58 - La Panchita RecordsReggae Dub Producer
"What a great job on the unit - sounds amazing! So much fun for the mix. Thanks for the great unit!!!"
Tom Rowlands - The Chemical BrothersElectronic Music Pioneer
"I used their KTBK-1B on the Dark Side of the Moon Redux album and concerts, and the TINAD tour and presently in the studio. Beautiful overbuilt handmade work based on the Altec 9069B."
Jon Carin - Pink Floyd/Roger WatersMulti-instrumentalist

An Equalizer with Vintage Flavour for the Modern Studio

For music-quality-conscious people who enjoy the character of a Variable Passive High Pass Filter. The King Tubby’s Big Knob (KTBK) provides the same genuine tone as an Altec 9069B, a vintage equalizer, designed in the 60s, which enables a great control over the sound tone. The KTBK unit includes two additional switches, a mode selector and a resonance leveler which allows to modify the filter response for adapting it to the modern music production workflow. Moreover, it is DSP validated to guarantee the Altec sound signature and the best conditions for stereo pairing.

KTBK1B Curves

BELL, 600 and NOTCH are the different modes and they convert the KTBK1B into a unique piece of gear increasing its versatility in the different stages of the music production. The 600 mode recovers the original Altec 9069B response. The BELL mode reacts as the King Tubby’s sound signature, a peak resonance HPF without insertion loss, ideal as sweeping effect for dubbing with a recognized phasing effect. The NOTCH mode is an entire Audio Merge contribution, we have never seen before such a response in other gear. In fact, it acts like a VARI-NOTCH, varying the attenuation level and the Q factor depending on the cutoff and the BELL level.

600
Recovers the original Altec 9069B response
with 6dB insertion loss
BELL
King Tubby's sound signature
a resonant HPF
NOTCH
The only top NOTCH EQ
in this globe.
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SPECIFICATIONS

MAIN

  • Number of channels: 1
  • Frequency response: +/-0.5dB 10Hz-70kHz @ OFF
  • Input impedance: 600Ω
  • Output impedance: 600Ω
  • Insertion loss
  •     BELL & NOTCH: 0dB
  •     600: 6dB
  • Max input level: +38dBu
  • THD: < 0.01% @ 1kHz +17dBu
  • Power Consumption: 0W - completely passive
  • True Bypass: yes

CUTOFFS & MODES

  • Number of cutoffs per filter: 10
  • Cutoffs: 70C, 100C, 150C, 250C, 500C, 1KC, 2KC, 3KC, 5KC, 7.5KC
  • Modes: 600, BELL and NOTCH
  • Damping levels (BELL & NOTCH): 6

IO & DIMENSIONS

  • Input & output: 1/4"
  • Height: 52.3mm (box) + 4.7mm (supports) ~ 2.06" + 0.19"
  • Width: 125.1mm ~ 4.93"
  • Depth: 164mm ~ 6.46"
  • Weight: 1.2kg

KTBK1B Operational Diagram

A Vintage
Equalizer

Passive filters are very sensitive to the impedance matching. Originally, the Altec 9069B was designed to perform with a 600Ω impedance IO. However, our unit includes a mode control switch to be adapted to any kind of equipment, to reproduce the original HPF response, or to generate a RESONANT HPF with a resonance bell over the cutoff.

Sweep the Sound like
a Dub Master

Sweep and layer your sounds with the KTBK filter to get unmatched sound signature. Perfect gear to create a dynamic mix with LO-FI tones! The digitalization has changed the way to record, produce and process music. It is time to explore new ways, taking the best of analog and digital domain.

Handbuilt with Love and
Customized Features

The assembly and subsequent validation of each unit is manually done in our workshop, sited in Barcelona. The multi-tap inductor is a custom-designed element based on various frequency response and phase distortion analyses using different cores and coil winding techniques, in order to get the most accurate cut-off frequencies. The customized stepped rotary switch offers a very smoothed rotation resistance to guarantee the creative freedom during the performance. 

The Altec 9069B,
The Influencer of the Big Knob

At the 60s, Altec Lansing launched the 9069B, a variable high pass filter designed by Arthur Davis. The 9069B was a passive inductor based T-network filter, with toroidally winded inductances which provide 18 dB/oct slope with 10 steps for low frequency cutoff to reproduce unmatchable sound permutations. Originally, the 9069B, next to a Variable Passive Low Pass Filter unit (9068B), is part of the Altec 9067B unit .

1950 – 1965

A Program Equalizer’s Creator

If we speak about vintage equalisers, Art Davis is our man. He designed Graphic and Program Equalisers like the Altec 9069B, the Langevin EQ255a and the Cinema Engineering 4031 for different brands.

1965

Altec 9069B Passive
Program Equalizer

Originally comprised the class of sound effects filters used to simulate distant sounds, radiophonic voice, and other such spatial effects in radio and cinema sound design.

Before 1972

The King Tubby’s Sound Signature

King Tubby, a Jamaican producer is considered as the dub music and remixing inventor. Tubbs achieved an outstanding sound signature experimenting with recordings at his MCI mixing desk using an Altec 9069B, recognized as his secret weapon, in combination with reverb and tape delay effects.

Since 70s to 1989

The Big Knob, a Secret Weapon

“It was a red knob, slightly bigger than the others—hence its name Big Knob—, in the right top corner of the MCI console. The strongest characteristics of the filter’s sound are the discrete steps, the clicks and crunches when the frequency is switched, and the phasing effect heard when filtered signals are mixed with the unfiltered originals.” Extracted from Tubby’s Dub Style thesis.

Since 1990

Dub Around the World

Dub Music is a form of Reggae music created in Jamaica in the late 60s, that gave birth to and influenced many genres of music for years, including Rock, Punk, Pop, Hip Hop, Disco, Folk and later House Techno and other EDMs. Indeed, Dub has become a basis for genres like Drum and Bass, Jungle and Dubstep. Nowadays, dub culture continues to grow and attract new generation of fans and followers.

2021

A Modern Program Equalizer

Audio Merge, a very small startup sited in Barcelona-Terrassa, builds three KTBK prototypes to get a very accurate and robust Altec 9069B replica, using a handmade customized small coil and adding two new features to the original Altec’s design: damping factor control (BELL) and mode selector (MODE).

2023

KTBK1B Around the World

Over 300 producers, musicians, and engineers across the globe appreciate the distinctive sound signature of the KTBK1B. The dub community worldwide has already taken notice of this exceptional piece of gear. Currently, Soundgas LTD is the exclusive distributor of Audio Merge. After participating in the startup program at Barcelona Activa, aimed at supporting emerging businesses, the Audio Merge team remains committed to developing modern classic equipment that blends analog and digital technology. A new 2U rack-format was released called TheBigMom 2024. Find out more here.