GC Audio Inherit Series

Contrary to popular reports, preamps don’t all sound the same — and this clever modular system makes it easy to hear the ‘magic’.

Inherit is a modular system by French manufacturers GC Audio and although, at the time of writing, there are only mic preamp modules available, designer Guillaume Chauvet tells me he has plans to develop processors too. The modules come in the form of chunky metal cartridges, and thus far none have their own user controls — the 2U host chassis, into which they slot, provides a common set of controls, as well as power and analogue I/O. Most of us already have access to clean gain in our audio interfaces, and the idea here is to allow quick and easy swapping of mic preamps when you want something more characterful. Notably, the modules are hot‑swappable, making the auditioning process painless: no patchbay, no swapping of cables or unplugging of mics, and no need to switch phantom power. You just pull out a cartridge, pop another in and listen. The metal cartridges shield the electronics inside. They’re slightly larger than 500‑series modules, the chassis has higher‑voltage power rails and there’s plenty of current available, so designers don’t face the same challenges.

Notably, the modules are hot‑swappable...

Overview

The gloss‑black front panel has white legends and a single cartridge slot in the centre. This is protected by a spring‑mounted blanking plate, and inserting a cartridge is easy: push it in, the plate falls back and it’s guided neatly into place. Above, 10 generously spaced LEDs, each in a metal mount, form a meter that can display the level pre‑ or post‑preamp. The first five LEDs (‑20 to ‑1 dB) are green, then the ‘zero’ point is orange and three red LEDs then take you 1dB at a time up to +3dB. Setting gain for the desired saturation and output level is easy, and the meter can be helpful for performers who want to ride their level in and out of distortion territory for creative effect.

The stepped gain and continuous output attenuation knobs, along with a large level meter, make it easy to find a preamp’s sweet spot.

The main Gain control has 12 steps, and is marked simply 1‑12. It feels like the sort of analogue switch found on many high‑end preamps, but is actually a digital control that communicates with the preamp. To the right of the cartridge, an output attenuator ranges from unity gain (fully clockwise) to full attenuation (anticlockwise).

The main audio I/O are on XLR connectors, while a standard IEC inlet connects the internal power transformer to 115/230V mains AC.On the left, three large, backlit, bevel‑mounted metal buttons engage +48V phantom power, invert the signal polarity and pad the input signal down; as with gain, the pad value is determined by the preamp rather than the host rack. There’s also a TS jack instrument input, and a plug patched into this takes precedence over the XLR mic/line input on the rear. Again, what happens to the signal you patch in here is down to the design of the inserted module; there’s no instrument preamp stage built into the chassis. Beneath the Output knob is a high‑pass filter (80 or 120 Hz, or Off), and it’s nice to see a large on‑off button on the right of the front panel, where it’s accessible.

Finally, joining the XLR input on the rear are an XLR output and an IEC inlet for 115/230V AC mains, stepped down inside by a vertically mounted toroidal transformer.

In Use

Sent for review were an Inherit Rack and several cartridges. Most of the latter were Guillaume’s designs, but there were also a couple of ‘signature’ models. Armed with a selection of mics, I used the system to track various sources, including my own voice, electric guitar (both DI’d and a miked Fender Blues Deville combo), DI bass guitar and some percussion (kick, snare and tambourine). I also tried ‘re‑preamping’ some clean recordings. The first thing to note is that the preamps all sounded good and were evidently of high quality, but what struck me was just how different they could sound. Don’t get me wrong, I could get most to sound broadly neutral with modest amounts of gain, but the gain and output knobs and the meter really encourage you to search for the saturation sweet spot or, depending on the source, the more obvious sound of overdrive.

I could easily capture a nice clean vocal in the verses of a rock song, and then open up in the choruses to provoke a little distortion that helped my voice cut through.

So, what do the specific preamps have to offer? The first I tried was the Gyraf GY 4.5. Housed in a black cartridge, this was designed by Jakob Erland and is, essentially, his G9 preamp in this new form factor. It employs two ECC82 dual‑triode valves (on high‑voltage rails) and Lundahl input and output transformers. I thought it lovely: classy, clean, lively and somehow ‘three‑dimensional’. It shone brightest on vocals (even mine!), bringing out the details in delicate, breathy and whispery parts, but also handling belted‑out rock leads with ease. It partnered various mics nicely in this role; I tried a ribbon (sE Electronics RNR1), a couple of dynamics (Heil Sound PR40, MXL BCD‑1) and a couple of capacitors, including my favoured AKG C414 B‑ULS. Since it breaks up so gracefully, the large meter meant I could easily capture a nice clean vocal in the verses of a rock song, and then open up in the choruses to provoke a little distortion to help my voice cut through against a dense wall of guitars. It’s technically possible to route an instrument signal through this preamp, but it’s a coloured, distorted sound; for a clean DI sound you’ll want an external DI box or one of the solid‑state cartridges.

The other ‘signature’ model is the Graham Langley, which comes in a striking magenta cartridge and is a solid‑state differential amplifier offering 16‑60 dB of gain. I’ve always liked Langley’s Amek consoles (I reckon they’re under‑appreciated today) and it’s based on those designs, though tweaked to improve the technical specs. As you start to increase the gain, it sounds effortlessly clean, with very low noise until, eventually, it starts to distort in a controlled and tasteful way. This preamp doubles as a very nice DI, and if I had the rack with the GY 4.5 and Langley cartridges, I don’t think there’d be many bases left that I’d need to cover unless I was, say, searching for a specific console preamp sound.

The cartridges sent for review. The brown and red ones at the bottom are the RE15 and RE73, respectively, and the blue one, with its card edge shown, is GC’s Tube Heat.

Another valve‑based option is GC’s blue Tube Heat. This offers the same 66dB maximum gain as the GY 4.5, is likewise based around two ECC82 valves, and has input and output transformers. But its minimum gain is +26dB, so the gain range is narrower, and the 12 gain control steps give you finer control. Again, it can be a pretty creative tool, with the combination of gain and output attenuation making it possible to use it as a nice vocal preamp or, say, an appealing line‑level saturation box. Note, though, that if you’re recording anything that requires lashings of gain, it will also bring up plenty of hiss. Like the Gyraf, this preamp hasn’t been designed to deliver a clean instrument sound.

GC’s RE‑98 is housed in a turquoise cartridge and is a clone of the solid‑state preamp from an unidentified “1990s British console” which I suspect from the name is the Amek 9098 (from Amek’s ‘Rupert Neve years’). It offers a gain range of +1 to +66 dB and features a Lundahl 1585 output transformer. Again, this one sounds pretty clean and quiet, though a subtle character is introduced as you increase the gain: a little thickening at the bottom end, but a greater effect in the highs — it sounds a touch richer and more ‘alive’ than my audio interface’s preamps. To take it into more obvious distortion territory requires more gain than most other preamps here, and when you arrive there it’s the sort of sound I associate with driving a good console preamp. This one works well with instrument signals, and offered up a satisfying bass guitar sound.

Their RE‑VR (a striking tangerine colour) is yet another console‑derived preamp, and this time we’re told it’s based on a 1980s British mixer — presumably a Neve VR‑series. Unsurprisingly, it sounds decent and I’d regard it as a good, general‑purpose studio preamp. It’s evidently not been designed for DI’ing, but when I played bass into this preamp through a clean‑ish DI box (by DAV Electronics) it sounded lovely: tight and snappy, yet simultaneously deep and full‑bodied. The character when overdriven is pretty fuzzy, which, again, could be lovely on bass guitar. The red RE‑73, meanwhile, is a high‑quality reproduction of the classic Neve 1073 preamp whose sound most of use will know — I probably don’t need to say more about that here!

No prizes for guessing that the black RE‑4K cartridge is based on the preamp of the SSL 4000‑series console. It’s lovely and clean, and when you start to get into breakup territory the transition is gradual, making it easy to achieve the precise amount of distortion desired, and there’s arguably less by way of audible nasties if you start straying into that territory unintentionally. Again, you’ll fare much better with instrument sources if you use a DI. A small quirk — though not a problem in practice — was that with the gain knob set to a position between switched steps, I heard a low‑level ‘whistle’.

GC’s RE‑15 is an op‑amp‑based preamp that, again, sounds very clean. Its USP is its very low noise floor, and it’s a lovely preamp that I couldn’t fault. Having said that, I did wonder if I’d really want one for this system, whose raison d’être I see more as offering a menu of more characterful options than my mixer and interface already cater for. Another option, not sent with the review model, is the RE‑11, which is the most affordable cartridge currently on offer; it might be a useful alternative to a more colourful cartridge, though again I suspect most engineers/studios will probably already have something to cover this base. On the other hand, if you buy all the others, this one is a free bonus...

The cartridges are considerably less fiddly to fit than 500‑series modules: as you push a cartridge, the slot’s protective panel folds down and the cartridge’s card edge connector is guided into place.

Verdict

The Inherit Series has a lot to commend it. It’s all beautifully built and intuitively laid out, and the preamps all sound great. The speed and ease with which you can audition different preamps is a joy; I love that you can hot‑swap them and just focus on the sound. It’s so easy to be creative with the distortion, and this could definitely be viewed as a line‑level processor as much as something for amplifying mics.

It’s all beautifully built and intuitively laid out, and the preamps all sound great. The speed and ease with which you can audition different preamps is a joy...

Of course, assembling an Inherit setup with sufficient options to make it worthwhile could prove expensive, particularly if you’re drawn, as I was, to the valve and signature models. Also, while the rack works well, I think its functionality could usefully be extended. Notably, the integration of a clean‑sounding DI would allow you to audition instruments with any preamp more easily — in the absence of that it would be good to have an indication on the cartridges as to their suitability for instruments. A low‑pass filter might be a worthwhile addition, to tame the hiss when using the valve preamps at higher gain settings.

As for the modules, my wish list definitely extends beyond preamps: saturators, tape emulators... there’s plenty that could be exploited. But, in the meantime, I’ve definitely enjoyed playing with the Inherit system. If you already have clean mic amps, like to audition ‘character’ preamps for specific sources, and have the necessary funds, it’s well worth checking out.