5045
Primary Source Enhancer
OVERVIEW / MEDIA / FEATURES / REVIEWS / SPECS & RESOURCES
The world’s most natural feedback reduction.
The 5045 Primary Source Enhancer is exceptionally useful at reducing feedback without negatively impacting the sonic integrity of the source signal, effectively increasing the level a microphone can be raised before feedback occurs in a live sound environment by up to 20dB. With controls that are very simply laid out and generally require minimal adjustment, the 5045 is an invaluable tool for churches, stadiums, performance halls, or any venue where feedback is problematic.
“Without the Primary Source Enhancer, I wouldn’t be able to do my job.”
100% Analog Design
The 5045 shares some traits with conventional “noise gates”, but operates on a different principle. One common aspect is that both reduce the gain during the absence of signal – or more specifically, both begin to attenuate when the level of a signal falls below a certain user-defined threshold. The 5045 senses when someone is speaking or singing into the mic and allows the signal to pass through, and senses when the person has stopped talking or singing and reduces the gain appropriately, thus reducing the system’s tendency to feed back.
Importantly, the 5045 does not utilize filtering or digital processing to achieve its significant benefits. Built around Rupert Neve Designs’ custom input and output transformers, its all-analog circuitry provides superb control and sonic performance without compromising the integrity of the source material. This makes the 5045 the most intuitive, natural-sounding and effective method of feedback reduction available on the market.
Simple, Intuitive Controls
With a minimal control set, the 5045’s ease of use makes it ideal even for circumstances where a full-time or experienced engineer is not readily available, and allows for rapid adjustments on-the-fly even during performances.
The 5045 is an absolutely indispensable addition to any setup where feedback or reverberation are problematic, and is used every night on the biggest stages all across the world.
"The 5045 is the one piece of hardware I can’t do a show without."
Seen in use with:
Billie Eilish
Justin Timberlake
Nine Inch Nails
Burna Boy
Madonna
My Morning Jacket
Ray Lamontagne
Miranda Lambert
Ozzy Osbourne
Evanescence
Dierks Bentley
Maren Morris
John Legend
Halsey
Death Cab for Cutie
Beyoncé
Olivia Rodrigo
Jay-Z
Phoenix
Tate McRae
Disturbed
Justin Bieber
Madison Beer
Linkin Park
Katy Perry
Ariana Grande
Kanye West
Keb’ Mo’
Post Malone
Paramore
Maroon 5
CHVRCHES
blink-182
Depeche Mode
Rod Stewart
NFL
NBA
MLB
NHL
MSNBC
ABC
NBC
FOX
TBS
CBS
CNN
The Olympics
and many more.
POWER STATUS LED
LED indicates power status.
PROCESS ENGAGE
Illuminated push-button that engages the Primary Source Enhancer’s effect.
TIME CONSTANT
Designed to help prevent choppiness in some situations and stop feedback in other situations, by setting how quickly the attenuation occurs in the quiet sections between words or sentences. “A” is the fastest and “F” is the slowest. “A” will quickly soften the level which can be advantageous when the singer is consistent and feedback howl is challenging. “F” is the safest in terms of slowly fading down, but might be a bit slow fading up again, and might be a bit slow for controlling some pesky feedback situations. “C” and “D” are moderate settings that should fit many situations and generally fade down slow enough so that the ends of words are not affected, yet fast enough to control feedback. Choose the most appropriate time constant that doesn’t soften the beginnings and endings of phrases, yet still diminishes the feedback and “boominess” of the signal.
RMS / PEAK
Illuminated push-button that selects between RMS and Peak detection modes. When illuminated, the 5045 is in PEAK mode – useful for detecting faster transient peaks, and for creative dynamic envelope shaping. When not illuminated, the 5045 is in RMS mode, which utilizes a slower, more averaged response characteristic in the sidechain.
THRESHOLD
Sets the dBu level at which the Primary Source Enhancer engages.
PROCESS ACTIVE
This LED indicates when the 5045 is actively affecting signal – a.k.a. when the input signal has overcome the enhancement threshold. Since this LED should generally be illuminated when the desired source is present (a vocalist singing, for example) it is extremely helpful in setting up the 5045 for use.
DEPTH
The “DEPTH” knob sets how much attenuation is applied after the signal falls below where the “THRESHOLD” is set. “0” implies zero attenuation and the 5045 won’t be doing anything. “-10 dB” is moderate attenuation and reasonably safe from accidentally chopping off a word or part of a word. “-20 dB” attenuates deeper but might be a bit choppy. Setting the “DEPTH” control so that it does not chop off bits of quietly spoken words while fighting a difficult feedback problem is the goal, especially with singers that sing quietly one moment and loudly the next while demanding loud monitors.
REVIEWS
“Without the 5045, I wouldn’t be able to do my job.”
Andy Meyer, FOH
Justin Timberlake, Madonna, Shinedown
“The 5045 is the one piece of hardware I can’t do a show without. It lets me EQ the mic for how I want it in the mix instead of worrying about feedback. It’s especially game-changing when the vocalist is out in front of the mains.”
Vince Casamatta, FOH
Maroon 5, Halsey
“Seriously, if you’re not using this…you’re stressing yourself out for no reason.”
Jonathan Kreinik, Producer / FOH Engineer
Chet Faker
“…really no better one out there, in my opinion, than the 5045. Keep it free of feedback, keep it free of echo, it just works absolutely fantastic out here. I don’t know if I could do it without it – I might be able to, but it sure wouldn’t be near as much fun.”
Robert Scovill, FOH Engineer
Kenny Chesney
“The 5045 is a life-saver, especially when there isn’t time to fully dial in a mic at sound check. Not only does it clean up our headset mics considerably, it also gives me confidence that when I bring up a mic in the house, the signal is going to be clear with lots of headroom to work with. I find myself EQing a lot less when I have the 5045 engaged. My speech mics sound a lot more natural when I’m not having to notch out problem frequencies all the time.”
Zach Kranz, Audio Engineer
Willow Creek Community Church
“She’s a very dynamic singer and there are times when she will be out in front of the main hang and side hang speakers – and that’s something I have to be really careful about, feedback-wise. Since we started using the 5045 I haven’t had a single frequency take off yet.”
Eddie Mapp, FOH
Paramore
“I've been doing work as a freelance A1 and oftentimes find myself at a corporate event/ podium and panel type show. One of my favorite things to do is to use the 5045 on the podium mic to remove some of the ambient noise and improve the clarity.
I discovered this during one particularly difficult event where the show caller complained she could hear the air conditioning system in her program feed in her headphones. During the first break between sessions I inserted the PSE on the podium mic and within a few minutes I could just dial out the HVAC from the feed. It was very easy to figure out, and very effective.
When I commented on this to a co-worker, he told me that he likes to use it on the press feed matrix output. I have since then done the same thing and it works out great, especially when you have a panel full of lavaliers and you're not quite sure where the noise source is coming from.”
Woody Nuss, Santa Monica CA
“I have no idea what magic RND have put into this thing, but it’s certainly made the world of difference to my mixes…in the case of Thundercat, the vocal is set back a bit more in the mix and caked in FX - this is his sound. The 5045 allows me to get the cleanest of vocal inputs, allowing me to add the FX without adding unwanted reverbs, doublers, delays etc to drums and bass amp spillage. Sometimes it can be hard to make a vocal very wet and have that sit nicely in amongst everything else but with the 5045, I don’t need to worry.”
Jonnie Williams, FOH
Thundercat
“It’s great for shutting the mic down when it’s not in use, while leaving the envelope of the source sounding natural. We are using 965 capsules – they can be sensitive, so it’s great for getting more gain without building up feedback. I’ve found since using the 5045, reverbs and delays sound tighter.”
Paul Gallagher, FOH
CHVRCHES
"When we first tried out the 5045 on tour, the difference was immediate. It was the first time we were able to get softer vocal parts as loud as we wanted without a struggle. Beyond the extra 3-6dB of level, it really adds to the clarity of the voice, as the PA is no longer folding back into the microphone as much. This really helps the vocal sit in front of the mix."
"To describe the sound effect the 5045 can have on the vocal track, I would compare it to the experience of talking to someone in a cathedral versus speaking with them in a living room. The difference can be quite dramatic for the clarity of the voice."
Lars Brogaard, FOH
Rod Stewart
“The 5045 yielded a 14 to 15dB increase in level, with no feedback, glitches or choppiness.”
George Peterson, FOH Magazine
SPECIFICATIONS & DOWNLOADS
Maximum Input and Output Level: +25 dBu
Total Harmonic Distortion and Noise: Better than 0.002%
1 kHz, +20 dBu Output Level, no load
Noise (Measured at Main Output, un-weighted, 22 Hz - 22 kHz, 50 ohm balanced source)
Primary Source Enhancer Bypassed: Better than -100 dBu
Primary Source Enhancer Engaged Better than -95 dBu
Frequency Response
150 kHz: -3 dB
20 Hz: -3 dB
Threshold: Continuously variable from -20 dBu to +10 dBu
Depth: Continuously variable from 0 dB to -20 dB
Time Constants
RMS Mode
Attack AND Release
Mode A 50 mS
Mode B 100 mS
Mode C 200 mS
Mode D 750 mS
Mode E 1.5 S
Mode F 3 S
Peak Mode
Attack (fixed) 20 mS
Release
Mode A 20 mS
Mode B 200 mS
Mode C 1 S
Mode D 2 S
Mode E 5 S
Mode F 30 S
Power Requirements (12V DC): 1 Amp
Shipping Dimensions: 26“ (66.04 cm) x 15” (38.1 cm) x 5” (12.7 cm)
Shipping Weight: 11 lbs, 5
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Unfortunately not; the 5045 can only be effective if the primary / loudest source on the channel is the intended source. Do the best you can with mic placement to create more isolation in the microphone.
Yes, but it will be more effective if used on individual sources.
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