Looptrotter SATurAMP

Looptrotter SATurAAMP is a 500-series preamp built around a clean Class-A signal path and a solid-state saturation circuit lifted from vintage tape machines and analog consoles. Instead of another transparent preamp fighting for rack space, you get a unit that colors the signal on purpose, from subtle density to clearly audible harmonic grit.

A transformer that does the work

The mic/line input runs through a SOWTER transformer modeled on the AP2620, the same unit found in classic API preamps. That is where the thick, dense midrange comes from, a character that discrete electronics alone cannot replicate. The 1M ohm instrument input uses its own discrete Class-A transistor stage enriched with an FET stage, so guitars and basses get a dedicated gain path instead of sharing a compromise circuit with mic sources.

Saturation you can see, not guess

Total gain reaches 66dB (60dB of gain plus 6dB on the output stage) and is digitally controlled in 1dB steps, so settings recall exactly from session to session. Two LEDs mark THD at 4% and 8%, letting you dial in saturation by eye instead of guessing in the dark. Three 12dB/octave high-pass filters (60Hz Chebyshev, 100Hz Butterworth, 160Hz Bessel) clean up the low end before it hits the saturation stage, keeping bass frequencies from turning muddy when the drive gets pushed hard.

KEY FEATURES

• Discrete Class-A preamp in 500-series format
• Solid-state saturation circuit inspired by tape and analog consoles
• SOWTER AP2620-based transformer on the mic/line input
• 1M ohm instrument input with discrete transistors and FET stage
• Digitally controlled gain in 1dB steps, -20dB pad
• Three 12dB/octave high-pass filters: 60Hz, 100Hz, 160Hz
• THD LEDs at 4% and 8%, output level and peak indicators
• Switchable 48V phantom power and phase invert

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Format: 500 series
• Maximum gain: 66dB (60dB + 6dB output)
• Gain control: digital, 1dB steps
• Pad: -20dB
• Instrument input impedance: 1M ohm
• Input transformer: SOWTER, AP2620-based
• High-pass filters: 60Hz Chebyshev, 100Hz Butterworth, 160Hz Bessel (12dB/oct)
• Phantom power: 48V, switchable
• Additional functions: phase invert, mute