YOU WANT GUITAR POWER??
YOU WANT MASSIVE GRINDAGE AND FATNESS? You won't get that from a solid-state fuzzbox.

YOU NEED OURS. The TM-5 preamp.

The TM-5's gain path is ALL TUBES.

I'll say that again: ALL TUBES.

ALL TUBES. It contains three tubes:

1. First in the path are two pentode type tubes for gain--lots of gain! We use NOS pentodes only, from classic American and European manufacturers. WHY? Easy: Pentodes have a nice, strong creamy sound, especially at clipping. They have lots of voltage gain. The pentodes in the TM-5 operate on a 70-volt DC supply--they don't need 250v or more, which most triode tubes need. We don't use 12AX7s because the tonal effect of a 12AX7 is very, very well known--and we HATE it. Soft, mushy, indistinct, weak. The only way to "improve" a 12AX7 preamp is to put costly NOS tubes in it, and even that is only an incremental improvement! Pentodes were used in the first generation of guitar amps and professional audio equipment, almost exclusively. 12AX7s replaced them in the 1950s, purely for economic reasons--NOT for better sound!

2. Then the signal passes through a special tube, selectable with a toggle switch. The "BN6" tube was originally developed by Zenith in 1948, to act as an FM detector in table radios. It is a special "beam modulator" device, roughly similar to a pentode with a very weird structure. It gives TREMENDOUS amounts of asymmetrical clipping, which may be adjusted by varying the voltage on its screen grid. BN6es have NEVER been used in audio amplifiers before, so far as we can tell. The TM-5 can accept any of the usual three versions of this tube--it comes in different filament voltages, 3BN6, 4BN6 or 6BN6--without changing anything in the TM-5 circuit. (They all have the same behavior in this circuit, we merely provide this option to allow the use of any of the listed NOS types.) The result is MASSIVE RIPPING DISTORTION. POWER!!! We think it sounds like a big-ass tube guitar amp that's about to BLOW UP. And WITHOUT the guitar amp!! That's right, our BRUTAL distortion is at LINE LEVEL. Just plug it directly into your mixer and record WITHOUT MIKING A GUITAR AMP.

3. Finally, the signal passes through a buffer to provide a low output impedance of 1k ohms, for compatibility with ANY line input. The BN6 tube output, which is very strong, is also fed to a peak detector and filter to provide an envelope output (a DC voltage which tracks the output level of the preamp). This envelope voltage can be used to effect other analog-synthesizer circuits.

In case you are wondering, the TM-5 is DESIGNED to process guitar signals to properly drive our TM-1 waveshaper. So the TM-5 and TM-1 are made to work together. Or follow the TM-5 with our 100%-compatible TM-2 filter. The result can be either a great, big, fat, greasy tone---or the DEFINITION OF DISTORTION AGONY AND POUNDING DESTRUCTION!!!!!!

Specifications:

Frequency response less than 10 Hz to greater than 40 kHz.

Distortion from less than 0.1% to greater than 40%, depending on input signal.

Voltage gain approx. 20 with all LEVEL controls set to maximum.

Hum and noise may be minimized with DRIVE/HUM BAL control.

The TM-5 was designed to drive LINE-LEVEL signal inputs, such as in modular synthesizers, mixers, or other Metasonix modules.

Using the TM-5 with a conventional guitar amp may result in hum and noise problems, due to the EXTREMELY high voltage gain of the TM-5.

It might also result in your speaker cone FLYING ACROSS THE ROOM, not to mention some possible HEARING DAMAGE. BE CAREFUL!!

Power input 10v AC to 12v AC, 50/60 Hz, 1.2 amp max at idle--derived from an appropriate plug-in AC adapter.

Inputs: phone jacks for audio input; optional input for clipping CV.

Output: phone jack, audio, mono, 1k ohm impedance.

Also available is an envelope voltage output, which is a DC voltage tracking the instrument amplitude--0 volts with no input, up to maximum of 1.5 volts at full drive.

All Metasonix TM series modules may be used as standalone effects boxes. Or they may be mounted in 5U-high standard modular synthesizers (MOTM, Synthesizers.com, Moog) using our TM-M kit. Or, they may be mounted in Eurorack-based modular synthesizers (Doepfer, Analogue Systems, Analogue Solutions) using our TM-D kit. Our modules are the only ones in the WORLD capable of this.

Dimensions: 7 1/2" (192mm) x 4 3/8" (112mm) x 3" (77mm).

Weight not including accessories approx. 5 pounds (2.2 kg).