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Black Lion Audio PBR8 8-Slot 500 Series Rack with Built-In Patchbay

8-slot 500 Series Chassis with Balanced TT/Bantam Patchbay and On Slot Technology
5 Write review Item ID: PBR8
$899.00

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Black Lion Audio PBR8 8-Slot 500 Series Rack with Built-In Patchbay
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Black Lion's Patchbay-equipped 500 Series Rack

Equipped with a fully balanced TT/Bantam patchbay, Black Lion Audio's PBR-8 is an 8-slot 500 Series chassis with unlimited routing options for quickly dialing in sounds without your modules having to be mounted in any particular order. With the PBR-8, you can easily audition a signal chain, re-route it, split it via one of the patchbay mults, send it to modules in another rack, route it back, then output it — all from the PBR-8's front panel.

Related Videos: PBR8 8-Slot 500 Series Rack with Built-In Patchbay

Clean, isolated power with plenty of current

Sweetwater knows that power is the backbone of your entire 500 Series rig, and it can determine how well everything performs. That's why Black Lion leverages Heritage Audio's On Slot Technology to ensure that clean, isolated power with plenty of current is delivered to each of the PBR-8's eight slots. You can rest assured that your modules won't interfere with each other, and if one should happen to misbehave, its slot's regulators will go into "protection mode" without affecting any of your other modules.

About Black Lion Audio

Founded in Chicago in 2006, Black Lion Audio has made their mark on the audio industry by hot rodding audio equipment and upgrading the sound quality of popular music production gear, elevating industry-standard products to new levels of sonic quality. Though they started off modding gear from other manufacturers, they've utilized their cumulative expertise to design their own line of boutique mic preamps and word clocks. BLA gear and modded gear can be found in studios from LA to New York to Nashville and heard on projects from artists like Maroon 5, Alison Krauss, Metallica, T-Pain, George Strait, MGMT, Beyonce, George Duke, Slayer, Erykah Badu, Rod Stewart, and more.

Black Lion Audio PBR-8 8-slot 500 Series Rack Features:

  • 500 Series chassis with fully balanced TT/Bantam patchbay
  • Heritage Audio On Slot Technology ensures clean, isolated power with plenty of current for each slot
  • Maximum audio rails current: 1.8A per rail, or 400mA per rail per slot, whatever is reached first
  • Maximum phantom power current: 140mA
  • Operating voltage: 100–240VAC
  • Gold-plated XLR I/O

Additional Media

500 Series Buying Guide
Signal Processing Buying Guide

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Tech Specs

  • Number of Slots: 8
  • Inputs: 8 x XLR, 1 DB-25
  • Outputs: 8 x XLR, 1 DB-25
  • Other I/O: TT/Bantam patchbay
  • Module Power: 16V DC 400mA per slot (1.6A per rail, 1.8A noncontinuous), +48V DC 140mA
  • Power Supply: 100-240 VAC operating voltage
  • Height: 5.25"
  • Width: 19"
  • Depth: 12.9"
  • Manufacturer Part Number: PBR8

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Customer Reviews

3.9 out of 5

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Smart Lion

I'm not sure why this hasn't really caught on. Especially for people who like to experiment with compression (and EQ i guess) while tracking.
It might not be the best solution for those who use a bunch of different preamps, as you'd need to have a switcher before it, or run a few lines to the back of the unit into the corresponding inputs to the different pres that are loaded in it, but that's not how i use it.
If your workflow consists of mostly tracking, using just one favorite "works for everything" preamp, then this thing is priceless.
I won't go down the "one pre" rabbit hole debate, but i think most would agree that the mic, monitoring, and room are the most important components.
I am perfectly happy using my A Designs Pacifica (or P1) for tracking ANY mono source. Awesome pre. In my opinion, if your track isn't working with a Pacifica (or other high quality pre) then the problem is elsewhere.
That being said, load this thing up with a bunch of compressors, and an EQ or two. Patch in your pre, and then find the best comp/EQ for the specific job by just moving a couple small patch cords around right in the front. By doing this, you're basically "true bypassing" the unused modules.
Again, this is my specific workflow for tracking mono sources (mostly vocals). You can of course use stereo pairs in the same fashion, but will have less room for options.
Anyway, there are other ways to use this thing with "multing" etc, and I'm just stumped as to why no one thought of this before.
Awesome way to work, especially if desk space is tight. Nice job, Black Lion!
Oh, and so far, this thing is super quiet (im plugged into a Black Lion power conditioner), and it has plenty of juice for any module by teaming up with Heritage Audio, and using their "On Slot" tech. I love this thing!
Im working on a start up Youtube channel, and will update this with a video review/link when complete. Peace!
by Ben from MA on

solid, convenient, easy to use

Completely satisfied with BLA PBR-8 since I began using it. It functions well, seems ruggedly built, seems sonically transparent, and the patchbay really makes life easier and allows chaining channels together or even splitting them or sending them somewhere else like out to my TT bay without having to get behind the rack (ugh!) or rearrange modules. Has made my workflow simpler, easier, and better. To be honest, I always hoped someone would make a 500 series enclosure with some built in routing capability and this is the right way to do it. Patching around from the front panel with a proven, old-school technology is just simpler and easier to do and understand than some of the more convoluted ways it has been tried before with relays or software control windows, etc. This is just easy, fool-proof, and self-contained; where the routing can be done in a split second and you can look at it from the front panel and see in a second exactly how it is routed. Well done.
by Chad Kelly from City of Central, LA, USA on
Music background: recording engineer

Why has nobody done this before?

This is the best 500 series rack I have used. All modules work great in it- no concerns on powering anything. The built in patch bay in the front is a game changer!
by Jonathan Knick from Ny on

A mixed bag, to be honest

A bit of background: I purchased this BLA unit around the same time as an Avedis MA5 preamp. I have about a half dozen 500 pres, and I was looking to expand/upgrade from a Radial SixPack. The BLA was attractive to me because I have mostly DB25 cables running to my patchbay, so it was an easy swap from the Radial. I had also read good things about the Heritage racks, and the BLA is made by Heritage in the same factory.

The first thing I noticed is that the Avedis wouldn't power up. Troubleshooting time: either the rack is bad or the Avedis is. My other preamps worked, so first I honed in on the Avedis as the source of the problem. The MA5 didn't work in any slot in the BLA rack. However, I soon discovered the Avedis worked fine in one of my CAPI racks. I also have a ribbon cable extender that allows me to test 500 series gear outside of the rack. Using that extender in combo with the Avedis and the BLA also worked, no problem. After spending probably an hour on the phone with Avedis himself trying to sort this out, I discovered that the MA5 worked in the BLA rack only if I literally stick my hand in the rack and push it to the left. As long as I'm holding it, it works; when I let go, it powers down.

This suggested an issue with the edge connectors. No idea why they worked with some units and not others. I emailed BLA, explained what was happening and what I thought the issue might be. They responded that I had a good handle on things, and noted some units just don't work well with others. That may be true, but keep reading...

There are not that many options for racks with DB25 connectors and I do like the front side patchbay on the BLA. Although I don't generally run line outs back into my pres, there's nothing wrong with having some additional flexibility. Give that, I decided to order some replacement edge connectors from CAPI, void my warranty, and begin a reconstruction project. Since edge connectors are a PITA to desolder and replace, I tried one at first just to see if it solved the problem.

Guess what. It did. The Avedis is now working correctly in the one slot I replaced. So I guess I have a project for some rainy Saturday: take the unit apart again and replace the other seven edge connectors. Here's the kicker: after comparing the replacement connector with the original, it appears either BLA or Heritage (the builder) saved themselves a few pennies and went cheap on the connectors. It's plainly obvious that the connectors I purchased from CAPI are much higher quality, and the CAPI parts aren't even close to the most expensive I could find.

So the Black Lion Audio PBR8 gets a middling review. The general idea is nice; the execution is lacking. Even though they're currently working, I will end up replacing the other connectors because at this point I can't be sure they'll work with everything I purchase in the future, or even continue to work with what I have. At the very least, I'm currently locked into retaining the Avedis in slot 1, which negates some of the flexibility of the 500 series. And I really don't think anyone should ever be forced to mod a $ rack right out of the box. There are cheapos out there, but I spent extra for the BLA based on their reputation. Next time I'm in the market, I'll keep this in mind.

One more thing to be aware of: the power XLR on the back of the BLA doesn't lock well. It clicks in, but you can jiggle it and pull it right out without pressing the release button on the connector. My system is non portable, so it probably won't be much of an issue, but again, one could expect better. It's not at all what I'd call "robust." If you're planning to build a mobile rig, just something to keep in mind as a potential failure point.
by Peter Pollack from Oak Lawn, IL on

Screws and power cord mismtched

The box came with a 200v power chord and screws that didn't fit the pre-tapped holes. The screws stripped out. Enough so that I had a replacement sent. I also found the correct 4-40 screws. These details matter and are inexplicable. I do like the patch-bay feature as it makes integration easy!
by Mark Neihart from UT on
See also: 500 Chassis, Black Lion Audio, Black Lion Audio 500 Series Chassis
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