Thermionic Culture Ultra Vulture

Subtle or dramatic

The Thermionic Culture Ultra Vulture is a stereo tube distortion unit that can be used to distort input signals acoustically from gentle to nasty. The front panel features various easy-to-grid potentiometers and switches for direct intervention in the action.

Features

The drive settings are located on the outer sides of the Ultra Vulture. With Drive, the saturation level is gently moved to Overdrive. It is worth mentioning that this control should ideally be used in conjunction with the output level control to keep the overall level at line level. The Drive control has 15 steps and its operating range can be preset in 3 steps using the switch below it. While there is no additional amplification in the "Normal" switch position, the "+10dB" position provides a pre-amplification of 10dB and the "Overdrive" position provides a pre-amplification of 30dB before the distortion circuit. The switchable presence setting is only available in the "+10dB" position and boosts the mid to high frequencies by up to 4dB. The "Overdrive" setting is particularly recommended for drastically distorting line level signals. The output control is available for controlling the output level. In extreme settings, the output level can be pre-attenuated using the switchable -10dB pad.

The device has a bias rotary control to make the sound thinner or thicker. The current supply of the pentode is visually displayed in milliamperes on the associated pointer meter.

The function controls of the Ultra Vulture have been extended by one setting compared to the original model. A total of four options are now available. In setting T, the distortion stage is operated in triode mode, whereas in modes P1-3 it switches to pentode mode, resulting in harsh band saturation. Setting P2 additionally compresses at higher levels and inverts the dynamics. For complete destruction of the input signal, setting P3 can be selected, in which rectifying effects can be created by lowering the bias level, resulting in the pitch appearing an octave higher to the human ear.

In addition to these features, the Ultra Vulture also has a filter switch that activates a low pass filter, which cuts frequencies above 5kHz and up to 6dB, thus reducing the sharp-sounding distortion artifacts in the signal.

Finally, there is a bypass switch on the front of the device. When bypass is activated, the line input is connected directly to the line output and the circuit is completely removed from the signal path (true bypass).