BAE Audio 1023 500 Series Module
 
The BAE 1023 500 Series Module brings the deluxe 1023 concept into an API‑compatible format, combining a Class A 1073‑style mic/line preamp with a much more versatile EQ section. You get the same fat, open and dynamic British console tone associated with a classic 1073, but with extended mid and high frequency options that make it easier to voice vocals, guitars, drums and keys exactly where you want them to sit in the mix. In practice it feels like a “super 1073” channel strip that drops straight into a 500 Series rack.
 
Completely hand‑wired and built around Carnhill (St. Ives) transformers, the 1023 module delivers a harmonically rich low end, powerful midrange and sweet, musical top end. The 3‑band EQ offers a low shelf with ±16dB at 35Hz, 60Hz, 110Hz and 220Hz, plus a high shelf with ±16dB at 10kHz, 12kHz, 16kHz, 20kHz and 24kHz. Between them sits a greatly expanded mid band with eleven selectable centres – 160Hz, 270Hz, 360Hz, 510Hz, 700Hz, 1.6kHz, 3.2kHz, 4.8kHz, 7.2kHz, 8.2kHz and 10kHz – available with ±12dB or ±18dB peaking. This extended mid and high control lets you use the mid bell curve directly against the low and high shelves where they overlap, for very organic, record‑ready tone shaping.
 
A steep 18dB‑per‑octave high‑pass filter with switchable cutoff at 45Hz, 70Hz, 160Hz and 360Hz keeps low‑end mud out of your recordings before they ever hit the converters. On the front panel you get switches for mic/line selection, DI input, mic impedance (1200 / 300 ohms), phase reverse, 48 V phantom power and EQ in/out, making the 1023 a complete channel strip for tracking and analogue colour work in a modern hybrid studio. With a wide 10Hz to 55kHz frequency response, up to 80 dB of gain and a low noise floor around -110 dBu EIN, it is as technically solid as it is musical.
If you like what a 1073 does but want more mid and high options in a compact format, the 1023 500 Series Module is the obvious upgrade. It preserves the Class A transformer‑coupled sound that made the original famous, while giving you enough EQ finesse to handle everything from subtle vocal polishing to bold guitar and drum sculpting from inside your 500 rack.