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moosers
Published on 04/26/10 at 17:50
The ART Pro VLA (vactrol leveling amplifier) is a dual channel vactrol-tube based compressor/limiter. It's got both XLR and 1/4" TRS connections for inputs and outputs and is made up of analog parts. It is a rack mountable piece of gear and will take up two spaces in a traditional rack case.
UTILIZATION
The make up of the ART Pro VLA has a lot of control while still maintaining a good amount of user friendly. Each channel has knobs for threshold, ratio, and output, as well as buttons for attack and release (fast/slow), for bypass, and for setting the VU meter to show either your input or output level. There are also LED meters for monitoring gain reduction. As you can tell, there isn't all that much to know here, and those with experience with compressors will undoubtedly find that using this is a breeze. Even those without much knowledge of compressor/limiters should be able to use this without the assistance of a manual.
SOUND QUALITY
While the sound of the ART Pro VLA is no where near up with the best of them, for something in this price range it is a very impressive sounding piece of gear. It has a very thick and warm sound on account of the tubes, and this sound is suitable to apply to a good amount of differing applications. In fact I wouldn't hesitate to use it on just about anything if it was the only outboard compressor that I had in my rig. The Pro VLA definitely is the cleanest or most accurate sounding compressor that I've used, but it sounds very good considering how cheap you're getting two channels for.
OVERALL OPINION
Price is definitely going to be the main factor when it comes to the ART Pro VLA, as the main reason it is such an attractive option is because of this very low price. While it is incredibly cheap for a stereo compressor, don't let the price fool you as it could easily have been priced higher. I wouldn't recommend the ART Pro VLA to a professional, but for the home studio owner looking for a compressor to add some warmth to their sound with, without having to spend a boat load of money, absolutely consider the Pro VLA.
UTILIZATION
The make up of the ART Pro VLA has a lot of control while still maintaining a good amount of user friendly. Each channel has knobs for threshold, ratio, and output, as well as buttons for attack and release (fast/slow), for bypass, and for setting the VU meter to show either your input or output level. There are also LED meters for monitoring gain reduction. As you can tell, there isn't all that much to know here, and those with experience with compressors will undoubtedly find that using this is a breeze. Even those without much knowledge of compressor/limiters should be able to use this without the assistance of a manual.
SOUND QUALITY
While the sound of the ART Pro VLA is no where near up with the best of them, for something in this price range it is a very impressive sounding piece of gear. It has a very thick and warm sound on account of the tubes, and this sound is suitable to apply to a good amount of differing applications. In fact I wouldn't hesitate to use it on just about anything if it was the only outboard compressor that I had in my rig. The Pro VLA definitely is the cleanest or most accurate sounding compressor that I've used, but it sounds very good considering how cheap you're getting two channels for.
OVERALL OPINION
Price is definitely going to be the main factor when it comes to the ART Pro VLA, as the main reason it is such an attractive option is because of this very low price. While it is incredibly cheap for a stereo compressor, don't let the price fool you as it could easily have been priced higher. I wouldn't recommend the ART Pro VLA to a professional, but for the home studio owner looking for a compressor to add some warmth to their sound with, without having to spend a boat load of money, absolutely consider the Pro VLA.