And this is how a great comparison is done. No talking in between on playing the audio of one too much longer than the next. Thanks. They both sound great but l like the WA a tad more.
The ART had more depth and a more organic feel. The Warm was really tight and controlled.... But didn't have as much of a 3d feel. I preferred the ART on this mix. I'm thinking I'm going to buy one.
Hey, thanks for the comparison. Might help me with my decission which one I should buy first. I've recorded your comparison and aligned them in my DAW to switch between both in a loop. I love the punch of the VCAs, to my ears the WA it's more what I hear on commercial records. Glues the mix more while not affecting transients, it gives it a shiny finish, I can hear it especially on the cymbals. The VLA is kinda darker and keeps instruments more separated, it does what I would expect from an optical compressor. I'd appreciate further comparisons :D
I just got the Art for Christmas from my wife. I haven't set it up yet as my studio is going to be moving soon. To my ears, I can't hear enough of a difference to justify the WA comp. Great video and thanks for this one!
The HPF on the Warm would open up the bass a little more for full range mix bus. This was a good comparison as the ART does not have that feature, but if you were to dial that HPF up to 125 or 185, it would react less to the bass and open up the low end, that would be important for mix bus comp.
Thanks for the comparison.. been looking around if I should change out my apVLA ii on my bass rig or not. I've been using it for a few years now. When I got it, first thing, I modded it with Mullard 12AT7, Matched Pair tubes. And, at the time a breakout board was available on ebay or somewhere for adding Jensen in/out coils, (DIY soldering etc required). Got the coils direct from Jensen, two JT-10KB-DPC (line input), and two JT-11-HFMPC (line output). My rig has a crossover to split the signal and process/compress the high shelf separate from the low shelf, then I sum the two channels after the VLAii and send it to the PA. Anyway, maybe all that will help someone else researching the unit. but yeah, your review is making me think to just keep what I got.
@@AtTheSourceStudios yeah I bought the mpa ii last month and loved the nice clean preamp sound I got from it figured I'd get the compressor, right now I have it set as my vocal chain, but when I get some longer trs cables I might have it set as bus comp. For the price I am impressed.
@@ronaldirawan3643 yes! EQP-KT is very impressive! They're MUCH better than any plugin I've tried. Some people say the Q is a bit sharp and I'd agree to some extent but nothing over the top. Still very musical and of course just use your ears to dial it in like any other effect and you're good. The knobs have soft notches for easy recall and matching settings of a pair for use as bus EQ.
The VLA was looser and more mellow. For the demoed mix I’d go Warm, as an SSL shines on gluing the details like that. But for guys like me who want that gooey, warm vibe of old music where elements blend more, the VLA is great.
They both sound great especially gor the price points. The biggest thing i notive is the Warm has a wider stereo spread in the upper mids, going back and forth you hear the vla getting a bit more narrow. And the vla get a little more low mid saturation where the warm tightens the lows. But all of that makes sense considering the tube gain stage against a transformer.
Awesome video man! Just got the vla in today, I’m liking it! Quick question for you, on the back of the unit, do you have the I/o level pressed in or out? Just curious
Art Pro for the win! Although the difference is negligable, that alone is what makes the Art impressive at a price point of nearly half. Can't go wrong with either one!
I’m debating which one to buy and this video leaves me on the fence or wanting both! They both sound great! I did perhaps detect a hint more warmth in the WA. But that could just be predictive programming knowing it’s got tubes! Cheers!
I love this video. I have both comps and would never think to compare them. I wouldn’t know where to start. You summed it up well. I will add that using a frequency analyzer that the Art vla pro ii adds a boost in the 100-65hz range. On average 6db on my unit with no compression happening. The warm does not do this naturally. I have them both placed after my pair of eqp. So either my eq reacts wildly different between the two or the art adds an eq color
I have both and I just use the WA Bus Comp as a Mix Bus Comp only. I use the Pro VLA II as a Bus Comp and on vocals and instruments. I also use a FMR RNC 1173 on those as well.
Great comparison sir.. I'd keep both as they're special in their own right.. you actually could use them both together.. . You can NEVER have too much outboard gear.. You'll definitely miss one of you don't keep it.. Trust me.. I've made that mistake before. You'll need it later on down the line.. I personally have stereo pair of the WARM AUDIO EQS that really gives some weight to that bus compressor. This combination allows me to dial ANY sound that I'm looking for.. I'll be getting a serious limiter next.. blessings Phil
Wow... first of all, I really dig the track! But I wasn't expecting the ART to be SOOOOO close to the Warm Audio. That was surprising. Thanks for the comparison.
The bus comp seems to have a faster release, thats why it sounds brighter or less grabby than the VLA I think. Nice comparison. I like the Bus Comp better on the whole mix, tends to let the mix be more dynamical in this case to my ears. I heard some great results with the VLA on drum buss though. Thanks
One HELL of a comparison. Jesus, I can't tell you how many times I've seen "comparisons" where they talk for 10 minutes before showing any audio, not to mention when they finally do, the A/B back and forth during different segments so you get no real, true comparison. This was fantastic. With that said, I'm quite surprised. I listened on both sets of monitors I have which are the CLA-10A's and Genelec 8030c's and they sounded very damn close, with the Art sounding just a tad "warmer" as cliché as that word has become. If I were looking form a mix buss compressor that added a little, pleasing color and I didn't want to spend 1,000's of dollars for a marginal improvement over plugins, I'd grab the Art no problem. The Art has one of, if not the best reputation for a "budget" compressor.
@@AtTheSourceStudios hello, I am a subscriber to your channel and have learned so much from your tutorials on how to, with the Alesis strike module. I just upgraded my electronic snare to a 14"×5" electronic snare from Diamond drums in the U.K. I can't seem to crossstick, any suggestions??
What would really be helpful is to have the same 2 clips, but also include a level matched non-compressed version too (i.e., mix without either unit on, but at same volume). IMHO people get too hyped up about bus compression when they hear unmatched gain and/or no reference (before/after)...Volume does that to a lot of people. LOL
2 different types of compression, like comparing apples to pears, both of them are doing a good job, keep them both you can never have too many tools, the ART was smooth and gentle while the WA was more reactive & dynamic. The ART looks badass in the rack so I guess it's the winner
The WARM is more open in the mids and retains the guitar transients more. The ART is much smoother and wider, at the expense of some clarity. VCA vs Vactrol/opto compression is so different.
Guitar sounds like a horn, man my bass does this to me too! Have to get a tube amp! At first I thought it was the Art, but its definitely the guitar. Maybe WA softens it a tad! thanks for comparison, for the money definitely going art and swapping tubes Subbed
On the vla the guitar jumps out rocking and the drum solo sounds excellent but when all the instruments are played at the same time the drums seems to duck a little but on the warm the guitar solo sounds good not as in your face as the vla but when all the instruments are playing at once the warm has a better balance and the drums doesn't duck .if you turn the drums up a little before going into the vla it would be a award winning mix and mastered song
I like the VLA! I've been thinking of purchasing one of those. I keep hearing amazing things about these. I really love Ulrich Wild's mixes and saw his rack and he has a few of these. I may have to snag one of these! What do you use the Pro Channel for? Vocals? Currently I've got an ISA One I use for vox and I have a dbx 266xs compressor.
Pro Channel is my vocal preamp. I run the preamp only to interface and then output to the Pro Channel comp/LA2A/Pro channel EQ and back to interface and process in post like normal analog modules. Very happy with the Pro Channel too! Considering doing a video on my routing without because I don't see anybody using it like that (independent modules)
I use mine for vocals, but only when I feel like I need it. It is the second compressor in my vocal chain (the first is my LL2A from Little Labs). I'll only incorporate the VLA Pro if and when I want some grit added. It's not every track I use it on, but when I do use it it does what I want it to do. Very nice for the price.
Quick question. I am not sure what this is called- In the DAW, how did you get the music to play on a bus compressor (VLA compressor) for example? Or how you demonstrated it here, please?
So I do plan to make a video on this but basically in order to hook external/out board analog gear up you need an available line out and line in on your interface. Run a balanced trs from interface line out to module (compressor) line input and then module (compressor) output to interface line in with balanced TRS. Then you have to inside your daw assign the routing to whichever corresponding I/O. Then you bring up your new "insert" in your inserts like a normal plugin. If your interface doesn't have enough analog I/O you can check to see if you have ADAT expansion ports which then you can get something like a Behringer ADA8200 or ART Tube Opto8 to expand to an additional 8 in/8 out.
Sounds great man! I’m trying to decide between the 2 units myself! Very minimal difference from what I’m hearing! When you use the pro vla, do you have to reduce the return gain at all in your DAW at all? Or do you just do it with the make up gain on the unit? Thanks in advance
Never had a problem with the VLA output. It has the +4/-10 switch in the back so you can just select whichever outputs plays with your system the best. Either unit is an excellent choice!
@@krizzleeeqwe no but depending what interface you have you may have to. They're all different (the interfaces) in how hot the I/O line ins/outs are. I.e. the line ins/outs on my interface are hotter than the ones in my ADAT expansion so I just have to adjust on the ADAT unit a little and it's good. I could adjust from DAW as well. It doesn't hurt the system if you have to adjust the levels a little. That's what it's there for so all good.
I'm kind of shocked how good the Art Pro VLA sounds. it has that nice round loose tube smoothness. Perhaps the treble could be a little more boosted in the mastering EQ.
@@anthonyman8008 I think there was only 2 tubes to switch so I just switched them. I wanted to try the mullards for about 15 years so I went with them. But all the high end tubes sound good - all different, but good. I wanted that fat British sound so I went with the mullards. There's tons of stuff on the forums about it.
I have over the years seen both the original VLA and the Pro VLA II embarrase many high end compressors in my studio. Another sleeper is the little ART Tube MP Project Series preamp. It's one of the best kick drum preamps on earth. I just used it on a session the other day and the client was amazed when he heard the track playback.
Preferred the Warm. Sounded like it was holding the mix together where it didn’t leap out at me “I’m compressing!”. The ART made the snare and guitars more “pokey” (scientific term). Even though it’s an aggressive style of music the ART was imparting too much more aggressive tendencies on top of it, which I would find fatiguing. Plus the tube in the ART has nothing to do with the compression circuit. It’s purely in the output stages.
@@anthonyman8008 It might but I don’t think they’ll be much of a difference. After watching many tube swap comparisons, new for old/unbranded versus vintage/warn in versus non-warn in, I think if you’re changing the tube like for like (same plate size same type et cetera) you’re not gonna hear a difference. The tube is only one part of the equation, the tone comes from the entire circuit start to finish. That being said changing the type of tube would change the flavour quite a bit. Like a long plate versus a short plate etc. But just changing the brand isn’t gonna do much. Though a branded one probably has better QC. So will probably last longer and will be More consistent when two are used for stereo.
Some comments said that the VLA has less upper mids than the Warm audio, and for this reason they will buy the more expensive unit. Guys, buy the VLA, simply use an EQ and save you money haha ;)
Gotta love people that comment on videos like this who claim to have golden ears. I listened a few times on both my CLA-10A's and my Genelec 8030c's in my treated room and I have what I like to think is a pretty critical ear. With that said, the differences between the 2 were VERY small in the grand scheme of things, which is sort of surprising being that they are completely different types of compressors. VCA vs Opto of course, but seriously, like you said, throw a plugin eq after the Art and be done with it. If you want some "analog" vibe, the Art is a hard bargain to beat. I also saw a couple comments talking about the Art not having a HPF, and how that makes the Warm Audio better because you can "open up the low end." Shit, you want a work around for that? Throw the Art on the mix bus at the START of a mix session and mix into it. Problem solved.
Considering the Tubes are just in the output section and not part of the compression, replacing them really has very little difference. I own one and like it...but the "tube" part of the VLA doesn't really do all that much unfortunately.
Hey - cool job on the A/B comparison clips! Do you compress each track when recording dry? Or just use the Art in your final mix? How do you use outboard 1/4” jacks with the usb audio interface? Do you record a track dry, then audio interface Out to Art In, then Art Out to audio interface In, to a track 2? It sounds great.
Yes for mix bus you would need to run two outputs to the VLA and out from the VLA into two inputs (1/4 TRS). The only thing I usually compress on the way in is vocals and bass. For those I use an IGS 576 Blue Stripe and Warm Audio WA-76.
I’m using Cakewalk…how would I send an “old school” aux out to the Art? I’d need a multi channel outlet board usb mixer, where Cakewalk sends the recorded tracks to the more mixer, then run an aux to the Art, then some sort of return to the daw. That is the golden question, how to run aux to outboard effects from a daw.
You need to send two line outs to the bus comp (1/4 outputs from interface) and then the two outputs from bus comp into two line inputs on your interface. Then just set up the routing within your daw but that's the hardware routing part of it is the same
Sorry for the late reply but I did not change the tubes! :) I have in the past but actually preferred the sound of the stock ones the best so I stuck with them!
HOLY SHITTTTT BRO!!! SOUNDS COMPLETELY BADASSSS!!! VLA WAAAYY BETTER 😜❤️🤘 Take the other one back! Haha 😂 And IF that was your Strike Kit sound? ONE ☝️ WORD - DAAAAAAAAAMMNN!!! Awesomeness
McGriff!! Yeah right that's crazy that VLA man. I and def considering sticking with the VLA. So punchy! P.s. THANK YOU for supporting me even on my non drum videos!!!! I appreciate that bro ❤️💯🥪🧀🌟🙂🙂🙂
@@AtTheSourceStudios - HELL YAA 4REALZZZ BRO SKI 🤘🤘 You’ve always had my back n always Helped me bro 😎 without YoU I wouldn’t be where I’m at now in Sound and products Etc.... You’re Seriously THEE ONLY ONE ☝️ I LOOK 👀 UP TO!!!.. My Dog 4life 🤘🤘
I honestly haven't tried the VLA on vocals but I know plenty that have and been very happy with the results. If I were to use it on rap vocals I would run each channel of the VLA into the other. Limiting first (20:1) with fastest attack and then on Ch2 compressing 4:1 with a slower attack.
It's great on rap vocals, but it's not every vocal that I use it on. I only use it when it benefits and compliments the vocal. My VLA is the second compressor in my vocal chain, my first compressor is the LL2A compressor limiter from Little Labs. The VLA is chained behind it.
Even if your not "just a home studio guy" the VLA sounds great. The people who judge gear off brand name and the opinions of nerds bickering about circuitry etc just need to remember at the end of the day the sound is what matters and it's just tools. If dudes feel the need to spend thousands just to impress other mixers then by all means but I don't see the VLA getting son'ed by anything really. Of course there will be differences but I do think it sounds that good. I'd love to see it against other more expensive compressors.
@@AtTheSourceStudios Hey mate - I really like this comment - however now that we're moving towards VST's etc. UA provides vsts I think with some purchases. I was considering them in the future chain. Currently I have a old Focusrite Twin trak pro for vocals only. It goes well. I may just need to upgrade the mic. Do you record vocals through the VLA? any examples?
@@TheRealDirtySkillz yes unfortunately most people are thinking plugins are the way to go these days but IMO there's still no match for analog. (Get as much as you can lol) I don't track with compression but I've seen many that do use the VLA on the way in and are very happy with it. I just personally prefer to run my vocal chain in post so I can mix with it as per normal. For the price though the Art Pro Channel II is a great pre amp channel strip. Super versatile with the voltage modes for clean or colored preamp tone and variable impedance adjustment to get the most out of your microphones. It has multiple tubes in the circuit with an Opto compressor and EQ (as with most channel strips) but for me what made it special is the fx loops which I used to run the preamp only to interface so I can get the raw preamp and then route the compressor and EQ to use in post which makes it so you don't have to commit to the Comp and EQ modules settings. Sorry! Long reply there lol but YES I think the VLA would be great on vocals. Natural musical control of dynamics with a nice subtle amount of color.
Idk man I'm listening through my a7x and Yamaha hs8s back and forth and that warm is incredible ! I'm also in a professionally treated room and you definitely hear the difference. All said and done its definitely a preference thing ! They're both great bang for your buck !
Great comparison! The VLA II sounded slightly more weighty in the bass, maybe even adding a muffled quality in those frequencies. How about doing a M/S experiement, with the bass and centre channels going through the VLA II, and the extreme panned tracks on the WA BusComp?
I thought it was pretty similar peaking at 4db gr, as close as possible IMO but it can admittedly be difficult to match gr to exact amounts especially on different gear with different metering.
New Channel guessing but quick question about strike module....so got a new phone that has no aux input but has an adapter that goes in charging port that you can plug headphones in to listen to music....now when pluging the aux cable into the adapter thats hooked to the phone that runs to the back of the module...so you can play along with songs from UA-cam or whatever...nothing comes out of the headphones that are plugged into the front of the module. Plug headphones straight to phone works fine....plug aux cable to old phone works fine but New hone with adapter, nothing
Hmmmm that's odd. It "should" work just fine. You didn't happen to turn the Aux volume down did you? Lol I know.... Ya never know though! Outside of that I would try a different aux cable just to make sure. Otherwise sounds like for some reason... Doesn't work. Worst case you could get a bluetooth adapter and plug that into the strike and just sync with your phone?
There's definitely a difference no doubt but I 100% agree they are plenty "close enough" and the difference is more in that analog sounds MUCH better than plugins especially when it comes to mix bus. Best place to go analog besides whatever in the chain on the way in.
Both can be very nice bus comps. The VLA cost much less. The reason for comparison is to show how an affordable stereo compressor compares to a more expensive one. Thought it was pretty obvious IMO but I appreciate your comment and thank you for watching!!
Just because the compression is not happening 100% from the tubes alone doesn't mean they're not having an effect on the sound. There is definitely a difference and if you're familiar with the sound of glass, that is part of the difference for sure.
@@AtTheSourceStudios I'm not saying every component doesn't affect the sound. Of course they do. But it's not a tube compressor. The Warm Audio LA-2A clone is an analog tube compressor, for instance.
And this is how a great comparison is done. No talking in between on playing the audio of one too much longer than the next. Thanks. They both sound great but l like the WA a tad more.
VLA all the way !!! I have 3 !
Hands down the best comparison! Short and sweet; in and out like a duck matting! Great job! Oh, and the winner is......Art!!!!!!
VLA to my ears induced less fatigue. Honestly an outstanding comp for the price.
The ART had more depth and a more organic feel. The Warm was really tight and controlled.... But didn't have as much of a 3d feel. I preferred the ART on this mix. I'm thinking I'm going to buy one.
Hey, thanks for the comparison. Might help me with my decission which one I should buy first. I've recorded your comparison and aligned them in my DAW to switch between both in a loop. I love the punch of the VCAs, to my ears the WA it's more what I hear on commercial records. Glues the mix more while not affecting transients, it gives it a shiny finish, I can hear it especially on the cymbals. The VLA is kinda darker and keeps instruments more separated, it does what I would expect from an optical compressor. I'd appreciate further comparisons :D
I just got the Art for Christmas from my wife. I haven't set it up yet as my studio is going to be moving soon. To my ears, I can't hear enough of a difference to justify the WA comp. Great video and thanks for this one!
The HPF on the Warm would open up the bass a little more for full range mix bus. This was a good comparison as the ART does not have that feature, but if you were to dial that HPF up to 125 or 185, it would react less to the bass and open up the low end, that would be important for mix bus comp.
True, with that said, if a unit doesn't have said HPF, just slap that baby on from the get go and mix into it.
Vla II rocked, hope i'll get mine soon!
I just got 2. And NO REGRETS AT ALL. it sounds absolutely fantastic. I want a 3rd now. 🤣
Great comparison, great tone.
HI! I have a vla II too! and you surprised me.. awesome!.
Thanks for the comparison.. been looking around if I should change out my apVLA ii on my bass rig or not. I've been using it for a few years now. When I got it, first thing, I modded it with Mullard 12AT7, Matched Pair tubes. And, at the time a breakout board was available on ebay or somewhere for adding Jensen in/out coils, (DIY soldering etc required). Got the coils direct from Jensen, two JT-10KB-DPC (line input), and two JT-11-HFMPC (line output). My rig has a crossover to split the signal and process/compress the high shelf separate from the low shelf, then I sum the two channels after the VLAii and send it to the PA. Anyway, maybe all that will help someone else researching the unit. but yeah, your review is making me think to just keep what I got.
I literally just bought the vla ii today. Thanks for the video
Hell yeah bro! That VLA is what started my analog addiction!!! Lol I'll never get rid of it it's too good!
@@AtTheSourceStudios yeah I bought the mpa ii last month and loved the nice clean preamp sound I got from it figured I'd get the compressor, right now I have it set as my vocal chain, but when I get some longer trs cables I might have it set as bus comp. For the price I am impressed.
@@AtTheSourceStudios hey, what about KT EQP, is it good?
@@ronaldirawan3643 yes! EQP-KT is very impressive! They're MUCH better than any plugin I've tried. Some people say the Q is a bit sharp and I'd agree to some extent but nothing over the top. Still very musical and of course just use your ears to dial it in like any other effect and you're good. The knobs have soft notches for easy recall and matching settings of a pair for use as bus EQ.
great video, was looking at warm audio for EQs
Just got the wa73 eq and it is awesome
both sound great
The VLA was looser and more mellow. For the demoed mix I’d go Warm, as an SSL shines on gluing the details like that. But for guys like me who want that gooey, warm vibe of old music where elements blend more, the VLA is great.
The Art warms it up more. If you’re going for that analogue sound than I’d pick that
Thank you for doing those very short a/b comparisons. People need to do that more, the differences are more obvious that way, I think.
Yessss I totally agree man. I'm glad you like the format!
They both sound great especially gor the price points. The biggest thing i notive is the Warm has a wider stereo spread in the upper mids, going back and forth you hear the vla getting a bit more narrow. And the vla get a little more low mid saturation where the warm tightens the lows. But all of that makes sense considering the tube gain stage against a transformer.
I think I would like both. I would put the art unit on the drum bus and the warm audio unit on the mix bus.
thanks buddy, your video helped me a ton to choose between them. Just bought VLA II today. :)
Great choice! I am confident you will be very impressed!
@@AtTheSourceStudios Is it good for bass heavy genres. As it does not have any sidechain filter. What's your experience on it.
I agree with your assessment.
They both sound great I think the warm audio bus comp sounds brighter
Awesome video man! Just got the vla in today, I’m liking it! Quick question for you, on the back of the unit, do you have the I/o level pressed in or out? Just curious
I think it's out but it's set to whichever is louder.
Art Pro for the win! Although the difference is negligable, that alone is what makes the Art impressive at a price point of nearly half. Can't go wrong with either one!
I’m debating which one to buy and this video leaves me on the fence or wanting both! They both sound great! I did perhaps detect a hint more warmth in the WA. But that could just be predictive programming knowing it’s got tubes! Cheers!
Vla has tubes
I love this video. I have both comps and would never think to compare them. I wouldn’t know where to start. You summed it up well.
I will add that using a frequency analyzer that the Art vla pro ii adds a boost in the 100-65hz range. On average 6db on my unit with no compression happening. The warm does not do this naturally. I have them both placed after my pair of eqp. So either my eq reacts wildly different between the two or the art adds an eq color
I have both and I just use the WA Bus Comp as a Mix Bus Comp only. I use the Pro VLA II as a Bus Comp and on vocals and instruments. I also use a FMR RNC 1173 on those as well.
The Art definitely sounds heavy, wow.
Great comparison sir.. I'd keep both as they're special in their own right.. you actually could use them both together.. . You can NEVER have too much outboard gear.. You'll definitely miss one of you don't keep it.. Trust me.. I've made that mistake before. You'll need it later on down the line..
I personally have stereo pair of the WARM AUDIO EQS that really gives some weight to that bus compressor. This combination allows me to dial ANY sound that I'm looking for.. I'll be getting a serious limiter next.. blessings
Phil
Wow... first of all, I really dig the track! But I wasn't expecting the ART to be SOOOOO close to the Warm Audio. That was surprising. Thanks for the comparison.
The bus comp seems to have a faster release, thats why it sounds brighter or less grabby than the VLA I think. Nice comparison. I like the Bus Comp better on the whole mix, tends to let the mix be more dynamical in this case to my ears. I heard some great results with the VLA on drum buss though. Thanks
Dynamical??? Do you mean ‘dynamic’?
@@pete3816 yes
One HELL of a comparison. Jesus, I can't tell you how many times I've seen "comparisons" where they talk for 10 minutes before showing any audio, not to mention when they finally do, the A/B back and forth during different segments so you get no real, true comparison. This was fantastic. With that said, I'm quite surprised. I listened on both sets of monitors I have which are the CLA-10A's and Genelec 8030c's and they sounded very damn close, with the Art sounding just a tad "warmer" as cliché as that word has become. If I were looking form a mix buss compressor that added a little, pleasing color and I didn't want to spend 1,000's of dollars for a marginal improvement over plugins, I'd grab the Art no problem. The Art has one of, if not the best reputation for a "budget" compressor.
That Warm sounds a little tighter but I like that VLA a lot.
I agree on that for sure. Honestly it's more of a "difference" than one being better but I do prefer the VLA now. Really surprised me!
thank you,VLA im coming for you
Ive been running mixes thru the vla since 2017 thinking of getting the ssl it sounds a bit more brighter on the upper mids/highs
If you want a little brighter change the tubes Tung Sol or Gold Lions
Nice set up bud!
Thank you!! :)
@@AtTheSourceStudios hello, I am a subscriber to your channel and have learned so much from your tutorials on how to, with the Alesis strike module. I just upgraded my electronic snare to a 14"×5" electronic snare from Diamond drums in the U.K. I can't seem to crossstick, any suggestions??
What would really be helpful is to have the same 2 clips, but also include a level matched non-compressed version too (i.e., mix without either unit on, but at same volume). IMHO people get too hyped up about bus compression when they hear unmatched gain and/or no reference (before/after)...Volume does that to a lot of people. LOL
2 different types of compression, like comparing apples to pears, both of them are doing a good job, keep them both you can never have too many tools, the ART was smooth and gentle while the WA was more reactive & dynamic. The ART looks badass in the rack so I guess it's the winner
The WARM is more open in the mids and retains the guitar transients more. The ART is much smoother and wider, at the expense of some clarity. VCA vs Vactrol/opto compression is so different.
it’s like comparing a green apple vs a yellow apple… which do you prefer?
Very nice. I'm wondering how the VLAII would or could handle hip-hop low-end kicks/bass.. On Rock examples it really smokes!
Guitar sounds like a horn, man my bass does this to me too! Have to get a tube amp! At first I thought it was the Art, but its definitely the guitar. Maybe WA softens it a tad! thanks for comparison, for the money definitely going art and swapping tubes
Subbed
On the vla the guitar jumps out rocking and the drum solo sounds excellent but when all the instruments are played at the same time the drums seems to duck a little but on the warm the guitar solo sounds good not as in your face as the vla but when all the instruments are playing at once the warm has a better balance and the drums doesn't duck .if you turn the drums up a little before going into the vla it would be a award winning mix and mastered song
I like the VLA! I've been thinking of purchasing one of those. I keep hearing amazing things about these. I really love Ulrich Wild's mixes and saw his rack and he has a few of these. I may have to snag one of these! What do you use the Pro Channel for? Vocals? Currently I've got an ISA One I use for vox and I have a dbx 266xs compressor.
Pro Channel is my vocal preamp. I run the preamp only to interface and then output to the Pro Channel comp/LA2A/Pro channel EQ and back to interface and process in post like normal analog modules. Very happy with the Pro Channel too! Considering doing a video on my routing without because I don't see anybody using it like that (independent modules)
Ulrich only Tracked with the VLA. He does not mix with it. He mixes “in the DAW” digitally then sends it off to get mastered.
@@Gretsch0997 honestly it doesn't matter if he used it or not the VLA is legit.
Oh , don’t get me wrong , I agree. I have one as well.
I use mine for vocals, but only when I feel like I need it. It is the second compressor in my vocal chain (the first is my LL2A from Little Labs). I'll only incorporate the VLA Pro if and when I want some grit added. It's not every track I use it on, but when I do use it it does what I want it to do. Very nice for the price.
Quick question. I am not sure what this is called-
In the DAW, how did you get the music to play on a bus compressor (VLA compressor) for example? Or how you demonstrated it here, please?
So I do plan to make a video on this but basically in order to hook external/out board analog gear up you need an available line out and line in on your interface. Run a balanced trs from interface line out to module (compressor) line input and then module (compressor) output to interface line in with balanced TRS. Then you have to inside your daw assign the routing to whichever corresponding I/O. Then you bring up your new "insert" in your inserts like a normal plugin.
If your interface doesn't have enough analog I/O you can check to see if you have ADAT expansion ports which then you can get something like a Behringer ADA8200 or ART Tube Opto8 to expand to an additional 8 in/8 out.
@@AtTheSourceStudios thank you so much! I’ll be subscribing and I look forward to the video as well! 🙏
The WARM has got something the VAL doesn't. It's subtle but it's there.
I think the word is polish..tightness..sheen.. the VLA has some great stuff going for it as well though! phatness ..character.
Thx , thought vla sounded a little smeared vs Warm, would really need to hear a variety of genres to make a final decision .
I think I would use the VLA for Hip Hop definitely.
excellent video the tubes are the factory ones or are they changed?
All stock
Sounds great man! I’m trying to decide between the 2 units myself! Very minimal difference from what I’m hearing! When you use the pro vla, do you have to reduce the return gain at all in your DAW at all? Or do you just do it with the make up gain on the unit? Thanks in advance
Never had a problem with the VLA output. It has the +4/-10 switch in the back so you can just select whichever outputs plays with your system the best. Either unit is an excellent choice!
@@AtTheSourceStudios sweet! So you didn’t have to adjust any return gain in your DAW?
@@krizzleeeqwe no but depending what interface you have you may have to. They're all different (the interfaces) in how hot the I/O line ins/outs are. I.e. the line ins/outs on my interface are hotter than the ones in my ADAT expansion so I just have to adjust on the ADAT unit a little and it's good. I could adjust from DAW as well. It doesn't hurt the system if you have to adjust the levels a little. That's what it's there for so all good.
@@AtTheSourceStudios one more question brother, when hooking this vla unit up - Do you use 1/4 instrument cables or stereo 1/4 cables ??
@@krizzleeeqwe you want to use balanced TRS (the stereo 1/4) or XLR cable.
I think Stacking them in the right way would be amazing
That VLA man. That thing should cost at least double the price. Such a Workhorse.
💯✨ LOVE THE VIDEO ✨💯 NEW Subscriber 🙂
Vla sounds a little more transparent. Bus com colors the sound a little which I thinks it serves its purpose. I would keep both
I'm kind of shocked how good the Art Pro VLA sounds. it has that nice round loose tube smoothness. Perhaps the treble could be a little more boosted in the mastering EQ.
I swapped on the stock tubes on my VLA and put Mullards in. Sounds awesome. Smooth and warm.
@@SuperDenglish I was thinking about going Art and wondering how to find out what type of tubes to switch!
@@anthonyman8008 I think there was only 2 tubes to switch so I just switched them. I wanted to try the mullards for about 15 years so I went with them. But all the high end tubes sound good - all different, but good. I wanted that fat British sound so I went with the mullards. There's tons of stuff on the forums about it.
@@SuperDenglish Awesome! Thank you, God bless you!
I have over the years seen both the original VLA and the Pro VLA II embarrase many high end compressors in my studio. Another sleeper is the little ART Tube MP Project Series preamp. It's one of the best kick drum preamps on earth. I just used it on a session the other day and the client was amazed when he heard the track playback.
Love my warm
Preferred the Warm. Sounded like it was holding the mix together where it didn’t leap out at me “I’m compressing!”. The ART made the snare and guitars more “pokey” (scientific term). Even though it’s an aggressive style of music the ART was imparting too much more aggressive tendencies on top of it, which I would find fatiguing. Plus the tube in the ART has nothing to do with the compression circuit. It’s purely in the output stages.
Try both to see :)
The is definitely a shift between the 2 in the upper mids. there seems to be less in the VLA, or the WA is adding. But it's so darn close!
Yeah, maybe switching tubes will help a lot too
@@anthonyman8008 It might but I don’t think they’ll be much of a difference. After watching many tube swap comparisons, new for old/unbranded versus vintage/warn in versus non-warn in, I think if you’re changing the tube like for like (same plate size same type et cetera) you’re not gonna hear a difference. The tube is only one part of the equation, the tone comes from the entire circuit start to finish.
That being said changing the type of tube would change the flavour quite a bit. Like a long plate versus a short plate etc. But just changing the brand isn’t gonna do much. Though a branded one probably has better QC. So will probably last longer and will be More consistent when two are used for stereo.
Warm is more open to me on top end but they sound very similar as far as comps.
I come here for the vla, but the warm sounded a dash better. Cant place what but... yeah.
Many thanks
Some comments said that the VLA has less upper mids than the Warm audio, and for this reason they will buy the more expensive unit. Guys, buy the VLA, simply use an EQ and save you money haha ;)
Gotta love people that comment on videos like this who claim to have golden ears. I listened a few times on both my CLA-10A's and my Genelec 8030c's in my treated room and I have what I like to think is a pretty critical ear. With that said, the differences between the 2 were VERY small in the grand scheme of things, which is sort of surprising being that they are completely different types of compressors. VCA vs Opto of course, but seriously, like you said, throw a plugin eq after the Art and be done with it. If you want some "analog" vibe, the Art is a hard bargain to beat. I also saw a couple comments talking about the Art not having a HPF, and how that makes the Warm Audio better because you can "open up the low end." Shit, you want a work around for that? Throw the Art on the mix bus at the START of a mix session and mix into it. Problem solved.
Cam someone explain how i send my entire mix through my Art pro and back into my interface without getting some time of weird feedback loop
I like ART!
Pro vla seems to accentuate more hi mids, wheras the bus comp brings up more bottom end.
what about both in series ?
Have you changed the tubes at all? Or are these the stock ones that are still in it? Sounds really impressive!
All stock! :)
At The Source Studios :o oh my!
Considering the Tubes are just in the output section and not part of the compression, replacing them really has very little difference. I own one and like it...but the "tube" part of the VLA doesn't really do all that much unfortunately.
For the price, I would want to have two VLA. Because they can be used for many different things
Vocals
Guitars
Drums
and 2 bus
Hey - cool job on the A/B comparison clips! Do you compress each track when recording dry? Or just use the Art in your final mix? How do you use outboard 1/4” jacks with the usb audio interface? Do you record a track dry, then audio interface Out to Art In, then Art Out to audio interface In, to a track 2? It sounds great.
Yes for mix bus you would need to run two outputs to the VLA and out from the VLA into two inputs (1/4 TRS). The only thing I usually compress on the way in is vocals and bass. For those I use an IGS 576 Blue Stripe and Warm Audio WA-76.
I’m using Cakewalk…how would I send an “old school” aux out to the Art? I’d need a multi channel outlet board usb mixer, where Cakewalk sends the recorded tracks to the more mixer, then run an aux to the Art, then some sort of return to the daw. That is the golden question, how to run aux to outboard effects from a daw.
@@jzplayrwhat version on CW are you using ?
Can anyone explain how I run the bus comp to my final mix to add the compression as far as with in DAW Logic Pro x.
You need to send two line outs to the bus comp (1/4 outputs from interface) and then the two outputs from bus comp into two line inputs on your interface. Then just set up the routing within your daw but that's the hardware routing part of it is the same
Bro..Did you change the tube of Pro Vla ?
Sound really good...
Sorry for the late reply but I did not change the tubes! :) I have in the past but actually preferred the sound of the stock ones the best so I stuck with them!
Thank You Sir for your kind reply...I think I better stick to the stock one..👏👏👏👍🎶🎶
Vla 🔥
HOLY SHITTTTT BRO!!! SOUNDS COMPLETELY BADASSSS!!! VLA WAAAYY BETTER 😜❤️🤘
Take the other one back! Haha 😂
And IF that was your Strike Kit sound?
ONE ☝️ WORD - DAAAAAAAAAMMNN!!!
Awesomeness
McGriff!!
Yeah right that's crazy that VLA man.
I and def considering sticking with the VLA.
So punchy!
P.s. THANK YOU for supporting me even on my non drum videos!!!! I appreciate that bro ❤️💯🥪🧀🌟🙂🙂🙂
@@AtTheSourceStudios - HELL YAA 4REALZZZ BRO SKI 🤘🤘 You’ve always had my back n always Helped me bro 😎 without YoU I wouldn’t be where I’m at now in Sound and products Etc.... You’re Seriously THEE ONLY ONE ☝️ I LOOK 👀 UP TO!!!..
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How is the VLA on fast vocals like hip hop?...I would only be using it for vocals...
I honestly haven't tried the VLA on vocals but I know plenty that have and been very happy with the results. If I were to use it on rap vocals I would run each channel of the VLA into the other. Limiting first (20:1) with fastest attack and then on Ch2 compressing 4:1 with a slower attack.
It's great on rap vocals, but it's not every vocal that I use it on. I only use it when it benefits and compliments the vocal. My VLA is the second compressor in my vocal chain, my first compressor is the LL2A compressor limiter from Little Labs. The VLA is chained behind it.
@@lightafluident.9950 Thanks…I ended going with the Warm WA2A to tame peaks into in the computer before my plugin vocal chain…
I have a VLA ii. If you're just a home studio guy, this is the compressor for you!
Even if your not "just a home studio guy" the VLA sounds great. The people who judge gear off brand name and the opinions of nerds bickering about circuitry etc just need to remember at the end of the day the sound is what matters and it's just tools. If dudes feel the need to spend thousands just to impress other mixers then by all means but I don't see the VLA getting son'ed by anything really. Of course there will be differences but I do think it sounds that good. I'd love to see it against other more expensive compressors.
@@AtTheSourceStudios Hey mate - I really like this comment - however now that we're moving towards VST's etc. UA provides vsts I think with some purchases. I was considering them in the future chain. Currently I have a old Focusrite Twin trak pro for vocals only. It goes well. I may just need to upgrade the mic.
Do you record vocals through the VLA? any examples?
@@TheRealDirtySkillz yes unfortunately most people are thinking plugins are the way to go these days but IMO there's still no match for analog. (Get as much as you can lol)
I don't track with compression but I've seen many that do use the VLA on the way in and are very happy with it. I just personally prefer to run my vocal chain in post so I can mix with it as per normal.
For the price though the Art Pro Channel II is a great pre amp channel strip. Super versatile with the voltage modes for clean or colored preamp tone and variable impedance adjustment to get the most out of your microphones. It has multiple tubes in the circuit with an Opto compressor and EQ (as with most channel strips) but for me what made it special is the fx loops which I used to run the preamp only to interface so I can get the raw preamp and then route the compressor and EQ to use in post which makes it so you don't have to commit to the Comp and EQ modules settings.
Sorry! Long reply there lol but YES I think the VLA would be great on vocals. Natural musical control of dynamics with a nice subtle amount of color.
@@AtTheSourceStudios Absolutely agree. I love my VLA.
WA Bus Comp has more depth. Subtle but noticeable.
Art Pro VLA won! Gonna grab one soley for MixBus purposes only. wooop
Idk man I'm listening through my a7x and Yamaha hs8s back and forth and that warm is incredible ! I'm also in a professionally treated room and you definitely hear the difference.
All said and done its definitely a preference thing !
They're both great bang for your buck !
Great comparison! The VLA II sounded slightly more weighty in the bass, maybe even adding a muffled quality in those frequencies.
How about doing a M/S experiement, with the bass and centre channels going through the VLA II, and the extreme panned tracks on the WA BusComp?
it looked like you had significantly more gain reduction on the pro vla
I thought it was pretty similar peaking at 4db gr, as close as possible IMO but it can admittedly be difficult to match gr to exact amounts especially on different gear with different metering.
New Channel guessing but quick question about strike module....so got a new phone that has no aux input but has an adapter that goes in charging port that you can plug headphones in to listen to music....now when pluging the aux cable into the adapter thats hooked to the phone that runs to the back of the module...so you can play along with songs from UA-cam or whatever...nothing comes out of the headphones that are plugged into the front of the module. Plug headphones straight to phone works fine....plug aux cable to old phone works fine but New hone with adapter, nothing
Hmmmm that's odd. It "should" work just fine. You didn't happen to turn the Aux volume down did you? Lol I know.... Ya never know though! Outside of that I would try a different aux cable just to make sure. Otherwise sounds like for some reason... Doesn't work.
Worst case you could get a bluetooth adapter and plug that into the strike and just sync with your phone?
*THE ART OF COMPARISON*
VLA ii
But I wouldn’t use my VLA in my busses. It’s muddy for rock and too slow/pumpy for edm. I prefer the warm for mastering anything fast or bass heavy.
in youtube with head phone, i hear vla has sligthly bite sound
Pretty outrageous all the supposed differences between gear; they;re close enough; except for the huge price difference!
There's definitely a difference no doubt but I 100% agree they are plenty "close enough" and the difference is more in that analog sounds MUCH better than plugins especially when it comes to mix bus. Best place to go analog besides whatever in the chain on the way in.
In youtube comparison videos i can hear VLA2 sounds more like SSL Bus compressor. Clean, punch and wide. But the price difference is 10x+!!!
Man that vla 🙄
comparing an optical to a vca comp.... why? They're two completely different use cases.
Both can be very nice bus comps. The VLA cost much less. The reason for comparison is to show how an affordable stereo compressor compares to a more expensive one. Thought it was pretty obvious IMO but I appreciate your comment and thank you for watching!!
Art vla win
doubt it's the magic of tubes because there is only one per channel and it's not a tube compressor
Just because the compression is not happening 100% from the tubes alone doesn't mean they're not having an effect on the sound. There is definitely a difference and if you're familiar with the sound of glass, that is part of the difference for sure.
@@AtTheSourceStudios I'm not saying every component doesn't affect the sound. Of course they do. But it's not a tube compressor. The Warm Audio LA-2A clone is an analog tube compressor, for instance.
Art sounds better lol
I have 3 pro vla ,s was thinking about warm bus comp but why not just get 2 more pro,s