The WA sounds like it has a bit more in the lower mids. The Tube Tech sounds more transparent and I think that's what makes it legendary - you don't hear the compression as much.

Love that you matched it to ear and compression instead of just putting the setting in the same spot and running it . Great review !!!!

I can hear differences in the character. I definitely prefer the tube tech sound. It has a bit more richness. Tho the warm audio is a great alternative for budget I’d say they did a great job of trying to emulate this iconic gear

Wonderful review! Thanks Colt! Perfect demo of several different sources. Agree with results too, it's pretty darn close...And close enough once in the mix. Love it!

Thanks for saving me the trouble of trying this thing out and sending it back. :)

Thanks for the video Colt! I keep returning to your channel for content like this because I 1000% trust your ears and think the comments you make regarding gear and how things sound are of a high caliber. Much appreciated!

Marvelous review Colt! I am very excited for this WA version, but I honestly hear a big tone different between both.

Phenomenal test Colt. I thank you my pockets don’t LOL appreciate the detail

Great job Colt. I agree - sounds fabulous!

great demo as usual my friend!

Bro, I thought the exact same thing with the warm audio sounding a bit warmer on her vocals!! Great review bro!!

This is the first time I’ve seen a 1A in the wild lol. Our studio only has a 1A and thats all I’ve ever used, but damn does that WA stand up to it 🔥 great video man

Thanks for doing this. Very helpful. I thought the biggest difference was the vocal. Sounded way more present to me on the Tube Tech. Almost just sounded like the vocal track was louder for the Tube Tech on the vocal.

I haven't even watched the whole video yet I know this is going to be awesome!

Great demonstration..thanks, totally enjoyed the comparison.

I love Warm Audio hardware and mics. Glad to see a new compressor on the market. I use the plugin all the time on vocals.

Come on man… I know you get paid by these companies, but really? There is a pretty noticeable difference if you have a good monitoring in a good treated room. The Warm sounds like a way different cheap knock off, not even talking about the EQ part either. The transients, the way way the attack grabs.. THIS IS NOT A CL1B

I was just looking for warm audio's version of the tube tech, I didn't realize that it dropped today! The difference is so miniscule it should be a crime. Definitely going on my "to buy" list

Can’t wait to pick this one up!

Great review, honestly when I think of a CL1B I think “transparent.” I can compress really hard without necessarily saturating the signal. Though the difference is minimal I do hear a bit more saturation from the Warm. The differences are minimal so for most people I think this more then fine and a great value. Personally I’m gonna stick out the waiting list til I can get the Tube-Tech because the percentage that it’s better is worth it for what I want

I think the warm audio has about 3dB more presence in the low mids. Sounded alright on snare but on acoustic guitar it was too much. In my opinion the original has a lot more clarity above 8k which speaks to the far greater quality imho. I’ll pass on this warm like every other warm I’ve heard. Thanks for the comparison man, audio was excellent quality and properly level matched

Good job Colt!

Im actually really surprised how good this one sounds! Wow.

Thanks Mr colt I'm new to your channel thanks for your hard work

Great review! They really sound very close to my ears. On vocals and guitar the CL1A sounded just the slightest bit sweeter but I preferred the Warm Audio on bass. This might be my next hardware compressor.

The thing not talked about much is not a comparison but getting that smooth tube sound and compression. I bought this because it is an affordable option and best I have heard from warm audio as he described. Tube sound is the hardest to replicate in the box I found. It can make things sound not right if used incorrectly, but when you want or need it having one or two outboard gear to obtain that sound is invaluable and you can eq in the box easily later for instance to remove the low mid if you don’t like that. Just like most outboard gear you don’t use it on everything. Just a tool in the toolbox

Great video Colt! Thanks

The warm audio sounds a bit more chocked(or feels as if it's compressing more), the tube tech has a smoother and more even compression feel and more open (or maybe fraction louder?) . But i could be proven wrong in a blind A/B since bias would be eliminated Thank you for comparison video

Generally speaking I find the Tube-Tech more open on every source. I'm thinking the low mid push from the warm might get muddy if several instruments are recorded with it. (Just my gut reaction after listening to this once) Great shootout!

Ima be honest Brother… Wavy Wayne sold me on this unit with his video on this unit (chain with the WA-8000, WA-73 and WA-1B) but you OVERSOLD me and your knowledge as well as HONEST thoughts on the two units has absolutely got me considering of purchasing. Much love and I appreciate this.

Tbh they both are solid, the Tt is epic as always but since we don’t listen to music in mono & with a solid preamp and eq it’s not difficult to get a great sound on both. As someone who ones a lot of CL1B’s for most of my career I think the warm is great for a lot of uses over most compressors. At the end of the day these things are used for vocals mainly so I’d say it’s close as heck

That Tube Tech is definitely a little more open it sounds like, especially in the guitar. I would have to try the WA-1B with a couple different microphones to see what kind of tone it's doing on vocals (I mainly do vocals). Maybe a 414 or 103 or even c100 may sound interesting with it for vocals. I was able to try the WA-MPX at NAMM and that's been on my list of things to get, but this may just bump it off. Thanks for doing this!

This is really impressive! Would love to add a WA-1B to my studio one day

They're very close but the Tube Tech's top end is quite a bit more open to my ears. Knowing that, it could be handled with a different mic choice. Nicely done.

Wow! this does sound great we have a CL1B recently got in march we love It... would love to get one of these as well Thanks for sharing your thoughts and Time Colt😁Appreciate you..... Mack

I preferred the TubeTech on the vocals (warm audio just seemed to duck a bit too much in very small sections) and the acoustic guitar, and then the warm audio on the bass and the snare.

Ok Warm Audio. You wanna just start replacing all my vintage stuff. Killer video man

Your sound samples are always top notch which is really helpful to actually understand the potential of a piece of gear.

man the way the transients of the acoustic guitar sound on the Cl1a is amazing. It sounds freaking expensive

I'm working on my WA-1B content. Its annoying comparing hardware to clones or plugins because you can never set them to the same settings

The CL1A puts a SMILE ON MY FACE...! Can't be replicated..!

Crazy how close in all the comparisons these two units are I really couldn’t hear much of a difference I was hearing warming with the warm just as you said so it’s like splitting hairs if you broke them both down to the frequencies on a graph and I just don’t think the sound is different enough to have to go to that extent great job warm audio wow

Early and stoked.

The warm specs stipulates the tesponse has a 3 db cut from 5khz to 25, which makes for the tonal characteristics I'd guess. All the warm has that push in the low mid range. I use a transformeless mic TLM 102, a WA73-EQ and a KT76, so adding this baby to my chain could get me back a bit of those low mids and add a sweet saturation as well upfront. As for the low mids, doing a bit of an eq adjustment on the track I bounce out of my daw makes up and balances it out. this sounds great to me

They both super clean n clear.. I want one

This was a great video Colt! Keep Them coming my guy! Also try out the Lindell audio La2a its 600 right now I feel like it's a sleeper bro!

In this example through my DT1990 Pros & Atom Preamp: - Warm Audio clamps down quicker and applies more compression to the ear, not meter readings. Warm Audio also has a treble reduction, quite noticeable. This makes the TT CL1B sound much more open & unprocessed and WA1B more controlled, especially on the peaks. I prefer the Warm Audio as it pockets the vocal and I can add back clarity & definition (if needed) post comp.

Finally, Warm Audio did it for the vocals! Thats been some of my biggest hang-ups on some of there products! The CL1A was more open on the instruments, but i believe with the right processing ITB you can achieve the same result with the WA

Excellent comparison bro! I definitely heard the WA's lower-mid bump and the TT's upper-mid bump. And the TT did seem to have a little more "natural" attack. But when thrown in a full mix how much of that will be noticeable? I dont know. But I highly doubt its a 1/3 of the price difference.

Thank you for taking the time to make these videos. As soon as I hear the warm, I don't like something in the upper mids and highs. Some distortion. As soon as I heard the cl1b, it was creamy and smooth. This is a familiar theme with warm audio. Close but not really.

The warm audio still sounds much faster, really slamming down the transients ... I definitely feel a difference, the tubetech just breaths.

I think the WA-1B is a little less transparent due to the faster attack time. Other reviews did the comparisons without taking that into consideration and the transients are really sharper at the same settings in the original version. "Release-wise" they're really similar. Tbh it's a very very good clone (as usual with WA) and a no brainer for 1/3 of the price. I would happily buy one. Great video as always, Colt, keep going!

Great comparison video as always Colt! Is it possible to put a link in the description for the files you ran thru the units (both raw and processed by each unit)? Thanks!

In the snare test example, do you feel that because the attack has a bit less headroom then the CL1B, that you would consider that a little bit of a limitation of the Warm Audio clone ?

I can def hear a difference. Cl1a is more open. Been waiting for my cl1b for almost a year now. Can’t wait to add it to my rack!

cool vid. love them both!

great shoot out man, the sonic differences are so small that like you said it can easily be made up with small tweaks although I thought the upper mids on the tube tech just did something special to that bass guitar, that growl just put it over the top for me, but nowhere near a deal breaker. If you have some deep pockets and really, really need the tube tech by all means get it but I feel for the money the WA is an awesome compressor and no one will ever know LOL. Rock on Colt

Is it possible for you to upload the tracks so we could down load them because comparing stuff soundwise via KZfaq is impossible? Good video.

they sound the same!! Fantastic

Bass guitar I can barely hear the difference. Attack seems faster on the snare still, and it’s a little grabbier on the vocal. It seemed to overcompress the low end a little on the acoustic guitar, but that could also be a function of KZfaq’s audio compression in tandem with the low-mid bump. All in all, seems like a great piece of kit! What I’d really like to hear is a comparison against the Softube CL-1B plugin, as that’s what I’m currently using.

They’re within 95% of each other sonically, and for $3K in my pocket… I can just knock down the low mids on the EQ by 2dB!

I’m impressed. Two questions: How’s the build quality? How solid are the dials?

That WA-1B is fire 🔥 Adding to my list of gear to get. My pocket and my ears are happy with this. This is my most favorite compressor of all time!!

They may sound similar enough, but what is the build quality of this Warm gear? Would be nice to see inside the chassis.

I prefer the Warm Audio on the bass guitar. The other examples were close enough to offset with EQ as you pointed out.

Warm Audio is basically the 'upscale' Behringer of classic hardware at this point.

Testing out the HA Tubesessor right now and it’s really dope. Would love to see a comparison of those

Great review dude! TY!!! What would you recommend as far as a native version? Thnx in advanced

How much you would compress with the WA-1B when tracking lead vocals?

Great video Colt. They both sound wonderful. I can say this with absolutely certainty. That bass tone blew me away! Sounded so, so good! The kick on that bass drum was exceptional as well.

Amen really cool question for you what what type of camera do you use do you have a cameraman or do you do everything

The Tube-Tech all around just sounds more transparent which is what I love honestly! The Warm sounds great.. I think for me, it's that transparency on the Tube-Tech. Just how it sounds to my ears.

Heard from people who’ve used it, apparently it’s the best thing Warm Audio’s done.

Would you have two of these units in your rack or just one? What’s your opinion! U rock thank you Colt.

The Bass I actually preferred the sound of the warm. Snare, I couldn't tell a difference. Vocals, I think the tube tech had a slight bit more depth that I preferred. But that acoustic comparison I didn't like the warm at all. I don't know if it's the settings difference or what. But on my monitors it sounded super thin in comparison. But i'm definitely sold on it for bass and drums. All that said, It would be awesome to have heard the uncompressed files to hear exactly what it's doing. But still a nice shootout. thanks.

god damn that tube tech sounds amazing! warm audio does a fantastic job doing a budget version, a hair less rich sounding but great none the less

Sounds damn good.... wishlist

Wow you the difference is very very subtle; very close but the Warm Audio is very hair thin thicker than the CL1a; maybe changing the tubes out may make a difference, 😊 great review!!!

its a great version of the clb1 - well done - Warm Audio is a good company and some of their gear is better than others but overall it's very good. For the price it's great. I am a fan of clarity in vintage style gear and CLB 1 is little clearer for me but not enough to reflect the price difference and adjustments could be made while recording to suit individual taste. Id like to hear it in a mix. The Bass response on bass and drums was different on the Warm Audio. Not my fav but Nothing EQ couldn't solve.or engineers/producers with your talent couldn't make sound stellar! I like Audioscape as well in these price ranges. Thanks for Audioscape reverb review. Excellent! I'm a Hazelrigg fan and yes it's pricey but it's a life e investment for recording. Thanks- to each his own. Great channel Colt!

I think it’s sounds good which is what I want more than it just sounding exactly like the original unit.

Overall, I think Warm audio did a great job on this compressor. I would certainly put one in my rack and put it to work. In my detailed opinion the Tube Tech sounds a little more open than the warm audio in the lower midrange (could be the settings) but sonically they sound roughly the same. In the audio samples I could tell a difference mostly in the vibrato of her voice and the harmonics in the guitar. The Warm audio examples both just sounded slightly constricted in comparison to the CLB1 in the lower mids. Her voice also sounded a bit heavier in the lower mids with the CLB1. The bass and the drums sounded roughly the identical.

The CL1B sounds a lot more open on top, but with this setting they don't sound transparent at all to me, you can hear the release pumping (too fast) and the attack is too slow so it grabs the sound in a unnatural way

Is it ok to use a tube mic with this or any tube compressor?

Hey Colt, hello from san Jose, CA ( Bay Area .) ****** Great review, I love your vids!! I started recently at the age of 45 years old started to learn about mixing. Now, I've been around it my whole life but, never did I think I was going to ever do it my self. Now, I have my little home studio. Little by little since New Year's I've been adding gear on my rack just for my music, that's all I want to do. So, I've been doing a lot of research, studying and reading about gear. This video, well it's confirmation for me. I run Presonus Studio One Professional w/ a SweetWater Creation Station 2 unit rack computer, a Presonus 1824c Interface and a Behringer ADA8200 ADAT expansion Interface and I recorded a whole mariachi band for my song. Now, I've never studied or went to school for it so, I'm not a professional but, now I'm taking it a little more seriously and I had professional Recording engineers come in and listen and they said that it sounded great and that was only with stock plug-ins. But, I think this WA 1B will be a huge game changer for sure as I create vocal chain or for bass or kick. But, because with both comps almost have the same sound. I think I'd rather spend less and still have great sounding gear for the fraction of the price. That would not leave me in a debt and I can buy other gear and have them paid off.

Hi Colt, what is the compressor you were using for your voice on this video? )

Great review! This sounds great on vocals. Would you go with the WA-1B, Tubesessor or Distressor?

I spent a few hours yesterday comparing my Neve 1064 EQ to my Rupert Neve Designs Portico II channel’s EQ and the RND 5033 eq. They were so close to each other I was surprised but all three were made by THE MAN. i guess my point is, I would feel better having something original.

This looks interesting. I am very curious how it compares to the cl1b plugin that I actually prefer over the comp of my shelford channel on vocals. For some it might seem ridiculous to compare a hardware unit clone to the software emulation of it but in the real world thats the choices we have when looking for an alternative that’s available and without BS reverb prices of greedy opportunists

On my end, the original was better for vocals and acoustic guitar. However, the bass and snare were good on the copy as well. Thank you for this review. Great channel too 🤟

TUBE TECH....love it ! Personal favorite and I also will be getting the Warm Audio for its thick and aggressive vibe...love it as well ✊️. For that price? Yes Sir ! Good Stuff Colt 🤜🤛

Your attack time on the Warm is totally different than the CL1b?

The sound is, I can tell usable, but two topics are not explained: 1) what the owner ow Tube Tech think about it? AND 2) what is the difference between Chines company stilling/coping technology and American company do the same (especially when both production are in China)?

What if we chain a Neve 1073 into a WA 1B, think I ll get the transformers of the Neve better in WA 1B, so it fits more to the real CL 1B sound. Could be wrong, what do you think? Or chain it with a Warm 73 Eq, WA TB 12 and a WA 1B ? Somehow I miss the Tubetech transformers pushing the sound

I start smiling with CL1A and I don't even know why. What a masterpiece.

Always remember: 2 differnt Tube-techs will often sound very different. Some with older components might have a different frequency response, and the warm may be more similar to some origional CL1bs than other CL1bs... but yea, the high end smoothness and bright push is what everybody goes for the CL1-A/B, thats what made it popular. Strange choice to voice the WA version darker, and its not a "quality components" thing, its just a choice IMO.

No WAY! thats awesome!

Hello!Great video...to my ears the both machines deliver an ''expensive'' sound...As you correctly said, in a mix with a lot of tracks you barely hear the differences...but to my ears, if we speak for two class A machines, the TUBETECH is more class A and i mean that everything you pass from that it's more on your face! Keep up the good work!

If I'm correct this is a Opto comp so you could probably swap out opto cell's too.

Awesome shootout. The biggest difference, to me, appeared in the drums. The Tube Tech was more open and detailed on the snare, the cymbals were less harsh and the kick drum sounded flabbier on the Warm.

I hear the tone of the low end on the WL as “bigger” but also a bit looser. I figure if you take 140 and below down by 1dB pre-compressor, you might end up with a damn close competitor. It sounds good for the price for sure.