Great to hear! The VLA II is a versatile compressor that outperforms its price imo. I've always felt that it isn't sitting in the racks in many high-end pro studios beside far more expensive gear without a reason...and I've found it great to have around the studio too. Cheers!

When certain studio's offer lower hourly rates it's a fact they don't use their high-end equipment. As long as the customer doesn't notice the difference the top shelf gear is saved for their best repeat clientele.@@askdrtk

Sorry, just seeing this now. That's one thing about analog gear, it often adds character by just running signal through it. Great tip on using gain to drive the tubes. You may be able to address the channel balance issue using the output gain pot next to each tube on the PCB. Even with a matched set of tubes, levels can be off a bit. If you haven't already, it may also be worth trying to adjust the VU meter calibration pots as well...worth a try anyways. Cheers!

There's adjustment built in to the unit to even out the levels between channels.... If I remember correctly

Yes, there is a small adjustment screw for each meter inside the box close to the tube so you can fine tune the meters so they are equal. 🙂

@@jamieremus277I was going to say this. Super easy!

I agree.

Love the song too

Very few who have them sell them and there are plenty around. Used units do not come up often on Reverb and other sites which is not everything, but it is a good sign of what users generally think about them. Cheers!

@@askdrtk really appreciate it, it arrives tomorrow

These are everywhere for a reason...not "glamorous" big-name expensive gear, not a huge marketing budget, but they deliver on sound which is what matters in the end imo... Cheers!

I agree! I was really impressed! Are these the stock tubes being used in this video? If so, that’s a great sound out of the box. Probably going to pick one of these up based off this video alone. Thank you!

Thanks, in this video applying compression to the mix bus is more about gluing the mix together as opposed to a mastering application where we are trying to achieve an overall perceived loudness among other things such as tone and dynamic range control. This is not to say you wouldn't use full or "single" band compression such as the VLA while mastering, it is just that the end goal in a master is different than in a final mix. I always mix into some hardware compression (sparing amount) and then make necessary changes to the full mix in the end. Some prefer to add mix bus compression after mixing, it just comes down to what work flow everyone prefers.

This WA Bus Comp is a VCA based compressor with the potential for faster attack and release, this is great for controlling sources with sharp transients. The VLA uses a vactrol optical circuit that has a smoother attack and release which can b more transparent on less dynamic sources. For mix bus use, both can work at low compression levels where excessive transients have already been addressed at the track/bus level in the mix. The VLA does also impart some additional saturation to the source compared to the Warm without the transformer engaged. With the transformer engaged, the Warm imparts its own coloration to the sound that is different from the VLA, but both can be pleasing on the right program material. I hope this helps out!

Being in Canada, a lot of gear tends to be more expensive when purchased here as compared to currency exchange from US, UK, and EU suppliers. ART is one of few exceptions where we get a great deal in Canada…

I have a Neumann tlm 102 best investment I’ve made so far got a ART MPA II preamp coming in and I’m about to buy this compressor then I’m getting a Apollo twin MkII interface rn I have a VOLT 1

Both sound good on vocals. The 76 has more grab and faster attack whereas the vla 2 is smoother and more transparent. While it can be nice to have the extra channel on the vla, for me it comes down to the genre. For vocals with more aggressive / faster transients (rock, metal...) the 76 is my go to where as for smoother vocals(RnB, HH, jazz...) I like the transparency of opto such as the vla. You will not go wrong with either, but if you mainly track one genre I hope this helps.

Both are good choices and get 2 bus duty, but the VLA sounds smoother and more transparent on sharp transients to my ears..

I prefer this for mixing (also good for tracking) not because of audio quality but more due to the controls not being stepped for more accurate recall... For me this is more of a consideration for albums vs singles. Hope this helps out!

Glad you enjoyed it! There is considerable debate around tubes, but I generally use Electro-Harmonix tubes when it comes time for replacement. I find they are consistent and durable without being overly expensive.

@@askdrtk thaks for the support BIG OG !

You have a number of options since both a two channel units. You could use the MPA for recording with either microphones of instruments. As an option, you could connect the VLA inputs up to the MPA outputs and then record with compression. The VLA works well on vocals, bass, and acoustic guitar to name a few. If your audio interface has a spare pair of inputs and outputs you could also use the VLA on its own as and insert in your DAW for bus compression while mixing mixing. There are many other possibilities, it really depends on what sort of IO you have available on your audio interface and also what you are wanting to do...record, mix, etc. I hope this gives you a few ideas...enjoy your new gear! Cheers!

Hey, sorry I'm just seeing this now. I haven't changed the tubes in my VLA yet, but I have been happy with the Electro Harmonix 7025EH I swapped for the stock tube in my VoiceChannel. I haven't tried one, but the Mullard 12AX7 reissue gets good reviews for microphonics, noise, and detail/dynamics.

@@askdrtk me too mullard ordered and am waiting for them to arrive..!!yes i think they have good reviews..!thanks!!

Fantastic!! Let me know what you think once you try them out!

@@askdrtk Of course I will send it to you!

Fantastic! I haven't seen a deal like that in some time..

Both are great options (that I use regularly on mixes and for recording) but I would give the edge to the VLA as I find it more flexible for a mixed use case. The VLA has enough adjustment to dial-in smooth sources, reasonably fast staccato transients, and everything in-between. Maybe a VLA and one Comp 3A…might provide some nice flexibility…sorry for the “gear escalation…” Cheers!

Both have very different compression characteristics. Being Vactrol/Optical, the VLA won't have as much grab as the 166XL, but the VLA will be smoother for sources like vocals, acoustic guitar... You could do some nice serial compression on vocals with the 166XL to grab extreme transients and then the VLA to smooth things out transparently. I would hang on the 166XL and when the timing makes sense adding an opto like the VLA would give you a lot of options. Hope this helps out!

@@askdrtk thanks a lot.

Unfortunately not on the Pro VLA…the one feature I would have liked to see on this unit. If I find I’m getting too much compression from lows I will sometimes run this in parallel blending with dry signal using Pipeline XT in Studio One. Not the same as side chain, but I do find it can be effective. Cheers!

Review is on the way...I use it on well over half of the mixes I do, particularly background vocals and guitar. Cheers!

@@askdrtk I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on thie TransY comp. Still trying to find REAL reviews on it and its purpose in the studio.

Recorded, edited, and going live the week of August 7th... Cheers!

@@askdrtk AWESOME! Thank for ALL you do!!!

Lol…once you have one of these in the studio they have a sneaky way of finding a place in mixes more often than not… Cheers!

Small boost at 80Hz, cut at 300Hz, very small boost at 3.5k, and parallel through an Aphex 204 Big Bottom only at about 80Hz blended in about 25%. Cheers!

The song is Waiting Here for You by Velvethead featuring Cara Dee.

@@askdrtk thanks. I saw that in your show notes. thanks! I'm surprised that this is royalty free music. that tune and 'you' both sound like country hits. did you produce?

@@askdrtk also...love your channel. I'm an audio nerd and your videos are helping me understand a technical side to audio I never really learned. I was on the talent side and always had production directors dialing in the processing. your explanations are awesome. last question....have you every done anything regarding the symetrix 528e? I have a ton pf processors (wheatsone m1, avalon, dbx 286, etc) but keep coming back to this 30 year old preamp that we used in rock radio back in the 80s and 90s. what are your thoughts?

Glad you're enjoying my channel! As the lines between "talent" and "producer / engineer" are overlapping more all the time, one of my goals for the channel is to make the whole process more accessible regardless of which side everyone is coming from. I love gear and the whole studio / live processes and I hope viewers enjoy checking out gear and talking about recording and production as much as I do! For the channel, even though I would like to feature artists and production teams, I generally stick to royalty free music without attribution (including my own) as KZfaq DRM can be complicated to navigate (I'm not a big channel with staff to handle all the issues that come up...and they do come up, even with artist / label permission and royalty free content.) I haven't used a 528e in years (80s) but it is fantastic...so good to dial in a nice thick broadcast sound. In many ways, just the right amount of flexibility (eq) combined with easy-to-use compression and de-essing. With all the options available, it is easy to start cycling through different preamps and channel strips, but I've always recommended that when you find something that fits your voice there is little need to change. The 528e are getting up in years, but in my opinion are still worth servicing... In the end, it's about the sound not what gear was used...hang on to that 528e...Cheers!

@@askdrtk one more question. I have a new Mackie DLZ creator mixer (similar to Rodecaster Pro) it's a mixer/interface combo. It keeps 'disconnecting' from my computer. It's often a brief disconnect but sometimes requires a reboot. i'm using a high quality anker usb cable and am running the most recent firmware. i've been trouble shooting all week. am about to refer to your video that addresses tweaks to make to Windows for audio but wondered if you had any ideas.

Noticed. Thank you...

The tactile hands on approach can't be replaced by a plug in. And yes I have plenty of plug-ins. Using your hands creates a different result.

@@ultrajayme Using your hands ON HIGH END HARDWARE, creates a different result.😉

@Tav_cr 💯 but also just using your hands in general creates a connection that can't be replaces. But yeah I totally agree with what you mean. Especially from a pure GAS perspective haha

Actually the ART Pro-VLA II Two Channel Vactrol-based Compressor does a far way better job than using any high end or stock plugging, a example would be: would you like a far better organic product , rather than a synthetic non value one that’s not always consistent In this case that’s the equivalent of what am trying to tell you that the ART Pro-VLA II Two Channel Vactrol-based Compressor is way better man