Tune Up: Avalon VT-737SP
posted in: Features • Reviews & Playlists
The difference between a project studio and a professional-quality recording space is often the caliber of hardware and rack units. One of the necessities when upgrading your hardware is making sure you have a decent compressor/preamp option. While many interfaces (including those we’ve talked about) offer their own preamps (often advertised as being very high class models), having an outboard unit is truly a step up. This week, we’ll save you some research time and show you a top-of-the-line, professional-quality unit that offers everything you might want in a rack preamp/compression unit.
” vacuum tube preamp
” high-end opto-compressor
” equalization with adjustable bands
”VU metering
” balanced mic input
” instrument inputs
” high-pass filter
The list really can go on and on with this unit. One visit to the manufacturer’s spec page will drive home this point. Th VT-737SP has everything you would need in a preamp/compressor rack unit. The compression is punchy and realistic and the equalization gives you some great tone flexibility. The VU metering allows you to see actual voltage levels to make sure you aren’t peaking. Finally, the vacuum tube alone makes this a great buy. You’d be hard pressed to find a richer, more accurate representation of a vocal or guitar track.
If you’re looking for a vocal or acoustic instrument preamp with on-board compression, this is the product you probably want. It’s a little pricey, but that’s the trade-off when looking at professional quality products. It’s certainly worth the money.