Best Guitar Recording Preamp (2024 Update)

I bought this used through Guitar Center to boost the output of my Eastman 815 acoustic-electric mandolin, which has an internal microphone but was too quiet. I'm a hobbyist but play in worship settings. I was able to EQ the output to sound like the natural mandolin tone and to boost the volume which was important to me, since, on occasion, I play outdoors or in a large church sanctuary. The tuner is a great asset, making clip-on tuners unnecessary. The tone boost gives the mandolin even more volume for those times when you want to play a solo. The unit runs on a 9V battery or a 9v DC adapter. I happened to own already own a 9v DC adapter, and it gave the unit much more power than the battery, which was great. I definitely recommend getting a 9v DC adapter. This was a good buy!Jamie

Well you know how some people are when it comes to amplifiers on stage for church worship services. They don't want them because they think everyone will start cranking up and jockeying for sound. So I bought this direct box. Its amazing! You will like it a lot. I plug my acoustic guitar straight in and then send it to the house speakers. We have a Presonus 32.4.1 AI mixer in the new building. My favorite thing about this is the eq settings. I can dial in a sweet tone, my settings are bass at 2oclock, mids at 2 o'clock and presence and highs at 1 o'clock. Gain at 12 and volume at 3. This box is really all you need. I don't like tinny trebly sounding acoustic guitars. The bass and mids are wonderful for balancing out some highs and giving the guitar a "fullness". This box sounds very realistic. It is a very good representation of how the guitar sounds unplugged. I have a B Band pickup under the saddle so i have never had any frequency issues. I don't use the notch. I also use a TC electronic arena reverb pedal. Make sure you send the acoustic into the Para DI first and then to the reverb pedal or else it don't sound good. You can do this by getting an effects send return 1/4" cable and using the FX jack on the DI. Nice feature!! I will say i think this box sounded better on the old analog mixing board at our church, but I'm sure we can tweak it to the Presonus. Our church just moved from a 14,000 sq ft building into a 30,000 sq. ft. new building and new sound system so the room is playing into effect also. You need to keep this in mind. The old room had 12 ft. tile ceilings. The new building has 40 ft. ceilings. I think it sounds good coming out the house but it still sounds a bit digital in my headphones. Especially the b and e strings. That has more to do with the digital mixer though i think.guitarguy1981

If you've ever faced the problems of booming (or too thin) bass, acoustic feedback, "quacking," nasal sounding treble, or clicking picks, you will welcome this marvelous box. On my very first gig with the Baggs, I told the sound man to set the board flat and let me handle the EQ. With just a little experimentation and adjustment, I was able to boost the bass to the point where it was full but not booming, eliminate quacking and feedback, and balance the sound on my Taylor GS7 across the musical spectrum from low to high. When the sound man called down from the booth that he could hear my picks clicking on the strings, a few tweaks of the mid-high and presence knobs dialed that right out, without sacrificing volume or clarity on the treble strings. Admittedly, it's a bit tricky to master the somewhat complex settings on this sophisticated device, and the minimal instructions provided by Baggs don't help as much as one would wish. But there are some helpful videos on YouTube, and with a little experimentation you can get this box under control. I love the sound that it lets me get out of my guitar, and can't imagine that your experience would be any different. It's also extremely rugged — built like a tank, in fact — and should stand up to a lot of on-stage use. I can't imagine ever plugging in without it.marconelli

The best DI for acoustic guitar I've ever used. I bought one of these little gems at a local music store for almost ten years ago and it's like brand new. Quiet. Clean. I have a Tascam DP24 and there is ZERO hum or hiss in the signal. Onstage, I darned well won't use anything else for my Guild J series. The control over feedback in a live setting is incredible. I can notch out any hint of feedback with just a tiny alteration of the sweep knob. If my strings are a little old, I can dial in some crispness. The control in the lower mid to low high end is most sensitive–and very impressive. Most DI's give you a flat signal all across the spectrum which is okay for bass guitar or keys, but somehow this little guy gives me a certain springiness in the mid's, about 800 Hz to around 1.5 KHz. I frickin' love it. It turn my acoustic into a lead instrument that doesn't get lost in the mix.Michelle

I use this unit with an upright bass and a small bass amp. has a very nice sound. I am able to turn the gain down on the amp and and still get a clean powerful sound. The pro unit works better than the studio unit. I do have both! Works well with other instruments and vocal too.gtinstman1990

Sound: Quiet preamp unless you want a little tube grit. Compressor is very musical. One might want a bit more fine tuning control but at what cost? Features: This one unit can be a mic pre, instrument DI, even a guitar overdrive. Pretty useful. Ease of Use: Tweak a couple of knobs and let this baby sing. Quality: I have several ART products. They're built very well and pass the hard knock test. Value: Excellent bang for the buck. Manufacturer Support: I haven't had to deal with ART for service or repair on any of my items, some of which are nearing ten years old. The Wow Factor: I'm not much on wow. I prefer good quality at a reasonable price. Overall: This is the second Tube MP/C I have purchased. It's such a great value, I had to have another one. I have a small home studio which operates on a tight budget, so inexpensive, good quality gear is a must. I have been a fan of ART products for many years and I have never been disappointed. This particular unit is a real gem. I use several ribbon mics which are notorious for needing lots of gain. These have plenty of gain for any mic and the pre is very quiet. Dialing in just enough tube warmth is simple and the built-in compressor is sweeeet.Mark

Overall: This is the second one of these I have purchased, primarily because I have been so happy with the first one. I don't own any $1000+ preamps so I can't compare this to those high-end units but for the money, this is an awfully good buy. The preamp is quiet within reasonable limits. Maybe with a mic that requires extraordinary drive levels, this would be a bit noisy but for all of the mics I have used with these it's drop dead quiet. The tube drive provides just the right amount of warmth for my needs. The built-in compressor is quite effective. It lacks the ability to really fine-tune attack, comp, etc, but it's very musical and I don't find that I need much else.Mark

The Le Crunch clean channel compliments the Le Clean clean channel nicely both nice but different. The Le Crunch comes out very well in a mix with the result being surprisingly good. The crunch tone is not strident or rasping but nice and warm.moore9764

Looking to downsize and I saw one of these preamps and decided to give it a try. These are a lot cheaper than the Helix and Kemper units and I think worth it. I put this on my board, run my effects in the effects loop, then out to a velocity power amp. Sounds excellent. Highly recommend.TheDude

Nice preamps, lovely valve guitar modelling, really satisfying to use. Customer support from Audient is also excellent. Docked one point as could do with more presets in standalone mode. Also my unit required a firmware update upon arrival.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

It is without a doubt the best you can buy at this price point, it has more features than anything else on the market. It has professional grade audient pre amps, it's expandable up to 10 inputs, it's a reamp box, a tube pre amp, it can record and playback at 96k, it's built like a tank AND it comes with some of the best amp simulation software on the market. You can save your favourite cabinets into the device so you don't even have to touch your computer at all and it has onboard DSP so you can work latency free. Not only that but it works stand alone without a daw so you can essentially use this as a pedal. Its also has a hidden feature, it a class compliant device so it works with android and iOS. Do yourself a favour and get one. This thing is a beast!sk8r3397

Took some time to set up and understand but what a piece of kit ! Very good modelling options, Room variants are brilliant. Inspiring…Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Love this pre. I have 4 of them. Warm makes some incredible gear at ridiculous prices. Competes with other pres costing 3 to 4 times as muchSm

Overall: Is it an API? No. Is it close? Yes, and I have heard API 312 pre-amps that don't sound like other API pre-amps. I have had this for awhile now, and I find it excellent. The price-point makes it easier to do stereo pairs, if desired. I can drive it dirty, or make it very clean. It is flexible, and easy to use. I have used it on vocals (though for my voice, I like my LA-610 MK II better), but it shines on guitar and bass. I love the sounds I get be it with my EVH 5150, my Boogie, or my Randall. It is also great with my WA76 and Sans Amp RBI if I want a fat bass sound for grimy, modern blues. All in all, great product. Don't be scared by the price, it is far from cheap from a sound or quality standpoint. I only contacted them via email to ask a question, and they responded in less than 15 minutes. I give it four-stars for WOW factor only because I hate orange, but that's my problem.Jeff

Overall: I bough this unit to pair with my new Manley Ref C. Also to replace my Daking Mic Pre One which died due to the carelessness of the postal service! It's tough to compare the two as I never got a chance to use the Manley with the Daking, but it is definitely more versatile with all of it's different features. The sound is amazing and HUGE. With the Manley, big, detailed and clean is the sound you achieve. This pre is in the same league as the amazing Daking(rip), while being a little cheaper.The name speaks for itself, you can get so many different tones out of this baby! You can go for the crunchy, gritty sound, or a clean, airy style. I do Hip Hop vocals and like to go for a middle ground between the two. I've always been told I have a "Jay Z like voice", and adding a little bite to the mid freq. while maintaining the smooth highs is MAGIC. I like the +6db tone button also. However, with this amount of features, there is a learning curve, but never a "bad sound".The TB12 and the Manley are an amazing pair. Modern, radio ready sound right out the box! Rarely needs any EQ. I will be testing with my cheaper (but still great) Nuemann 102 for a more accurate comparison to the Daking, but I am very pleasedAnonymous

Does just what is advertised. I am using this on a double bass running a Schaller Magnetic in Gain [input] 1 and a Vic's Pickups Fingerboard Click in Gain [Input] 2 via TRS. My single-coil mag isn't grounded properly with a slight hum, but I don't believe that is any detriment to the pre-amp albeit more amplified… garbage in/garbage out. Proper grounding or DI should remedy it. Opening the pre-amp was easy enough to install the 9v, however if you're on the road I would be concerned about losing the screws. I haven't had to adjust gain levels, but it seems simple enough in the casing. I mounted the pre-amp behind my tailpiece with a velcro strap threaded on the belt clip, which is sturdy and should last forever withstanding common bumps and vibrations.beaujade138

Outstanding product. I purchased this unit to blend the sources from a Highlander IP-2 system (piezo and mic) installed my custom Webber Roundbody. I absolutely love the Highlander IP-2 amplification system but have found it at times to finicky and delicate from a controls perspective — good for studio, home and can be challenging in live situations. The MIxpro has a huge sweet spot and is extremely quiet. Its nice to have volume on your belt. Easy to configure and very straightforward to use. I own an M1 Active and love it. Baggs is a well known name in acoustic preamps — the legacy continues.Christopher

I bought one of these on eBay to use with the JJB Prestige 330 I installed in my Seagull S12. I didn't need the capability to mix two channels together, but I wanted a preamp and this was the cheapest one I could find at the time.I've tried it several times with the JJB pickup, and I've never been able to get a good sound out of it. The tone controls were almost useless and the volume knob was the only thing that really did anything.I have an old Seymour-Duncan soundhole pickup that sounds quite good with this preamp, however. The tone controls come to life and the Mixpro really adds to the Seymour-Duncan's tone. I would definitely recommend trying this preamp out before buying it, because it might not sound good with your pickup.seagullplayer77

Cheap and very mediocre product. Noisy when you turn the gain knobs up. Presonus's metering is weak as well. This unit total weight is like 1/2 pound. Maybe because they use the lowest quality materials they can find on the planet ?bbjunk335

Have been using Amplitube for more than a decade, it has always been ok although version 5 has really come of age. Sounds fantastic with Bass (as always) and now also with Guitars. Needs to be tweaked a bit more to get the best out of it but that's a good thing. The AXEIO interface is the perfect solution for any guitar with its versatility and SQ. Overall this package is awesome for writing and recording at home and also final takes, it's that good! Value for money as a package deal is a no brainer. Well done IK Multimedia.funkedalic

Solid unit with great guitar/bass input options. The software is great and the new tonex capture software adds another level of flexibility. The guitar out is very clean and was one of the main reasons I purchased as I needed a reamp box, this brings that capability with all the other features and for someone that hasn't invested heavily in software this product also came with the option to choose two extra IK product upgrades (as well as Tonex and Amplitube "Max")stevevaifan

It is a box that only works with software and if you can't get the soft ware to talk to it, you're nowhere, which is where I find myself. The software that was recommended to use in the setup instructions offers little support for setup of its own. It is definately not intuitive or obvious. For those already skilled in the field, it might be a good product. I may never find out.Richard

I have been having trouble getting audio into my MacBook for a long time. Mac ended support for Firewire on my Mackie Onyx 820i. I just bought the Onyx Producer 2×2 on the advice of B&H. My MacBook is running the most recent Mojave. I do not recommend Mackie or Apple for trying to get good audio into a digital format.Robert

Love this. It has made practicing and just having fun portable and convenient. Exactly what I was looking for to replace having to hook up all the pedals, amps, find free power outlets and set up the space. I can sit on my porch and play along with songs using tonebridge and the included software is nice too. Really a small living environment game changer for someone who just loves to play. worked right out of the box and with your existing corded headphones. (I wish I could use my Bluetooth phones, but I'm sure there is a newer version with this option… The price is right, it's worth it. I was on the fence for a year and kept coming back to buy after being frustrated with all the cords running around for my guitar rig. A lot of fun, wish I'd had it 20yrs ago.dogsplantsguitar

First of all I have to say that this thing works flawlessly for me. I love it and I'm slightly saddened by the fact that it doesn't have a perfect five star rating. There is ZERO (detectable) latency and the sound quality is as good and/or better than some interfaces that cost much more. But just to be clear, I do run it with an iPhone 13 Pro Max. I wouldn't really recommend running it with anything less. I also use Fl Studio Mobile as my DAW. This setup allows me to record guitar tracks anywhere. Something I've always been interested in. Think about that, recording great sounding guitar tracks anywhere. I can then easily transfer the tracks to Fl Studio on my home computer for further editing if needed. Anyway. The iRig HD 2 does exactly what I need it to do, every time. It's also made in Italy which is a nice little touch.Half

I used this to revive an acoustic/electric guitar that had lost its electronics due to capacitor failure. Could have tried installing new caps, but this rig was the less expensive and less effort solution. It also works, whereas the alternative had a lot of risk for failure, Putting a mic into the sound hole isn't a new idea, but having a product built especially for this purpose is, at least for me. I used mics designed for clipping to your collar before, which was clumsy and could damage the guitar finish. This product eliminates both problems. I also like that it takes standard AA batteries rather than the coin types and works with rechargeable NiMH. The sound from my amp is very true to the acoustic sound once I figured out what setting works the best. That took just a few minutes, since the preamp is easy to understand and adjust. However, the mic does pick up a lot of noise from touching the guitar, so I had to reduce the gain on my amp and have to be careful otherwise. That's just what happens when using mics rather than piezo bridge pickups. Those who slap their guitars for percussion will likely consider this a feature. I'm not very concerned about the wire from the mic to the preamp being too skinny. Like playing the guitar, I just have to be careful with it. It's easier to deal with than a stick-on transducer I've used with a cable that picked up every little knock on it. Plus you get a zippered clam storage box to protect the unit while in the gear bag, so whatever damage that might happen would be on stage while setting up/taking down and actually performing. At this price, having a spare is well within my budget.Boxman

Paired with a Focusrite interface. Works great. Input monitoring is a bit quirky. But after a chat with support I was able to figure it out.Mackeefus

The Octo-Pre, combined with my Scarlett 18i20, gives me 16 channels with XLR ins for all 16 channels at a combined price of $800. Audio clarity is pristine, and the customer service is good. When I first bought the 18i20, had a problem with digital artifacts related to clocking settings, and I contacted Focusrite’s customer service and within three days, was sent a link to a driver that solved the problem. They also sent follow-up emails to make sure my issue was resolved. This is one of the best interfaces out there for the money. You can’t beat it, and the preamps are designed to handle high volume, so it’s perfect for recording a drum set, which is why I bought it.Howard

Adding the OctoPre to my existing 18i20 was a breeze (just one Toslink cable) and I finally had the 18 In/20 Out I'd been longing for! This was an "open box" purchase, though I wouldn't have been able to tell looking at the unit. It was in pristine condition, making the price I paid a real bargain. My DAW immmediately recognised the additional ADAT I/O ports, too, with zero additional configuration. What's not to like?Scott S.

This is a great product for me! I use ths to record my Mic'd guitar amp to record into GB, Scorecloud or any other recrding software. The Gain enables you to hone in on volume control while recording to raise recording volume withought turning up the amp volume or to minimize fuzz sound from an idle amp not in standby coming through in the recording. You can moniter on headphonrs or split your instrument to a moniter control board, and includes speaker outputs to run your amps output in stereo through speakers. Sound quality is excellent! If you are seriously ameature and need a simple usb plug in for now, consuder searching online for a 1/4-usb patch instrument cable for your instrument or mic, or whateve combo you need, they make them all, for about 15-25 $ as a quick easy solution.Pat

Had issues with connecting the device to the ipad. The mic input works fine on garageband and other apps. For guitar however, in amplitube specifically, it will not put out a signal. After much research I found that the itrack uses its right channel for guitar and amplitube uses the left ios channel, therefore rendering it tricky to use exclusively for AT (stick to iRig, it's way easier) I've had to order a 3/4" jack to 3-pin male xlr from amazon to see if I can patch the guitar line into the left mic xlr of the itrack, although i'm not sure if it will work. If you use only garageband and are most interested in the mic input you will be fine.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I bought this to use with Garage Band on my laptop at home. Its got 2 inputs, one XLR with +48 and one 1/4 for instruments. Its important to note that in GB you must tell it per track which channel youre using- it will default to channel 1 which is the mic. To use a guitar you have to change it to ch2. After that it is super easy. Great value. Very affordable and comes with the cables you need to hook it up.mr.shatters

I was disappointed in the sound this unit provided. Sounded good at home but was flat live. It pretty much cut my sound probably a quarter of what was normal to me. Had to turn it up which then caused feedback even with the double notch filter on. Had to tweak on the fly. I actually had to put a feedback killer in the soundhole of my Taylor to kill the feedback. This was all during my gig! Not cool. This box would probably be best for home studio stuff but I will Not gig with this unit ever again. P.s I love Boss. I own 2 Katanas and various pedals. I just don't love the Ad10.Frank G

Than-you Josh Estock for getting it to me and keeping me posted on shipping & delivery. I am really liking the Boss AD-10 Acoustic Preamp. I have been waiting for some time for the AD-10 to be available. I like the Boss AD-2 as well. But the AD-10 makes it so I don't need anything else. I can run AC or 6AA batteries for the power. Then adjustable gain in on 1 or 2 channels even 1&2 at the same time. Digital EQ on both channels. Adjustable Low Cut 10-990Hz , Mid adjustable 200Hz-5.0kHz, Treble, Presence, and Level of eq. Anti-Feedback Reduction, 2 notch switches. 3 Types of Acoustic Resonance (Think Aura) kind of. To me it sounds more woody and natural. You can adjust the tonal quality as well. It's a fully adjustable blend with the pickup. Off, Soft or Hard Compression, 3 Delay effects, 3 Chorus effects, 3 Ambiance/Reverb effects, Boost, 90sec Looper, extra Effects Loop, Tuner, 10 memory Preset Banks. Option for volume pedal or switches. Smaller than a iPad. Just played with the mic and pickup on using a Bose Compact 3 ft away at 97bd w no feedback. Fits perfectly in my SKB iSeries case. I Gig with two nylon string guitars a Andy Culpepper Spruce Blanca Flamenco with a LR Baggs Dual Source Pickup (Element and Mic) I run the Element into input 1 and Mic into 2. I mix the signals at 60%pu and 40mic. I do eq each separately. My other guitar is a Cordoba GK Studio Limited with the Fishman Presus Blend pickup. It's two sources a undersadle and mic blend. The AD-10 sounds great with the GKSL . For most gigs I see myself bringing the Guitar, Smal Case with Boss AD-10, and Bose L1s or Compact, with a few cables. For gigs with no AC I'll use same guitars, Boss AD-10 with batteries and a Behringer Europort MPA40BT. Good for outdoor wedding ceremonies or smaller gigs 75-150 people. The Boss AD-10 makes my life very easy. I will try using two Line 6G-30 for wireless functionality soon.Victor

The constant striving to make even a really great acoustic guitar sound as good on stage (especially through other people's PA systems) as it does in a studio with a Neumann mic is probably like looking for a musical unicorn. I've tried LOTS of Acoustic pedals and amps, and the AD-10 is likely to get closest. It sounds fine through my PA, a Fender Deluxe Reverb, a Boss Katana 100 and even a little Bose S1 Pro. The upside is lots of functions (meaning you can tweak endlessly); the downside is lots of functions (meaning that it has lots of menu items to get your head around). Other pluses of course: two inputs with separate levels and eq; usable effects, tuner, reverb, comp and boost; noise reduction (gets rid of slight whine when using Boss WL-50 wireless); will run off a powerbank; acoustic resonance (still not a Neumann in a studio but useful) and especially 10 memories: so I already have presets to suit a Taylor, a Fylde, a Seagull, a Sire, a J160E and a Tele with a Fishman Powerbridge and I'm deciding which guitars to use the rest on. The looper would not meet Sheeran requirements but it's handy if you want to solo over a verse/chorus pattern you previously played. So far very good, and the manual is reasonably easy to follow. Nearly 5 stars, but that's reserved for when a pedal is as good as a Neumann.Mick C.

I just bought this pedal a few weeks ago and it has made a big difference in the tone of my guitar amp. I am playing a Les Paul Studio 70's tribute through an Egnater Renegade. I was suprised that this little box would thicken up my tone so much and increase the natural harmonic prescence of my guitar. My guitar has mini-humbuckers, which have a really crisp clean tone but do not have the massive distorting ability of their humbucking big brothers. Not any more, my distorted guitar tone is so rich and thick now and I have no trouble doing pinch harmonics. I recommend this pedal to anyone wanting to overdrive their tube amp more without changing or coloring the natural tone of their amp. It might sound like a cliche but this is definitely a make your tone sound better pedal. Secret Sauce in a pedal!!!William

I love the analog warmth this pedal brings to my guitar tone. You can't really tell it's on sometimes, but if you turn it off you instantly notice the difference. It's a great pre-amp and you shouldn't bother trying any other brand. I've had the Katana clean boost, the ubiquitous LPB-1, and others. This pedal has that "zing" you can't really put your finger on.Louis The Musician

Well I was ify at first about getting this cus I had a Lovepedal Echophonics delay, that I used with its boost to use on my other pedals but I felt like I needed more and I had the EP Booster before which is awesome but wasn't for me. So on a limb I bought the Echoplex and yes its exactly what everyone says it is….pretty much secret sauce. I put it last in my chain right next to the Echophonics pedal and both push my fuzz pedals into a loud, fuzzy mid like tone that is easy to cut thru a band mix. Adding this guy to a big muf pedal does wonders to its mid scoop sound!!! If you want that extra mids, polished bass and clean treble get this pedal.Davey Cutthroat

I didn’t think there were enough reviews around the pro. I wanted to use it playing for a complete session, so 2-3 hours of continuous use. I mainly use an acoustic guitar but I made this purchase to save carrying my main fx board. It took a little bit of setup (mainly trying to find a nice clean sound that represents my acoustic), but the unit works better than expected. I’m running it off an iPhone 6 Plus and find it perfect to use. Might be easier to manipulate on an iPad, but I wanted portability. I am totally blown away with the quality of the product and the amount of leads and adaptors it ships with to run from any device. MONEY WELL SPENT!Graham A.

Overall: I own 2VLA II's and one PreSonus Studio Channel.. preface .. I bought 2 VLA from the big "A' new and both were used.. they went back in a hurry.. got 2 NEW VLA's ZZOUNDS and the were new as could be.. then I purchased a B-stock PreSonus from ZZOUNDS and it was a mess.. after a ten minute warm up it made my cheap Dean Bass notes sound like a honey.. very very good for bass. but after 20 minutes it fizzled and the push buttons didn't light. So I returned the problem one and bought another, this new from zZounds who were very patient, sorry about the B-stock junker sent me a pre paid shipping label and I must say at no time did I worry things would turn out fine which they have. Now to the matter at hand. I have one VLA dedicated to my MicroArranger (KORG) the other to a great stereo mike which sits in front of a cab w/two twelve' and powered by 2 Greta's (Fender) 2 watt amps isolated in another room as is another condenser which I switch between the Bass and another mike .. mono. Its really a tough call but I do know every thing that comes out of the KORG especially the drum patterns are terrific.. very easy to mix down and get em into my computer program. It use to be difficult to bring up the drums as the sound through my monitor speakers because of clipping.. no clipping now.. I have dialed in the 10 knobs and its like Pink Floyd sounding (drums) the voices are sweeter and that's a bonus.. sometimes I bypass one channel and tube the other and adjust the volume-pan on the DP 32 s and that's great also The VLA's are built like the proverbial tank.. The base sounds great but I give the nod to the PreSonus. It really is great to have the bass does not hog the spectrum of frequencies and mush up the kick pedal. The PreSonus has 16 knobs and twelve push buttons .. phantom tube gain Tube Drive compression and eq. These features are not just ornamental they actually make for big changes and they are incremental which I like. The VlA's are not, just a tight clean sweep. Also the VLA's have no phantom power as the STUDIO CHANNEL does. I bought a ROLLS external phantom for 50 bucks. doesn't add any noise and does the job.. of course your adding extra cable in but it is what it is. Should be obvious to ART that a phantom is necessary I have other non tube compressors which do a good job but having tubes you can really tell the different in the mix down.. All instruments stay isolated and you get good imagery in the final production.. I am partial to the VLA's but the PreSonus has more variables to work with and as I said the bass is great thru it. Seems like it was made for bass. Now that I confused you, for the money they both are really good.. I don't have alot of bux so I will be eating plenty of cheap soup for sometime because of these purchases. These are two very good units. If you need help with your bass or vocals I would choose the Presonus. For that matter drums sound good thru the PreSonus but its only one channel, however you can really fine tune whatever you input. where as with the VLA's you would fine tune post production. Overall these units have been a game changer for me.. very inspirational for studio work.. Live.. I don't have any idea. I have visited studio's with much higher end gear, mostly PreSonus but honestly, with my DP-32, the compressors a ZOOM G3 guitar possessor and a few other goodies I would not be embarrassed t at all to compare sonics . I'm sure the nod would go to the mega studios, I'm not that naive but I think diminishing returns would fit the high ends. Finally, once again I say I am very happy with ZZOUNDS. I won't return to "A" onless I need a can opener or something (or MP3's)Paul

We own a studio writing/recording for major film, games, and TV. We researched the reviews on this product before purchasing and since purchasing it, we are happy with our choice. We recently started producing a new show where we have multiple simultaneous interacting voices. We had to add in one more mic and it's associated gear for the show. We needed to match the "hard-to-reproduce" tube tonal quality and compression signature of a vintage Presonus mic preamp from the 90's so the voices sounded consistent. This vintage unit has warmth and clarity hard to find today except in tube vocal processors over $4k. This unit actually exceeds our expectations. Warm consistent sound with good control. After installation we went to immediate recording time and matched the sound of the vintage unit in seconds. Wish it had a desser but that can be applied in pre via DAW. Sound is clean and consistent. Worth three times what we paid for it versus the benefit we have from it in the studio.Kevin Village-Stone