Thank you for the outstanding review. David has built a level of trust with his followers that covers a lot of ground with a lot of equipment. This one looks to be a buy!
I would LOVE to have this unit. Im sure its excellent as a pre, but I get the feeling I would get the most use out of it as a parallel unit. Sounds badass!
@@roberthanzl8294 no mix knob, but you could record to a cleaner pre, then send back through the WA MPX, print to a separate track, and use the faders in your DAW to control the blend. :)
I had a scully 2-channel preamp for years that finally died about 5 years ago. I used on guitars and this reminds me of it except this has way more headroom, the scully was good for line level sources but would add wool to anything you put through it. This is far more verstile and powerful and I want a whole set of 12 of them for tracking drums!!!! I ordered the first stereo one this morning so only 10 more to go LOL
Ohhh Crispy Cringly Saturation just jumps alive out of there, stellar good electric! Even on my old tv speakers, the depth and body of the synth clearly revealed itself, and I really loved it on the male rock Vox. Thanks for the demo Dave!
Just Ordered One! it sounds amazing and i needed another colorbox and "MIC Pre" so Yea this unit will fulfill this need! Thanks for this Nice Demo. Cheers
Interesting! I think this is a great color box for special effects: the full-blown distortion on the male vocals especially. That said, I tend to prefer solid-state preamps to tube ones when it comes to tracking. :D
Totally dig when you do an equipment reveiw like these!!! Stoked to hear the new stuff when we are deciding on purchases of the mid to high end gear. Thanks again!!!!
Thanks for the review and hard work! Liked what it did for synths, bass, drums, rock male vox. Didn't care for it on female Vox or 2 bus duties as much. Overall the unit I think sounds ok, wasn't wow'd by it nor will I be rushing to buy it. I think I appreciate it for it's coloration/distortion capabilities more than as a preamp, and for my workflow plugins work better for that. It seems like an ok jack of all trades rather than a master of anything. Just my opinion, yours may vary!
@MixbusTV When you play with tone at about 8:00, you actually press 80Hz HPF on the left channel. Really easy to be mistaken in the controls with this layout.
@@mixbustv No, the switch would be for quick A/B comparison. The clean dry signal would always be readily available to check if you've gone too far with the saturation, or for blending extreme settings with the clean signal.
Way more colourful than I thought it'd be, its almost guitar preamp saturation levels (without the tonal aspects). Wish it had a control for the tape saturation, seems if you want the mic pre to saturate a little the tape section is fully distorted. Sounds fun though and smooth.
great vid as usual, David! LOVED it on bass, drums and the full mix tests. so much range and flexibility at $700 per channel. want to compare it to the Locomotive Audio 86B-2. not nearly as many tonal options, but it's the one currently on my list. I want tube pres BADLY (preamp, 2bus, bass...all the spots) and this may have just bumped it off the list for now. thanks for the share!
Decided to get one, without even reading any reviews! But nice to hear a pros opinion & it hasn’t given me any doubt. 👍 I have a pair warm audios pulltec clone (close as I’ll get to an Original) That and this for the finishing touch and I’m set!!!
Agreed! I have the bus comp, as well as the 4 channel 312 clone (WA412). And the Bus Comp shocked the hell out of me with how fat is sounded on my drum buses! 👍
@@SoundKilterStudio Bus comp is legit. Just the transformers engaged seems to do more for the mix than my WA73 pair. Fattens everything up real nice. Gives it more presence is how I'd explain it.
I think depending on the song or beat it could be good on the whole mix especially if there’s a lot of virtual synths. It doesn’t sound like I would get it if I needed good mic preamps but I’d have to try it to know. I’d like to hear different piano mics through it!
I liked to hear a bass Sample. as Bass is often a bit thin, and im not liking too much of reamped Speaker sounds, i like modern funky basses, haha- The Tape and yes this highlighting of mid- and lower portions fits.
I have a few WA pieces. Their 73 and pultecs. Also the 251 mic. I’m not saying they are bad but also I’m not terribly in love with them either. They give some color but nothing that makes me feel they are “unique”. Idk. They use some key things like transformers but the rest of their circuits are cheap and something to be desired. Then again they are very affordable price wise compared to to their OG versions they clone. I might try this out. I need more pre colors.
Cheap? respectfully, I prefer the word inexpensive. Because my 30 years of sound, mixing, mastering, and performing experience, and my ears don't 'hear' cheap at all with this unit. Cheap is not a technical word. Is the intentional distortion and/or color on some of the world's greatest recordings cheap? Get what I'm saying here? Thanks...
@@nikdrown There are great inexpensive components too. Don’t get too heavy on the Chinese components, they are in every facet of your life. As for my own experiences, and I’m 74 years old, I cut my teeth at gold star recording studios in Hollywood. I remember very well the equipment we had. It wasn’t that great. Young people are falling for so much hype. It’s ridiculous, spending many thousands of dollars on stuff that if you ABX test them, one can barely discern the difference at all, let alone a multi-thousand dollar, or even hundreds of dollars difference. Suit yourself, but I don’t buy into it at all, and I’ve been there. I remember a tape accident at Gold Star for example. An album’s tape master came flying off the tape pancake take-up reel and was destroyed. We made the album with our backup copy that was one generation down!! Not one person, even it the business, could tell. Happy music making.
@@mobiuslooped1551 look I think you’re confusing a few things. I don’t care about cheap or inexpensive as you may say. I have tons and I tons of the stuff in all varieties. I get what you’re saying. But these pieces didn’t float my boat as much as say my “inexpensive” console I bought for $300 that has some unique components that sound amazing. Your old equipment had something in those components. These things now days? They nailed the transformer. Cool. But the other stuff that contributed to the uniqueness they sought to replicate? Even for being inexpensive they still charge probably twice as much to build it yourself. With cheap components that break. Switches etc. I don’t give a shit where they are from. I bought them. I use them. They aren’t that cool though. I didn’t say there aren’t cool cheap components. I use an Alesis wedge FFS because it’s got some cool sounds in it. I am totally in the world of using cheap inexpensive whatever. Don’t PC the gear to mein.
What’s your point of reference. Clearly you own several of them so I’m assuming you don’t own the originals of which these are based. I think you take about the parts costing twice as much as the unit, it’s probably less than half but feel free to build your own from a kit and then figure out how much your time was work to build, troubleshoot and complete it. I hope your time isn’t worthless and I can guarantee you theirs isn’t either. If you know of better for the same cost then go for it. If you don’t like the components then replace them and see how much difference there is with each one. I’m going to guess and say it’s not much if anything. Circuit design > components and some swaps will likely be more of an individual taste issue than a consensus “better” vs “worse”.
Hey! How it’s going bro. Umm, right now I’m stuck between purchasing an spl iron or a stereo preamp such as: api or Neve for the mix bus to add some excitement warmth and clarity to mixes. My mixes are great. As far as mixbus I just use a elysia xpressor. Is it common to use a stereo preamp on mixbus or should I just go with the variable mu compressor.
That's an odd "this or that" if you need a compressor preamps won't do it.. the iron is a pretty clean compressor btw. Not really a mojo one. Preamps sre for microphones if you ask me, I've never liked the trend of running mixes thru pres, makes no sense to me when we have dedicated color boxes that do that much better (HG-2 being one if you want tubes). Mojo compressors would be Stamchild 670, Dictator, a pair of 176s even.. not the iron. But none of these will give you warmth and clarity and excitement. Get a tube eq if you're looking for that, much more versatile and many more "colors" Depending on your budget, get Wes TubeEQ or IGS 825EQ
That "tone" switch is the highlight of this box sounds GREAT! I like the filters too. The Saturation is SUPER HEAVY, Id rarely use that unless Im going for the effect. (Maybe as a parallel on drums)....
seems it bit too heavy handed, mix knob would have been good or even knobs instead of switched so you can dial in how much of that tone or tape saturation you're getting, it just seems over board when you click the switches in, and then you have to dial back the input which changes how you hit the tubes . but it is cool if one is after a super saturation box
And I’ve been looking around for a mic pre. I’ll give this one a look. Thanks for the review. I hear a lot of bad reviews on warm audio. That’s why I’ve been reluctant to buy their gear.
Who is lying to you? I got into warm with the "cheap Chinese made gear" in mind. I was forced to use their gear in a studio tracking session their mics are definitely worth every penny. Their 73 pre is awesome . Their eqp was great. All are extremely usable & musical tools.
@@nycholasyork2873 alots of people on gearslutz. And a lot of their gear is on reverb for sale and that’s usually a tell tell sign. And a lot of music gear stores won’t sale it out here where I’m at. They say the gear isn’t up to their standards. And if they’re saying that their must be some truth to it. But I take what People say into consideration. But I like to talk to people who actually use the gear. Good or bad.
Thankyou so much for showing the FULL RANGE of tone shaping and parameters. I just watched a video of a monster boutique compressor and they showed what HALF A DB OF GAIN REDUCTION does on acoustic guitar, and NOTHING ELSE.... waste of time video!
What mic do you think would compliment with this preamp I have a tlm 49 would you say this preamp would sound good with doing hip hop recordings thanks for posting 🙏
@@dddocmusic Far more good reviews than bad about it. I have two individual WA73 EQ's. Didn't wanna wait for shipping for the stereo unit so I made my own.. The EQ's are noisey, especially the highs, there's ways to work around it, kind of. But in general they sound good, and you can bypass the EQ's with a button.
I have a hard question for prefer the Drawmer or the new Warm Audio MpX tube for saturation purposes? Mind you I have 14 very high quality preamps and while I can always use a few more I don't mind the price difference ( only about $200-250 difference ) . I know you love both of these but from a saturation point of view I'd love to hear what you think. I'm guessing the WA is more versatile overall but I'm under the impression the Drawmer maybe better for mastering. Love your show! Keep it metal!
I guess you're referring to the 1976? If so it's a hard battle tbh. I love the MPX, I really do, but the 76 makes its way in basically every mix I do one way or another while the MPX doesn't, maybe 4 out of 10. The pres are great tho but yeah. The versatility is in favor of the 76 slightly because it's multi band, actually in my upcoming new Rock mixing course I show a neat trick with it for guitars that is pretty cool.
@@mixbustv thank you so much for your insights man. I'm definitely going to let more ppl know about your show. This is becoming one if not probably my fav recording show . I've been doing this for about 20 years but you got me beat. Your insights are greatly appreciated. Thank you for confirming my suspicions!!!!
Huuummm beginning my comment at the start after watching the B roll... Interested at the amount of switches, then start reading them... saw it's a pre amp and started thinking "Okay typical controls..." "Oh wait... the ending with Tape also" interesting unit.... it being Warm Audio it will be cheap, and a warm audio product has gotten your attention so this might be well be a gem... TBC... Defiantly not a forgiving box, but gives you a lot of options to play and would definitely suit as someone's first unit for that reason. It'll be a good first unit for the reason it's definitely a unit that you need to adjust to the sweet spot with which ever thing you wish to engage which will make someone stop and think a bit more. I like it, would be a great swiss army unit. There's a one channel unit in a 2 U design also but I'm guessing the 2 channel is just more crowded on the inside the unit. I'm thinking it could shine a bit more with with a more colourful mic, but prefer your choice for the test so we can hear the unit more than the mic.. love that mic for that very reason though. Nice one for introducing this
Looked at the inside of both and it is basically just a more compact setup. Can sometimes cause interference, but only if it’s not done properly and it probably is. The power board is on its side instead of flat as all. Stereo is obviously the wiser way to go. Definitely going to be nice for deep rich vocals but will also serve so many other things. Seriously thinking about getting one
@@Drgmusic_ this is probably why this unit seems so prone to distortion and overdrive in this video. I haven't heard one in person, let alone used one, but I'm sure this video has done a huge disservice to this preamp. This video just makes it sound like a dirtbox.
i figured this thing would be pretty colorful but it's straight up dirty! i like the idea of doing bus processing to add a little more weight to mix elements or even the 2-bus. would have loved to hear the tape saturation engaged on some of those mix samples!
If only Behringer today would start releasing stereo processing gear! Warm Audio was the first outboard processing gear I could afford before graduating to the big leagues with brands like SSL & API etc but the build quality of Warm is rubbish! My WA-76 went wrong twice - the first time outside of warranty despite having less than 20 hours of use in its life from new and left in a secure rack in my studio. I didn’t use again after getting it back from repair and testing. I turned it on the other day for the first time since and it’s broken again but with a completely different fault lol. The problem with Warm Audio has always been build quality and reliability. Behringer have made A+++ remakes of so much gear and to a superior standard. Warm Audio units in my experience and to my ears lack a precise excellence in tone. With plug-in emulations sounding so close to the real hardware units and many stores of Grammy mix & mastering engineers selling certain units as a result… I don’t see the gap in the market for Warm Audio anymore. The USP has gone now the gap between emulations and real hardware units has closed. Their price points was never a bargain, especially when you consider the parts and build quality & lack of reliability. I wish Behringer would work their magic and start releasing stereo processing units! They’d be insane. There’s a lot of stuff on my shopping list and it’s all rather expensive. Wish they’d make a Massive Passive clone as close as they did the Model D and save us all about £3.5k 😅
I really don't like how this sounds. I understand that it's more a colour/distortion box which is fine, but the distortion just sounds pretty bad to me. I think it sounded good when the vocal was pushed to more vintage microphone/phone EQ levels, but I guess that's not what it's for. Pretty weird box to my ears, I really didn't like it that much on anything you did, it sounded OK on the synth, but I'd rather have a Culture Vulture or Elektron box if I'm honest.
@@mixbustv I know, but it kinda is that right? You're buying this because you want a dirty preamp; I'm just saying that to me the 'dirt' doesn't sound that great. I'd rather just record with something else and run it through a (to me) better colour box, is my point.
I think you're focusin on the extreme settings. My point in saying this is a preamp first is because the focus should be on the moderate settings. I personally don't like the CV, never have, not the Elektron. But it's just personal taste. If you record with a clean then you run it thru a color box, you need to buy two units. Jussayin
I’m honestly not tempted at all. The way you presented it I thought I would love it but hearing the examples I feel it’s a bit too much for my ears. I don’t love the way it distorts. Matter of taste I guess.
@@mixbustv unless I’m crazy when you were demoing things you were switching different things on the two channels. Maybe that was on purpose. But the switches are in the same order on both sides. Unless I’m reading the words wrong on the faceplate.
@@chicagoblow The characters of old preamps are not as clean and pristine. Also harmonic distortion is a key component of the design of the exact preamp it's based on. Also if it sounds broken, back off the input and use more output. If the problem persists check the tubes. Don't take low blows at other people's gear because you have a problem with a little scrimmage. The nerve. 🙄
@@mixbustv Also wanted to say, I wonder if you think this could outperform a Twin-finity 710. I modded mine but want something new. Just for trying sake, I suppose? Your suggestion?
I don't like the unit at all, tbh. It breaks quickly and nastily (a bit like you in the comment sections of your videos, damn sir are you rude with your viewers).
USE THE SUPER THANKS IF YOU LIKED THIS VIDEO! 👆👆👆
GET THE WA-2MPX: bit.ly/3JTzJ3F
MONO VERSION: bit.ly/3ZYVTXM
David, what are your thoughts on mixing into this?
Thank you for the outstanding review. David has built a level of trust with his followers that covers a lot of ground with a lot of equipment. This one looks to be a buy!
🙏🙏
I would LOVE to have this unit. Im sure its excellent as a pre, but I get the feeling I would get the most use out of it as a parallel unit. Sounds badass!
Does it have a Mix knob for parallel processing?
@@roberthanzl8294 no mix knob, but you could record to a cleaner pre, then send back through the WA MPX, print to a separate track, and use the faders in your DAW to control the blend. :)
One of the few trusted voices I listen to when reviewing products.
This looks super nice! Love the switches and silver finish!
Very excited to get into the review
A wonderful unit, I’m going to buy it, Thanks for recommending this unit.I will let you know my feedback when I use it
I had a scully 2-channel preamp for years that finally died about 5 years ago. I used on guitars and this reminds me of it except this has way more headroom, the scully was good for line level sources but would add wool to anything you put through it. This is far more verstile and powerful and I want a whole set of 12 of them for tracking drums!!!! I ordered the first stereo one this morning so only 10 more to go LOL
Lol maybe, test the first one first? 😂
Ohhh Crispy Cringly Saturation just jumps alive out of there, stellar good electric! Even on my old tv speakers, the depth and body of the synth clearly revealed itself, and I really loved it on the male rock Vox. Thanks for the demo Dave!
Just Ordered One! it sounds amazing and i needed another colorbox and "MIC Pre" so Yea this unit will fulfill this need! Thanks for this Nice Demo. Cheers
Interesting! I think this is a great color box for special effects: the full-blown distortion on the male vocals especially. That said, I tend to prefer solid-state preamps to tube ones when it comes to tracking. :D
One of the best reviews I've ever seen.. great job. I'm getting a couple of these for my drums..
Totally dig when you do an equipment reveiw like these!!! Stoked to hear the new stuff when we are deciding on purchases of the mid to high end gear. Thanks again!!!!
I second that motion! Sure you could buy something and return if if it isn't your thing, but this takes the guessing out of it.
I just bought this monster, together with my brand new Neumann TLM 107 Black Edition. Thanks for a great review! All the very best! Toni
Thanks for the review and hard work! Liked what it did for synths, bass, drums, rock male vox. Didn't care for it on female Vox or 2 bus duties as much. Overall the unit I think sounds ok, wasn't wow'd by it nor will I be rushing to buy it. I think I appreciate it for it's coloration/distortion capabilities more than as a preamp, and for my workflow plugins work better for that. It seems like an ok jack of all trades rather than a master of anything. Just my opinion, yours may vary!
Nature Sleep Serenity
PLUGINS 😝
sheesh this is a monster 🔥 congratulations with the unit 🤘
@MixbusTV When you play with tone at about 8:00, you actually press 80Hz HPF on the left channel. Really easy to be mistaken in the controls with this layout.
Noticed that too
Yeah because in a real life use you ain't gonna fiddle around so much lol
I need this... thanks for the great video David
A Wet/Dry blend knob and 'full bypass' switch would have made this perfect for Master Bus processing.
You want switches for master processing
@@mixbustv
No, the switch would be for quick A/B comparison.
The clean dry signal would always be readily available to check if you've gone too far with the saturation, or for blending extreme settings with the clean signal.
Way more colourful than I thought it'd be, its almost guitar preamp saturation levels (without the tonal aspects). Wish it had a control for the tape saturation, seems if you want the mic pre to saturate a little the tape section is fully distorted. Sounds fun though and smooth.
A winner, for sure. Great video, my friend.
great vid as usual, David! LOVED it on bass, drums and the full mix tests. so much range and flexibility at $700 per channel. want to compare it to the Locomotive Audio 86B-2. not nearly as many tonal options, but it's the one currently on my list. I want tube pres BADLY (preamp, 2bus, bass...all the spots) and this may have just bumped it off the list for now. thanks for the share!
Decided to get one, without even reading any reviews!
But nice to hear a pros opinion & it hasn’t given me any doubt. 👍
I have a pair warm audios pulltec clone (close as I’ll get to an Original)
That and this for the finishing touch and I’m set!!!
Very nice width when used sparingly. Nice distortion if used tastefully also. Doesn’t quite sound like tape, but does sound nice. Great review brother
Underrated comment here! The width and depth is astonishingly good when used with the right amount. Loved it on the mix bus and drums especially
Sounds like tape to me. Sound stage expands beautifully! Dumping my old pre for this definitely.
I have the Warm Audio wa76 and the Warm Audio Bus Comp which are great
Agreed! I have the bus comp, as well as the 4 channel 312 clone (WA412). And the Bus Comp shocked the hell out of me with how fat is sounded on my drum buses! 👍
@@SoundKilterStudio Bus comp is legit. Just the transformers engaged seems to do more for the mix than my WA73 pair. Fattens everything up real nice. Gives it more presence is how I'd explain it.
100% agree!
on drums with tape and filters on, it sounds like a room mic or overheads smashed with a 1176 set with doubled release time trick 😎🤟
YO, this thing sounds GREAT holy crap WA
Nice for synths - A 2nd hand black Thermionic Culture Vulture costs roughly the same. You can imagine which one I'd pick up first.
Oh wow! I love the old Ampex preamps! Seems, I have to demo this one!
I guess I'm gonna have to buy this one.
Thanks Dave
OMG!!! This is so good. How does it compare with the Zulu? 😅
Real tube saturation!!
I think depending on the song or beat it could be good on the whole mix especially if there’s a lot of virtual synths. It doesn’t sound like I would get it if I needed good mic preamps but I’d have to try it to know. I’d like to hear different piano mics through it!
I have 3 273,s love them❤
Tape mode on the drums!!🔥🔥🔥
Kinda reminds me old Behringer stuff.
Because of the looks of it 100% - dont think it sounds very behringer ?!
Definitely has a Behringer/Klark Teknik look, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
I liked to hear a bass Sample. as Bass is often a bit thin, and im not liking too much of reamped Speaker sounds, i like modern funky basses, haha- The Tape and yes this highlighting of mid- and lower portions fits.
I have a few WA pieces. Their 73 and pultecs. Also the 251 mic. I’m not saying they are bad but also I’m not terribly in love with them either. They give some color but nothing that makes me feel they are “unique”. Idk. They use some key things like transformers but the rest of their circuits are cheap and something to be desired. Then again they are very affordable price wise compared to to their OG versions they clone. I might try this out. I need more pre colors.
Cheap? respectfully, I prefer the word inexpensive. Because my 30 years of sound, mixing, mastering, and performing experience, and my ears don't 'hear' cheap at all with this unit. Cheap is not a technical word. Is the intentional distortion and/or color on some of the world's greatest recordings cheap? Get what I'm saying here? Thanks...
@@mobiuslooped1551 no. There are cheap Chinese components.
@@nikdrown There are great inexpensive components too. Don’t get too heavy on the Chinese components, they are in every facet of your life. As for my own experiences, and I’m 74 years old, I cut my teeth at gold star recording studios in Hollywood. I remember very well the equipment we had. It wasn’t that great. Young people are falling for so much hype. It’s ridiculous, spending many thousands of dollars on stuff that if you ABX test them, one can barely discern the difference at all, let alone a multi-thousand dollar, or even hundreds of dollars difference. Suit yourself, but I don’t buy into it at all, and I’ve been there. I remember a tape accident at Gold Star for example. An album’s tape master came flying off the tape pancake take-up reel and was destroyed. We made the album with our backup copy that was one generation down!! Not one person, even it the business, could tell. Happy music making.
@@mobiuslooped1551 look I think you’re confusing a few things. I don’t care about cheap or inexpensive as you may say. I have tons and I tons of the stuff in all varieties. I get what you’re saying. But these pieces didn’t float my boat as much as say my “inexpensive” console I bought for $300 that has some unique components that sound amazing. Your old equipment had something in those components. These things now days? They nailed the transformer. Cool. But the other stuff that contributed to the uniqueness they sought to replicate? Even for being inexpensive they still charge probably twice as much to build it yourself. With cheap components that break. Switches etc. I don’t give a shit where they are from. I bought them. I use them. They aren’t that cool though. I didn’t say there aren’t cool cheap components. I use an Alesis wedge FFS because it’s got some cool sounds in it. I am totally in the world of using cheap inexpensive whatever. Don’t PC the gear to mein.
What’s your point of reference. Clearly you own several of them so I’m assuming you don’t own the originals of which these are based. I think you take about the parts costing twice as much as the unit, it’s probably less than half but feel free to build your own from a kit and then figure out how much your time was work to build, troubleshoot and complete it. I hope your time isn’t worthless and I can guarantee you theirs isn’t either. If you know of better for the same cost then go for it. If you don’t like the components then replace them and see how much difference there is with each one. I’m going to guess and say it’s not much if anything. Circuit design > components and some swaps will likely be more of an individual taste issue than a consensus “better” vs “worse”.
Hey! How it’s going bro. Umm, right now I’m stuck between purchasing an spl iron or a stereo preamp such as: api or Neve for the mix bus to add some excitement warmth and clarity to mixes. My mixes are great. As far as mixbus I just use a elysia xpressor. Is it common to use a stereo preamp on mixbus or should I just go with the variable mu compressor.
That's an odd "this or that" if you need a compressor preamps won't do it.. the iron is a pretty clean compressor btw. Not really a mojo one. Preamps sre for microphones if you ask me, I've never liked the trend of running mixes thru pres, makes no sense to me when we have dedicated color boxes that do that much better (HG-2 being one if you want tubes). Mojo compressors would be Stamchild 670, Dictator, a pair of 176s even.. not the iron. But none of these will give you warmth and clarity and excitement. Get a tube eq if you're looking for that, much more versatile and many more "colors" Depending on your budget, get Wes TubeEQ or IGS 825EQ
That "tone" switch is the highlight of this box sounds GREAT! I like the filters too. The Saturation is SUPER HEAVY, Id rarely use that unless Im going for the effect. (Maybe as a parallel on drums)....
seems it bit too heavy handed, mix knob would have been good or even knobs instead of switched so you can dial in how much of that tone or tape saturation you're getting, it just seems over board when you click the switches in, and then you have to dial back the input which changes how you hit the tubes . but it is cool if one is after a super saturation box
it has a nice low mid color, the breathy tone at 6:25 on "escaped" is amazing but this thing gets really distorted fast
And I’ve been looking around for a mic pre. I’ll give this one a look. Thanks for the review.
I hear a lot of bad reviews on warm audio. That’s why I’ve been reluctant to buy their gear.
Who is lying to you? I got into warm with the "cheap Chinese made gear" in mind. I was forced to use their gear in a studio tracking session their mics are definitely worth every penny. Their 73 pre is awesome . Their eqp was great. All are extremely usable & musical tools.
@@nycholasyork2873 alots of people on gearslutz. And a lot of their gear is on reverb for sale and that’s usually a tell tell sign. And a lot of music gear stores won’t sale it out here where I’m at. They say the gear isn’t up to their standards. And if they’re saying that their must be some truth to it.
But I take what People say into consideration. But I like to talk to people who actually use the gear. Good or bad.
Warm Audio stuff is great, I highly recommend you give them a chance.
@@Ricky21mt I hear you.
@@Ricky21mt thanks for the response
Thankyou so much for showing the FULL RANGE of tone shaping and parameters. I just watched a video of a monster boutique compressor and they showed what HALF A DB OF GAIN REDUCTION does on acoustic guitar, and NOTHING ELSE.... waste of time video!
What mic do you think would compliment with this preamp I have a tlm 49 would you say this preamp would sound good with doing hip hop recordings thanks for posting 🙏
I'm not that familiar with that mic but whether you keep in on the cleaner side or go aggro on it, it's a good pre for hip hop
Hey thank you for your honesty might have to give this a go I’m thinking with the tape it might give the vocal that old school fuzz 🔥
Hi. So the saturation of this preamp is more or less like an Overdrive tube amp? Thanks.
the saturation on the male vocals.
the sustain and density on the clearer setting for synth.
Fabulous
Super interesting piece of gear. Thanks for sharing. The only thing: The saturation seems to start a bit early in Tape Mode. ✌🏼
Yo it sounds really good 😮
Does this preamp can be a great first mic preamp for male vocal pair with a tlm 103, and what would you recommend instead ?
Definitely
@@mixbustv Thanks you, Great content like always. cheers
A TLM103 needs a real tube preamp such as Universal Audio 2610 or equivalent
@@brianpsionic4089 besides that one, what would be your list of preamps for a Tlm 103
@@silveramateur571 Universal Audio SOLO/610
Liked it on synth and drums
If you get a chance Davy, I'd love to here your take on Warm Audio WA73-EQ Preamp🤞🤞🤞
Nooo please watch one of the million other youtube vids for that…! 🙏🏼
@@lassorb4752 I would rather hear Davy take on it. Its why I follow him.
@@dddocmusic Far more good reviews than bad about it. I have two individual WA73 EQ's. Didn't wanna wait for shipping for the stereo unit so I made my own.. The EQ's are noisey, especially the highs, there's ways to work around it, kind of. But in general they sound good, and you can bypass the EQ's with a button.
Do you feel this would Replace a pair of RND Neve 542? Do they do they similar or have same sound? How would you compare it to 542?
Oh no, not by any stretch, totally different
Pretty cool. Honestly getting into guitar pedal range.
I have a hard question for prefer the Drawmer or the new Warm Audio MpX tube for saturation purposes? Mind you I have 14 very high quality preamps and while I can always use a few more I don't mind the price difference ( only about $200-250 difference ) . I know you love both of these but from a saturation point of view I'd love to hear what you think.
I'm guessing the WA is more versatile overall but I'm under the impression the Drawmer maybe better for mastering.
Love your show! Keep it metal!
I guess you're referring to the 1976? If so it's a hard battle tbh. I love the MPX, I really do, but the 76 makes its way in basically every mix I do one way or another while the MPX doesn't, maybe 4 out of 10. The pres are great tho but yeah. The versatility is in favor of the 76 slightly because it's multi band, actually in my upcoming new Rock mixing course I show a neat trick with it for guitars that is pretty cool.
@@mixbustv thank you so much for your insights man. I'm definitely going to let more ppl know about your show. This is becoming one if not probably my fav recording show . I've been doing this for about 20 years but you got me beat. Your insights are greatly appreciated. Thank you for confirming my suspicions!!!!
@@metaldefender49 🙏 you're welcome!
Where do you put it on your mix chain? I guess at the beginning?
I'm not sure what you mean by "mix chain". My 2bus? Absolutely not. This ain't a unit meant for 2bus. Groups, single tracks sure.. not 2bus.
@@mixbustv that’s what I meant, and it seems I was wrong, sorry lol
Thanks a lot for your response ! And your channel, so interesting
Huuummm beginning my comment at the start after watching the B roll... Interested at the amount of switches, then start reading them... saw it's a pre amp and started thinking "Okay typical controls..." "Oh wait... the ending with Tape also" interesting unit.... it being Warm Audio it will be cheap, and a warm audio product has gotten your attention so this might be well be a gem... TBC...
Defiantly not a forgiving box, but gives you a lot of options to play and would definitely suit as someone's first unit for that reason.
It'll be a good first unit for the reason it's definitely a unit that you need to adjust to the sweet spot with which ever thing you wish to engage which will make someone stop and think a bit more.
I like it, would be a great swiss army unit.
There's a one channel unit in a 2 U design also but I'm guessing the 2 channel is just more crowded on the inside the unit.
I'm thinking it could shine a bit more with with a more colourful mic, but prefer your choice for the test so we can hear the unit more than the mic.. love that mic for that very reason though.
Nice one for introducing this
Looked at the inside of both and it is basically just a more compact setup.
Can sometimes cause interference, but only if it’s not done properly and it probably is.
The power board is on its side instead of flat as all.
Stereo is obviously the wiser way to go.
Definitely going to be nice for deep rich vocals but will also serve so many other things.
Seriously thinking about getting one
Did you ever have problem with low gain from one of you channels? Ch1 gain is lower than channel 2 on mine
No, if you do you probably have a bad tube
@@mixbustv AH MAN thanks for the info though
I feel it goes to fast from clean to super disorted. Like the range from saturated to destroyed is tiny. I liked it a lot on drum tho.
Bella ❤
Do we have to set the input as line while mixing/post production?
Yes it drops the input level so you have more range
@@mixbustv but why you kept it as mic?
@@Drgmusic_ this is probably why this unit seems so prone to distortion and overdrive in this video. I haven't heard one in person, let alone used one, but I'm sure this video has done a huge disservice to this preamp. This video just makes it sound like a dirtbox.
i figured this thing would be pretty colorful but it's straight up dirty! i like the idea of doing bus processing to add a little more weight to mix elements or even the 2-bus. would have loved to hear the tape saturation engaged on some of those mix samples!
Tape it's too much for mixing duties and matching left and right is a bit hard
@@mixbustv i figured as much! however, my curiosity always gets the best of me lol. cheers, man!
Woohoo!!! This is a very fun looking box. Just about every combination of settings was cool in its own way. I would overuse the hell out of this : )
If only Behringer today would start releasing stereo processing gear! Warm Audio was the first outboard processing gear I could afford before graduating to the big leagues with brands like SSL & API etc but the build quality of Warm is rubbish! My WA-76 went wrong twice - the first time outside of warranty despite having less than 20 hours of use in its life from new and left in a secure rack in my studio. I didn’t use again after getting it back from repair and testing. I turned it on the other day for the first time since and it’s broken again but with a completely different fault lol. The problem with Warm Audio has always been build quality and reliability. Behringer have made A+++ remakes of so much gear and to a superior standard. Warm Audio units in my experience and to my ears lack a precise excellence in tone. With plug-in emulations sounding so close to the real hardware units and many stores of Grammy mix & mastering engineers selling certain units as a result… I don’t see the gap in the market for Warm Audio anymore. The USP has gone now the gap between emulations and real hardware units has closed. Their price points was never a bargain, especially when you consider the parts and build quality & lack of reliability.
I wish Behringer would work their magic and start releasing stereo processing units! They’d be insane. There’s a lot of stuff on my shopping list and it’s all rather expensive. Wish they’d make a Massive Passive clone as close as they did the Model D and save us all about £3.5k 😅
Seems pretty annoying that the tape sat adds SO MUCH GAIN!?
Besides that - it sounds pretty good, actually considering buying one 😅
Interesting to hear what that unit does to the reverb tails on the synth
Way to distorted. Right when you turn it on.
I really don't like how this sounds. I understand that it's more a colour/distortion box which is fine, but the distortion just sounds pretty bad to me. I think it sounded good when the vocal was pushed to more vintage microphone/phone EQ levels, but I guess that's not what it's for. Pretty weird box to my ears, I really didn't like it that much on anything you did, it sounded OK on the synth, but I'd rather have a Culture Vulture or Elektron box if I'm honest.
None of those are preamps, which is what this is mainly. The rest is extra
@@mixbustv I know, but it kinda is that right? You're buying this because you want a dirty preamp; I'm just saying that to me the 'dirt' doesn't sound that great. I'd rather just record with something else and run it through a (to me) better colour box, is my point.
I think you're focusin on the extreme settings. My point in saying this is a preamp first is because the focus should be on the moderate settings. I personally don't like the CV, never have, not the Elektron. But it's just personal taste. If you record with a clean then you run it thru a color box, you need to buy two units. Jussayin
should do a video on the api clone/tone beast. try out different DOAs, transformers..
The tone beast is the only Warm Audio piece of gear that sounds good IMO
Looks like an old Behringer preamp
Looks like the 530 which is inspired by lol
I’m honestly not tempted at all. The way you presented it I thought I would love it but hearing the examples I feel it’s a bit too much for my ears. I don’t love the way it distorts. Matter of taste I guess.
Chill Mix? What is that song?
A song I mixed and mastered some time ago, The Nest - New Moon
Sweet I was going down a rabbit hole trying to find it. Great production and mix really great!@@mixbustv
@@1loveMusic2003 thank you
It's my ear? there is some ringing presence in the voice
Very retro
Not sure about their tape saturation, it sounds like IC broken up distortion, not like tape sat
It's a distortion box. For sure. But there are better options for saturation.
any alternatives? for simmilar purpose i mean
Zulu
This vs an analog heat please
👍
they really should of put a mix knob on it
Not doing it for me. Thanks for saving me money.
😮
Just making sure you see the switches aren't mirrored...only the knobs.
They are
@@mixbustv unless I’m crazy when you were demoing things you were switching different things on the two channels. Maybe that was on purpose. But the switches are in the same order on both sides. Unless I’m reading the words wrong on the faceplate.
Mirror, meaning the far left equals the far right
@@mixbustv right. BUT THATS NOT HOW THE SWITCHES ARE LABELED.
so...many...shiny...flippy switches....
0:12 Trackname Please!! :)
It's one of Bella Kelly Throat Remixes, on Spotify
@@mixbustv THX :)
It's sounds broken, maybe get another unit?
If you get a new pair of ears 👍
@@mixbustv maybe your ears are broken. Maybe get a better haircut. Thumbs up
@@chicagoblow The characters of old preamps are not as clean and pristine. Also harmonic distortion is a key component of the design of the exact preamp it's based on. Also if it sounds broken, back off the input and use more output. If the problem persists check the tubes.
Don't take low blows at other people's gear because you have a problem with a little scrimmage.
The nerve. 🙄
@@mixbustv Also wanted to say, I wonder if you think this could outperform a Twin-finity 710. I modded mine but want something new. Just for trying sake, I suppose?
Your suggestion?
The tape saturation is terrible.
Agreed
hardware decapitator
that’s what i was thinking 😂
i dont want this 😭
are you paid for this review ? Is it really good are are you paid ? thanks.
Do you have ears? Can't you tell yourself?
I don't like the unit at all, tbh. It breaks quickly and nastily (a bit like you in the comment sections of your videos, damn sir are you rude with your viewers).
@@someoneacomputer1905you kinda started the rudeness :)
all test is in to the mic mode...very bad
Ugly sounding device. The ability to load the mic is not there. Please open that box up and let us see the schematics.
This thing sucks. Really
Please keep commenting you're making me money 👍 go on other vids too so you're also gonna boost ranking 🙌
Nothing special, i can get the same result with plugins. Save your money for real purposes in life.
Save your time, don't do music lol
That’s got some HEAT. Those switches look satisfying to flip.