[1 User] I dont give products 5 stars ever. But today I'm doing that. Let me tell you I am really impressed. I can see why ART named this thing the Voice Channel. I keep reading about people using this for bass or overheads (It would work great for these) but this is really designed for the voice. After owning one for just a couple of hours and really getting a feel for the unit, it took my voice to a brand new level. Admittedly this is the first time i've done compression/eq/de-essing/gate/expand out of the box. However i feel like the investment in plugins (and the fact that very successful producers like Chris Lorde Algie and Graham Cochrane use plugins) prove there's nothig wrong with that approach. I've been recording in the box (plus a preamp) for a while. This was such an immediate upgrade. I've tried both using the USB out as well as running direct into my interface. The quality is absolutely there. The control though? If you're an in-the box mixer, you should still get one of these. Add a bit of compression and De-Esser on the way in and your singer can relax and focus on the performance. You can get SO MUCH MORE out of the singer that way. Overall i've been so impressed with this unit. The Preamp goes from SUPER clean to as much breakup as you would ever realistically use. It's a very musical preamp. And then the controls let you fine tune. I went from doing everything in the box to now I just use reverb and maybe a touch of further eq once I have my mix almost finished. When I expand and buy more channel strips, I'll probably just buy more of these.

[1 User] Nice sounding tube preamp with lots of options. Tube plate voltage can be adjusted between (low) warmer sound and (high) cleaner sound. The high tube plate voltage option is good for chaining with another tube preamp (e.g. UA 610) for getting a different character. I get a lot of use out of the channel strip features -- the compressor / expander, de-esser, and EQ, which all work pretty well. Digital out too in a lot of formats, if you need it -- I don't. Fit and finish / physical quality is very good on the two that I ordered.

[Download] I’ve owned this channel strip for over 10 years. This is what great audio sounds like. A lot of people put a lot of money into mics, but I would suggest spending money on a great preamp/channel strip first.

I’ve used the following mics with it: AKG414, Neuman U87 & TLM103, SM7B, and several dynamic mics usually used for live applications (SM57 & 58, e935 etc)

This unit realizes the potential of all mics. I’ve even recorded vocals with less expensive dynamic mics and the quality has always been warm, present, and professional.

If you haven’t put a good preamp between your mic and interface before, you will have a “I was deaf, but now I hear” moment.

[Download] I was looking to start my own home recording studio for local bands and through a lot of research, I found this neat little device. It allows for very clear and warm audio recording. I use it for recording vocals, acoustic guitars, grand piano, etc. In all of these instances, this device performs extremely well. The expander and compressor are both very nice features to have. My setup also includes the Focusrite Saffire PRO 40,Rode NT1-A mic, and Sure SM57 mic and I am able to get recordings at a very high level of quality; Almost no hissing in the recording which is very important to me. I will definitely be buying more of this product soon to add more channels.

[Download] I am well pleased with the Art Voice Channel. Took me awhile to get it set the way I wanted but now it sounds great. Clean and clear sound, gate works well but is very sensitive, takes a bit to get it set correctly, compressor works great, I think the tone is a little on the crisp side but I just boosted lows in my recorder just a tad and it sounds great. Greatly improved my home studio!

[1 User] Once you add a tungston bulb this thing shines

[1 User] awesome sound. best kept secret. great bang for the buck. a lot of tweaking options for different sounds. use on vocals and acoustic guitars.

[Download] Lots of reviews start out with lines like Best Bang for your Buck and Great Value etc. This unit compares favourably both sonically and feature wise to units in the boutique segment of channel strips, hands down! In fact, you just won't find all of these features on units in the 4 figure price range, anywhere, seriously-this is the swiss army knife of processors. If you've got 10's of thousands of dollars to blow on Strips, Pre's, EQ's, limiters, Compressors, and DAW input interfaces etc, I'm sure you could out perform the ART. But if you prefer to grow your mike locker and studio effects DO NOT HESITATE to add this fine piece of engineering to your studio, heck, if you want to add some snootique flavour to it, drop another $50 or so bucks on a NOS Mullard 12ax7 or ECC83 to really vintage this guy up!

[1 User] If you have the money to be looking at this and really considering it, you should do yourself a favor and go ahead and make the plunge. Digital recording has always lacked the volume necessary (gain stage) to produce truly professional quality recordings It is very frustrating I know, but you will soon feel much better!

[1 User] Vocals are tailored easily. Acoustic guitars are rich and full. Compression unit can be subtle. Easy to use with a very classic sound for your recordings.