ART Goes Pro in a Big Way A few years ago, Applied Research and Technology, better known as ART, was widely recognized for their guitar and bass effects units. You know, the ones with the bright post-psychedelic graphics on the front? Priced aggressively and offering plenty of bang for the buck, these processors were quite successful. But the company had bigger plans, as evidenced by the products they have been releasing over the last year or so, like the much-acclaimed Pro MPA Two Channel Tube Mic Preamp ($599 list) and its smaller relative, the single channel Tube MP ($149 list). ART was moving into the big leagues with products aimed squarely at the pro audio market. Not that the company has forgotten its guitar-based roots; it still offers an enormous variety of effects processors such as the Quadra/FX Dual DSP/Four Channel Multi Effects unit ($299 list) and the DST Eighty/Eighty Express Powered Processor ($799 list), both of which offer tremendous processing power and excellent sound quality at affordable prices. There's even a dedicated stomp box called the XTREME+ for guitar players who want their effects on the floor. What's more, ART has recently moved into the guitar combo amp department with products like the Model 830 Classic Openback ($999 list) and the Model 820 Classic Head ($899 list). But what has really brought the company to the attention of pros is their exceptional tube-based analog leveling/compression processors. In fact, our own Jim Miller (Tech Notes) recently completed a review of the Pro VLA Two Channel Vactrol/Tube Leveling Amplifier ($599 list) for Electronic Musician magazine in which he pretty much raves about the unit's transparent sound quality and overall warmth and clarity (and around here, we know Jim's no big fan of compressors in general, so we know he was impressed). This unit is indeed a significant achievement, both in terms of its sound quality and price. But ART also offers the Dual Levelar Two channel leveling amplifier at just $329 list, and the single channel Levelar at only $159 list. All three are designed around the same basic VCA-less Vactrol circuitry and real 12AX7 tubes. And each features both 1/4" TRS and XLR balanced ins and outs, so you know the company was thinking of the pro market when they designed these units. We're certain that you'll want to give these processors a serious listen, as well as the new Model 351 31-Band and 341 Dual 15-Band Equalizers. Give us a call to find out more about these and all of the other great ART products and, of course, for your special low Sweetwater pricing. Master Index | Sweet Notes Index | Home | Previous Page | Next Page