ART Pro Audio Pro Channel III

With switchable input impedance, dual compression voicings and a semi‑parametric EQ on board, the Pro Channel III certainly offers tonal versatility. Could it be your next ‘front end’?

Founded in 1984, ART Pro Audio now seem to have been delivering competitively priced preamps, processors and other audio products for as long as I can remember, but it strikes me that in recent years a number of their rackmount products in particular have really grown into maturity. We looked at their Solo MPA & Solo VLA — the former a preamp, the latter a compressor — about a year ago (SOS November 2024) and my fellow reviewer Bob Thomas seemed pretty much blown away by the combination of sound and facilities for the price, noting as his only ‘con’ the lack of side‑chain filtering on the compressor. ART have now combined elements of both those devices with an EQ, to create a full channel strip called the Pro Channel III, which is currently available in North America (but not yet Europe or the UK), and is reviewed here.

Overview

The Pro Channel III comes in a black, 2U 19‑inch rackmount steel chassis, whose front panel is divided visually into four sections, and whose profusion of knobs all control detented pots. The construction quality seems decent to me, and the finish on the front panel is similarly pleasing, and certainly on the review unit the detents all seemed to line up nicely with the panel labels and other markings.

The left‑most section is the preamp, of course, and next come the EQ and compressor in that order, but their position in the signal path can be reversed Finally, a ‘master section’ comprises a large analogue moving‑coil VU meter with a recessed trim pot, and this can be switched to show the input or output level. Below this, a 10‑LED gain reduction bar meter for the compressor comprises one yellow and nine red LEDs. And to its right, a master output level control is labelled from silence minus infinity to +15dB. This doesn’t actually quite give you full attenuation, but there’s certainly a useful practical gain range on offer here. This knob serves both to set the main output level and as the makeup gain stage for the compressor. Doubling up in this way is an understandable decision when balancing costs and benefits, but note that since the Master knob remains active when the compressor is bypassed, it’s not as easy as with some units to compare the compressed and uncompressed signals.

The insert point means you can patch, say, a de‑esser or gate/expander in between the preamp and compressor/EQ stages, but the return point can also be pressed into service as a line input.

Around the back, you’ll find a balanced input XLR socket, and the balanced XLR output is paralleled on a TRS jack, and there’s a button to set the operating level to +4dBu or ‑10dBv. The maximum input levels are +22 dBu in the +4dBu setting, and +13 dBu for ‑10dBV, while the maximum output level is +26dBu. Unusually, for what’s a relatively affordable device, there are also two TS jacks providing separate (unbalanced) insert send and return points. Obviously, the insert point means you can patch, say, a de‑esser or gate/expander in between the preamp and compressor/EQ stages, but the return point can also be pressed into service as a line input. That cuold be useful, since while the preamp did seem happy to accommodate line‑level signals, some might prefer not to risk exposing line‑level devices to phantom power, or prefer to have the line input available separately from the mic one on a patchbay. You’re bypassing the mic/instrument preamp when you patch in to the insert return, so you have no input gain control and will need to manage that with the computer or device your routing to it, but it could be a handy option. Finally, there’s a standard IEC C13 power inlet (with integral fuse compartment) for the internal power supply, and this accepts 110‑240 V and 50/60Hz mains...