ART Pro Audio Pro VLA III

ART have a reputation for delivering great bang for buck, and this ‘Multivoice’ compressor is no exception!

Founded in 1984, ART Pro Audio have forged a reputation for offering original, often innovative studio equipment at cost‑effective prices. Regular readers will know I sometimes spend handsomely for the best gear, but I still rate ART highly. Indeed, I’ve amassed a large collection of their ‘problem solvers’ (patchbays, DI boxes, splitters, isolators) and they’re very much part of my studio’s spine. I also enjoyed ownership of their Pro VLA II compressor — so I’ve been looking forward to this review!

Outer Impressions

The Pro VLA III bears a strong resemblance to its predecessor: the on/off switch, rotary controls, button switches and both moving coil and LED ladder meters sit exactly where they did on its predecessor’s 2U faceplate. The rear appears similarly similar, but the VLA III’s IEC C14 100‑240 Volt AC power inlet and fuse holder have moved further from the channels’ balanced XLR and TRS I/O connectors, and their shared ‑10dBV/+4dBu operating level selector.

The Pro VLA III’s rear panel appears similar to its predecessor, though the mains inlet has been moved further away from the audio sockets.

The Pro VLA III has no dedicated input level control, but there’s generous metering. The idea is that the previous unit in the chain is used to set the ART’s input level, and you meter this on the twin eight‑segment LED meter. This has VU ballistics but also a peak hold function. Each channel’s output level is shown on its large backlit moving‑coil VU. These each have a trim for calibration. Finally, a horizontal 10‑segment LED ladder displays its channel’s gain reduction from 0‑30 dB.

There’s a full complement of traditional compressor controls, all 31‑position, detented pots: threshold (‑30 to +20 dB); ratio (1.25:1 to 20:1); attack (0.25 to 50 ms); release (0.15 to 3 seconds); and the aforementioned output level/make‑up gain (full attenuation to +20dB). A small but welcome difference from the previous version is that the ratio control puts 3:1 at the 12 o’clock position — this gives the user slightly more precise control over the lower ratios.

Each channel has two button switches, both with an integral orange status LED. The first toggles between Tube (valve) and Solid‑State output amplification, which is a feature we’ve seen before on ART’s Multivoice range. The LED illuminates when Tube is selected (button depressed). The second button puts the compressor in the...