ART Tube PAC Microphone Preamp/Compressor

by ART

Product Features

• Combination mic/line preamp with optical tube compressionTable top designRugged aircraft-quality aluminum chassis

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B0002E37KO
• Item model number: TUBEPAC
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,355 in Musical Instruments (See Top 100 in Musical Instruments)
  • #38 in Musical Instruments > Recording Equipment > Microphones > Preamps

Product Description

The ART Tube PAC is a combination of the world's most popular tube mic/line preamp and optical tube compressor. ART engineers took the Tube MP and Tube Compressor and combined them into a single, convenient, aircraft-quality extruded aluminum chassis. This table-top design allows for easy placement in the studio or on the stage with immediate access to all the controls, features, and metering. In addition to being a tremendous vocal and instrument preamp and compressor package, this may well be the ultimate in tube direct boxes!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All it's cracked up to be..., November 14, 2006

By 

Charlie "Pinedog" (Upstate New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: ART Tube PAC Microphone Preamp/Compressor

Before ordering this unit, i read reviews and talked to folks in home recording website groups. This product is very well respcted so i purchased it. No regrets here. The warmth that the tube adds to my vocals, guitar, and mandolin in this frigid digital world is worth the price alone but the improved tone it offered my direct in bass guitar was a really pleasant surprise. I haven't even used the compressor yet but i'm sure it won't disappoint. This thing is built like a tank. Superior craftsmanship and quality to boot for an unbeatable price. Color me satisfied.

2.0 out of 5 stars Not Worthless, But Worth Less, January 27, 2012

By 

Mitchell Small (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: ART Tube PAC Microphone Preamp/Compressor

This unit proves you don't always get what you pay for, but this story does not have a happy ending. It is worth a lot less than what you will pay for it. As others have noted, it is noisy. I found this to be true both electrically and audibly. When I turned the first one on, I could hear a hum. After connecting it to my digital recorder, I saw that I was at a fairly high and constant input level. Not good. Same for the second unit I tried. Listening to the recordings showed I was recording some type of line noise, even though I was not speaking at the time.

For this test, I was running a fairly high end dynamic mic into the ART Tube PAC and the output was going to my digital recorder. As a check against this setup, I ran the mic straight into the recorder and found the sound was clean, but low volume, hence the desire for a preamp. The clean input without the added electronics showed the Tube PAC was responsible for any noise, not the mic or the recorder. I was also interested in the compressor aspects of the ART to enhance voice recordings. While I was able to tame the noise level on recordings through lowering my input level on the recorder, the compressor functions did not add anything at all to the sound. Wasted electronics.

As a preamp only, it is not bad, but you are still left with the residual hum the Tube PAC introduces. Even a quick look around at other sources will find show many preamps that are a lot less expensive than this unit was. That is why I say it is not worthless, but it is worth less: The preamp is usable, but it is not worth what you will pay for it.

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfection for Active Vocalist's, February 28, 2010

By 

Ryan Whyte Maloney "Ryan Whyte Maloney" (Las Vegas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: ART Tube PAC Microphone Preamp/Compressor

I ordered this product from Musicians [...] and was very skeptical about a [...] "tube" preamp/compressor however! I brought it to MDV reheasrsal Studios in LV and used an AKG cheap mic and set my eq's on the board all 12 o clock. I sang an this and dialed it in and then went straight to the board pardon my french but Holy Sh@T this preamp blew my mind I am now using it live every venue and get compliments on my vocals!
It's a must have superb quality and price!