ART VLA II Vs PBC 6A [on Vocals]

[Dread]

Besides the fact that you can get allot more sounds out of the PBC would you consider the PBC 6A superior to the VLA on Vocals?

And how do these 2 units compare on fast/aggressive rap vocals?

[jeremyglover]

i have the RNC and the pro VLA .. they both work well and sound great.
i'd go with VLA. it seems to get more positive revues than the PBC.

[kodaz]

PBC-6a by a mile. I have both the pbc and Vla. The pbc is my no1 compressor on vocals.
VLA is good for drum buss.

[Webb]

Originally Posted by jeremyglover

i'd go with VLA. it seems to get more positive revues than the PBC.

What planet is that on? I have never heard a bad review of the PBC.

[Heartfelt]

PBC on the way in sounds better than any plug I have... it seems a bit FET-ish.

Good reduction with PBC on the way in and some moderate compression ITB with CLA-LA2A = Buttah

[prontold]

I have both. What kind of vocals? I think the style of mix and singing you are dealing with matter a lot here. You can't really go too wrong with the PBC, but there are actually some things I prefer the VLA on.

[prontold]

Whoops. For fast agressive rap vocals I would imagine you'd prefer the PBC by a long shot.

[Funny Cat]

Originally Posted by jeremyglover

i have the RNC and the pro VLA .. they both work well and sound great.
i'd go with VLA. it seems to get more positive revues than the PBC.

I'm confused? The RNC and PBC are two different pieces. But maybe you were trying to say that the RNC gets better reviews on vox than the PBC due to its more "transparent" sound?

[Jimsi]

The RNC and PBC are no way related I mean RELATED in anyway....I own them both and they are from opposite sides of the universe...but both nice, PBC alot nicer on vox...

Originally Posted by jeremyglover

i have the RNC and the pro VLA .. they both work well and sound great.
i'd go with VLA. it seems to get more positive revues than the PBC.

[Dread]

Ok well if I rule out the VLA.. now I got a toss up between PBC and the slightly cheaper DBX 160a??? for some reason I get a feeling that that comp might be good on my voice.

Also with the sm7b and my GAP pre Im a bit concerned that things might get a bit to "Gooie" maybe or "slow" if that makes any sense for fast vocals with the PBC.. and think maybe the DBX would be better here.. but I dont know.. Im gona have to pull the trigger on something now..

[Retinal]

I own VLAII and two PBC.
Not comparable, they're way to different, while the VLA can be used on rap/fast vocals I wouldn't use is as main compressor and not as ONLY compressor most important. It can be used but would be really "accessory"

The PBC is just one of the best vocal tracking compressor ever build imho,
if you want color, grit, aggression, the PBC delivers all that big time, and more. It has a very full sound, very warm and polished.

If i had to pick one between the two, I'd got without a shadow of a doubt with the PBC.

With that said, the PBC doesn't sound like any other compressor to me,
it always compresses (read the specs to understand how it works), it has a very unusual way to handle the material, also attack and release do have a unique response, a compressor you need to understand, not really straight forward.

I have the 160 as well and while usable on vocals, and pretty good on some, it would never be my first choice (also depends on what other comp one has..), again, I'd pick the PBC against the 160 any day, and the VLA over the 160 too

[Dread]

Originally Posted by Retinal

I own VLAII and two PBC.
Not comparable, they're way to different, while the VLA can be used on rap/fast vocals I wouldn't use is as main compressor and not as ONLY compressor most important. It can be used but would be really "accessory"

The PBC is just one of the best vocal tracking compressor ever build imho,
if you want color, grit, aggression, the PBC delivers all that big time, and more. It has a very full sound, very warm and polished.

If i had to pick one between the two, I'd got without a shadow of a doubt with the PBC.

With that said, the PBC doesn't sound like any other compressor to me,
it always compresses (read the specs to understand how it works), it has a very unusual way to handle the material, also attack and release do have a unique response, a compressor you need to understand, not really straight forward.

I have the 160 as well and while usable on vocals, and pretty good on some, it would never be my first choice (also depends on what other comp one has..), again, I'd pick the PBC against the 160 any day, and the VLA over the 160 too

Excellent post!
Thats it PBC it is!

[jeremyglover]

Originally Posted by Webb

What planet is that on? I have never heard a bad review of the PBC.

planet gearslutz .. you see them being sold all the time in the classifieds.
it's not that they got a bad revue, it's just people didn't seem to hold onto them.

[jeremyglover]

Originally Posted by Jimsi

The RNC and PBC are no way related I mean RELATED in anyway....I own them both and they are from opposite sides of the universe...but both nice, PBC alot nicer on vox...

i never said they were related or similar. i just said i own the RNC.

[The dman]

I own a VLA (not II) and the pbc and imo the ART is ok but the Pbc stomps it.

[Strangeland]

PBC is definitely the way to go on vocals. I've used both and I will say that the VLA2 is good piece of hardware but the PBC is a solid step above. The PBC will carve out a nice spot in the mix for your vocals to sit, the VLA somewhat struggles to do this.

[dkelley]

agreed with pbc but keep in mind the vla is a true optical compressor and as such does fit a niche that works hand in hand very well with the pbc. the pbc might be your bread and butter comp for vocals, but the vla, used sort of like you would use any other nice opto comp (la2a style), can be the icing on the cake for vocals.

However with a true 1176 fet comp (which I own) I find I actually NEED the vla as the icing in many vocal situations.

with the pbc I find it covers more versatile ground than a true 1176 does and as such you can be just fine with only that one compressor. however I still use a vla in my vocal chain under almost all circumstances thanks to it having an inherent subtle way of de-essing a tiny bit and also just having a really sexy beautiful opto comp way of working on vocals to make it, well, just nicer sounding.

so you could always pick up a used vla at some point in the future for that extra little something to put in series with your pbc or for those times when you could use a true stereo opto comp. not to mention the vla does a good job in it's dbx-style mode as well if you don't need it's opto mode.