The staff hear at Gearwire became easy sells on the Universal Audio LA-610 channel strip. Now Universal Audio makes some improvements with the Universal Audio LA-610 MKII at the 125th AES Convention in San Francisco.

Messing with a good thing is something that's usually ill-advised, but Universal Audio took care to make sure that the limited room for improvement on their channel strip was used. The preamp and compressor are exactly the same as they are on the original design from 2005.

User-requested features, however, have been added, and these include true compressor bypass, larger metering, a better output signal and an auto-sensing power supply. The MKII will also feature the "black on black" aesthetics of the LA-610 Signature Edition.

Fast Features:

• Based on Legendary Bill Putnam 610 Tube Mic Pre and EQ Used on Countless Classic Recordings
• Authentic Teletronix LA-2A-style T4 Opto-Compressor
• Complete vintage channel-strip at groundbreaking price within project studio reach
• Mic Pre with Gain and Level controls, variable impedance switching and Instrument DI for recording tone “color”
• Mk II Features such as True Bypass, Larger Metering and Improved Signal Output