Ready to surprise the world pleasantly at NAMM 2020, Warm Audio has announced the release of three new products that will surely receive a warm welcome in studios, concert venues, and houses of worship. There's the BUS-COMP (you guessed it, a stereo bus compressor) and—this may come as a shock—the appropriately named Direct Box Active and Direct Box Passive are indeed direct (DI) boxes!
As for the DIs, average they are not; these models are laden with custom-wound CineMag USA transformers and made with a design philosophy that prioritizes audio performance. Let's start with the similarities.... Both DI boxes boast tough extruded-aluminum enclosures, rugged metal controls, gold-plated circuit traces, and identical I/O connectors. You'll find an unbalanced Hi-Z 1/4" input, which can be switched to accept signal properly from an instrument or a line-level source such as an amplifier's line out or a feed from an audio interface. The input is simultaneously routed to a 1/4" thru jack and a balanced XLR socket that outputs low-impedance, mic-level signal—feeding a mixer and an amp at the same time will be no problem.
In addition to the expected switches for polarity and ground lift, both direct boxes feature a powerful and selectable function called a variable pad. This pad allows you to attenuate the input signal from -3 to -30 dB at the twist of a heavy-duty dial, ensuring that you have the power to prevent distortion before your precious signal is passed into other devices.
Now for the differences.... The Direct Box Passive is intended for instruments with active electronics, though its extremely wide frequency response is still great when used with passive pickups. The Direct Box Active has two modes, active and passive. Active mode is ideal for instruments with passive pickups, whereas passive mode is better suited for active pickups.
Also, the Direct Box Passive doesn't require a power source, but the Direct Box Active does if you use its active mode—it may be operated via 48V phantom power or two 9V batteries, and it sports dedicated indicators for phantom and battery power status.
Regarding the BUS-COMP, you can expect a stereo VCA compressor built in the tradition of legendary classics long known for their smooth tone, dynamic control, and ability to glue mixes together. However, unlike typical VCA compressors, the BUS-COMP grants you special tonal powers via its USA-made CineMag transformers, which are fed by discrete opamps and can be inserted into the signal path at the push of a button. In case you just want to use the transformers or need to do A/B comparison checks, there's a dedicated switch for engaging the compressor.
The front panel also has some familiar elements, including a VU meter for gain reduction and controls for threshold, ratio, attack, release, and make-up gain. Unexpected bonus features include a high-pass filter—selectable at 30, 60, 105, 125, or 185 Hz—and a switchable external sidechain with its own XLR input on the rear panel, where you'll find inputs and outputs on XLR and 1/4" TRS jacks.
For compressing anything from stereo mixes to stems to mono tracks, the BUS-COMP can be your go-to hardware tool. And it doesn't matter if you play guitar, bass, keyboards, synths, drum machines, or a laptop-based performance rig; the Warm Audio direct boxes are built to withstand the trials of studio and stage environments while delivering truthful, transparent sonic quality. Visit the B&H SuperStore or check out our website to learn more!
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