Great Preamp, Amazing Value

Many Music Experience engineers prefer mic preamps that do something. And no, we’re not talking about boosting gain — they all do that. We’re talking about making your signal sound better. Character. Coloration. Whatever you want to call it, it’s that inimitable sonic quality that the most coveted classic consoles and outboard gear had. Warm Audio’s WA12 MKII preamp has it, shaping your sound with an exciting, vibey warmth that makes any vocal or instrument sit proudly in your mix. We dig the Warm Audio WA12 MKII, and — especially considering its gentle price tag — we’re sure you will, too.

Coloration — and why you want it

The most coveted vintage consoles and outboard gear weren’t transparent. And that’s the point behind the Warm Audio WA12 MKII. Coloration is, in many cases, desirable. If your mixes sound unprofessional, lacking in vibrancy and depth, you’ll adore the WA12 MKII. Subjective listening tests played a big part in the development of this amazing preamp. Test equipment can tell you only so much, and there’s a point in the design process where you’ve got to let your ears call the shots. You wouldn’t mix with earplugs and an oscilloscope, would you?

Impedance switching gives you sonic versatility

Warm Audio equipped the WA12 MKII with a secret weapon: a Tone button that switches the input impedance from 600 to 150 ohms. Pushing this button changes the tone of both the mic and hi-Z inputs, letting you individually optimize for each of your microphones and giving you a measure of sonic versatility without having to resort to EQ. And speaking of mics, with 71dB of gain, the WA12 MKII has enough on tap to handle your favorite ribbon mics.

Top-tier performance — amazing value

At Music Experience, we understand that outfitting your studio is a balancing act between performance and value. Warm Audio gets that, and their WA12 MKII delivers on both counts. In spite of its ultra-reasonable pricing, Warm Audio gear is made using only the finest components like genuine Cinemag input and output transformers. Look at it this way: at this price, you can pack your rack with two or more WA12 MKII preamps — a capital idea if you record live drums or more than one track at a time.

What Warm Audio Says...

Like the original large-format custom-built 12-style preamps, the WA12 delivers the best of authoritative American console tones favored by artists like The Eagles, Prince, Toto, Eminem, Madonna, and many more.

Upgrade Your Front-End - Upgrade Your Sound

The WA12 MKII is a major upgrade to any audio interface front-end. More than just “more gain”, the WA12 adds defined harmonics and tone-shaping that only discrete analog circuitry can replicate. With 71 dB of warm analog gain and a fully discrete CineMag USA transformer-balanced signal path, the Warm Audio WA12 MKII delivers powerful results on any source.

What you need to know

Like the original 12-series American preamps, the WA12 MKII includes all the features that deliver a complete and professional recording experience. The output (attenuation control) is positioned after the Cinemag output transformer, making it easy to drive the preamp and transformers into saturation. For example, high-gain/low-output produces more overdriven, harmonically rich tone, while low-gain/high-output produces more open, dynamic, and articulate tone.

The WA12 MKII includes critical preamp features to help handle recording challenges. The polarity button allows you to handle phase issues by inverting the polarity 180 degrees. The -20 dB pad helps manage loud sources paired with sensitive mics. LED metering makes it easy to check for clipping before hitting your interface. Selectable 48v phantom power is available for any mic that requires it. The classic Warm Audio “Tone” control alters the input transformer to add “air” or “sheen” to the top end — great for ribbons or darker microphones.

The WA12 MKII features multiple input connections with rear XLR and front Hi-Z options. The Hi-Z connection on the front has a dedicated switch and passes through a JFET for ideal professional direct recording of bass and guitar.