Apollo
Native
sale
Avalon VT-737 Tube Channel Strip
Get the larger-than-life sound of pop, hip-hop, and R&B.
- Track and mix through an exacting emulation of the Avalon VT‑737 analog channel strip
- Get the full character of the original hardware’s tube mic preamp with Unison technology
- Add legendary Avalon gloss and presence to bass, vocals, voice‑over, and more
- Sculpt your sources with a vocal‑flattering optical compressor
- Tweak sounds with four-band EQ and add high‑end detail with 32k "air" band
- Mix with artist presets from Eric J Dubowsky, (Flume, Odesza), Hector Delgado (A$AP Rocky, Lana Del Rey), Michael Brauer (Coldplay, My Morning Jacket), and more
Get the Larger-than-Life Sound of Pop, Hip-Hop, and R&B
What They Say
Ian Boxill
Lenny White, Prince, 2Pac
Hector Delgado
A$AP Rocky, Selena Gomez, Lana Del Rey
Reviews
Frequently Asked Questions
If you're looking for a complete vocal and instrument signal chain in one place, the Avalon VT-737 Tube Channel Strip is worth every penny. It combines a Class A tube mic preamp, an optical compressor, and a four-band EQ, so you can shape a source from input to polish without stacking separate plug-ins. It is the only authentic emulation of that hardware and is endorsed by the original designer, which means the character you hear is the real thing rather than an approximation.
The Avalon VT-737 Tube Channel Strip is different because it models one specific piece of hardware end to end, instead of combining generic processing blocks. Its tube preamp, optical compressor, and discrete four-band EQ are captured from the actual circuit, including the 32k "air" band that gives vocals their signature top-end sheen. Because it is fully endorsed by the hardware's original designer, the tone, gain staging, and compression behavior track the source unit closely.
The Avalon VT-737 Tube Channel Strip comes in two forms, and you get both. The UAD native version runs on your Mac or PC using your computer's processing, with no UA hardware required, so it works in any compatible DAW right away. The Apollo and UAD-2 version runs accelerated on UA hardware, which frees up your computer and, on an Apollo, lets you track through the plug-in in realtime with Unison. If you own an Apollo or UAD-2 device, you can reach for whichever one fits the moment.
The Avalon VT-737 Tube Channel Strip is built to sound like the original hardware, and it is the only emulation endorsed by the company that made that hardware. UA modeled the Class A tube amplifier section, the optical compressor, and the four-band EQ from the actual unit, so the warmth, thickness, and glossy top end carry over. What you dial in on the plug-in behaves the way the hardware does, down to its gain staging and circuit response.
The Avalon VT-737 Tube Channel Strip's optical compressor smooths out a performance in a gentle, musical way that flatters vocals in particular. Optical compression responds a little slower and rounder than other compressor types, which is why it sits so naturally on voices, bass, and voiceover. Standard attack, release, ratio, and threshold settings keep it intuitive, and it holds a source steady without squashing the life out of it.
The Avalon VT-737 Tube Channel Strip includes a discrete four-band EQ for shaping tone right in the signal chain. The high band reaches up to a 32k "air" frequency, which adds open, breathy detail to the top end without turning harsh. Because the EQ lives in the same plug-in as the preamp and compressor, you can carve a source and control its dynamics in a single pass.
The Avalon VT-737 Tube Channel Strip works on both Mac and Windows. The UAD native version runs on your computer without any UA hardware and supports Apple Silicon and Intel Macs as well as Windows PCs. That makes it available in your DAW whether or not you own an Apollo audio interface.
You do not need an Apollo interface or UAD hardware to run the Avalon VT-737 Tube Channel Strip. The UAD native version runs entirely on your Mac or PC, so any producer can use it in a compatible DAW. If you do own an Apollo or UAD-2 device, you also get the accelerated version and, on Apollo, realtime tracking through the plug-in with Unison™ technology.
The Avalon VT-737 Tube Channel Strip supports VST, VST3, Audio Units (AU), and AAX formats. That covers the major DAWs on Mac and Windows, so it loads as a standard insert in your session. You use it the same way you would any other channel strip plug-in in your mix.
Unison technology lets the Avalon VT-737 Tube Channel Strip take over the mic preamp on your Apollo interface, so you can track through the modeled tube preamp in realtime. When you load a Unison-enabled plug-in, the front end of the Apollo physically matches the impedance, gain structure, and circuit behavior of the original hardware preamp. The result is that you record vocals or bass "through" the VT-737's preamp rather than adding its character after the fact.
The Avalon VT-737 Tube Channel Strip shines on vocals, bass, and voice-over, which is where its tube preamp and optical compressor do their most flattering work. It adds a full low end and a glossy, present top end that has defined the sound of countless pop, hip-hop, and R&B records. It also includes artist presets built by professional engineers, which give you proven starting points for those sources.
Channel strip plug-ins are still very much worth using, because they put a full signal chain of preamp, compression, and EQ into one focused tool. The Avalon VT-737 Tube Channel Strip captures a piece of hardware that engineers have relied on for decades, so you get a proven sound and a fast workflow in a single insert. Owning that character as a plug-in means you can recall it exactly on every session, which the hardware can't do.
UAD DSP and UAD native plug-ins are the same Avalon VT-737 Tube Channel Strip in two forms. UAD DSP versions run accelerated on Apollo and UAD-2 hardware, which offloads processing from your computer and enables realtime tracking on Apollo. UAD native plug-ins run directly on your Mac or PC with no UA hardware needed, so you can use the VT-737 anywhere your DAW goes. The sound is the same either way, so the choice comes down to your setup.
The Avalon VT-737 Tube Channel Strip is one of UA's strongest choices for vocals, both while tracking and during the mix. Its tube preamp adds warmth on the way in, its optical compressor keeps a vocal steady and smooth, and its four-band EQ with a 32k "air" band brings out clarity and presence. On an Apollo interface, you can track a vocal in realtime through the whole chain with Unison, then keep refining it in the mix with the same plug-in.
The Avalon VT-737 Tube Channel Strip is known as an emulation of the best-selling standalone channel strip in music history, a tube preamp, optical compressor, and EQ that shaped the sound of modern pop, hip-hop, and R&B. Its reputation comes from a distinctive mix of tube warmth and glossy detail that engineers reach for on lead vocals. The plug-in captures that same character, endorsed by the original hardware designer, so you can put that sound on any track in your session.