Heritage Audio TUBESTRIP and Mix Buddy: New Analog Gear at Blackout Audio (2026)
Heritage Audio has built its reputation on class-A, transformer-coupled outboard that channels classic British and American console tone into gear you can actually afford to rack up at home. For 2026 the Madrid builder adds two new analog pieces at opposite ends of the studio: the TUBESTRIP, an all-tube recording channel, and the Mix Buddy, a compact analog mixer and microphone preamp for portable setups.
Both are now listed at Blackout Audio with Canadian pricing. Here is what each one does, who it is for, and where it fits alongside the rest of the Heritage Audio catalog we stock.
New Heritage Audio Gear at Blackout Audio
These are the two newest Heritage Audio releases on our shelves. One is a flagship tracking channel, the other a grab-and-go analog mixer. Very different jobs, same attention to tubes, transformers and hands-on control.
Heritage Audio TUBESTRIP: All-Tube Channel Strip
The TUBESTRIP is Heritage Audio's most ambitious outboard piece to date. It packs four essential processors into one 3U, all-tube recording channel: a tube preamp with a morphing character control, an inductor-based EQ, a vibey Vari-Mu compressor, and a smooth optical tube compressor, with a de-esser stage on top for controlling sibilance.
The signal path runs on tubes from input to output, with NOS valves in the preamp and Vari-Mu stages, JJ tubes on the output, and four custom-made transformers handling the main and Vari-Mu I/O. A universal power supply is built in, so there is no wall wart to lose.
This is the box for a project or commercial studio that wants a single, high-end tracking chain for vocals, DI bass, guitars and outboard summing. You dial your gain, shape the tone, and commit a finished sound to the recording instead of stacking plugins later. At $5,799 CAD, it sits in serious channel-strip territory and earns it with genuine tube coloration rather than a digital impression of it.
Best for: vocal and instrument tracking, one-box analog front ends, and engineers who like to print tone on the way in.
Heritage Audio Mix Buddy: Portable Analog Mixer and Mic Preamp
The Mix Buddy answers a different need. It is a JFET instrument mixer and compact preamp built for the way musicians actually work on the move. You get seven dual mono/stereo unbalanced instrument inputs, a stereo balanced channel, a proper microphone preamp channel, and a per-channel aux section for adding effects, all with transformer outputs in a portable format.
Think of it as the hub for a synth rig, a pedal-heavy setup, or a small live corner where you need to blend keyboards, drum machines and a mic without hauling a full console. The JFET topology gives it analog character, and the transformer outputs let it drive an interface or PA cleanly.
At $999 CAD, it is an easy addition for gigging players and producers who want analog summing and a usable mic pre in something that fits in a gig bag. It is one of the most affordable ways into the Heritage Audio sound.
Best for: synth and pedal submixing, portable rigs, and small setups that need a mic preamp plus a handful of line inputs.
More Heritage Audio Preamps, EQs and Compressors
If the TUBESTRIP or Mix Buddy has you looking at the wider Heritage Audio range, these are the pieces we get asked about most. Heritage Audio is best known for its 1073-style preamps and channel strips, along with a growing line of bus compressors and EQs that borrow from classic Neve and vintage American designs. They stay popular with project studios precisely because they deliver that console character at a fraction of vintage prices.
The BRITSTRIP is a full British-voiced channel strip if you want preamp, EQ and dynamics in one unit. The HA73EQ is the classic 1073-style preamp and EQ that put Heritage Audio on the map, and the i73 Pro One brings that preamp tone into an audio interface for hybrid setups.
On the dynamics side, the Successor is a stereo bus compressor for gluing mixes, the Grandchild is a variable-mu style compressor, and the Tubecessor adds tube character to the compression stage. Any of them pairs naturally with the new TUBESTRIP as your mix bus or parallel chain.
Shop Heritage Audio in Canada
See the full Heritage Audio lineup we carry, with free shipping on orders over $199 CAD from our Toronto base.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Heritage Audio TUBESTRIP?
The TUBESTRIP is an all-tube recording channel that combines four processors in one 3U unit: a tube preamp with a morphing character control, an inductor-based EQ, a Vari-Mu compressor, and an optical tube compressor with a de-esser stage. It uses custom transformers and a built-in universal power supply, and lists for $5,799 CAD at Blackout Audio.
What does the Heritage Audio Mix Buddy do?
The Mix Buddy is a compact JFET analog mixer and microphone preamp. It offers seven dual mono/stereo unbalanced inputs, a stereo balanced channel, a mic preamp channel, a per-channel aux section, and transformer outputs, all in a portable format. It lists for $999 CAD.
Is Heritage Audio available in Canada?
Yes. Blackout Audio stocks Heritage Audio preamps, channel strips, EQs and compressors with Canadian pricing and ships across Canada from Toronto.
Which Heritage Audio preamp should I start with?
The HA73EQ is the classic starting point for the 1073-style preamp and EQ sound. If you want a preamp built into an interface, look at the i73 Pro One. For a full channel strip in one box, the new TUBESTRIP or the BRITSTRIP are the picks.