The Final & Ultimate LA2A Plugin - Poll!

[El°HYM]

OK then. I voted for TrackComp because OmniChannel wasn't on the list when I checked it. My most used opto comp.

TrackComp seems to be liked a lot. Dont worry that you forgot to put OmniChannel on the List, as I have myself forgotten to put ThrillseekerLA on there too.

[_leras]

Of course no one has all of them so comparison is not really possible.

Given how few UAD users there are here, it seems pretty conclusive. Their original la2a was always great on vocals and real instruments, their version twos were better.

[jamcat]

Of course no one has all of them so comparison is not really possible.

Given how few UAD users there are here, it seems pretty conclusive.

Yes, conclusive that social proof bias exists, and that people are voting for something they've never actually used, based purely on mythology.

Having actually used the UAD LA-2A, I can attest that it is no better than the Waves or IK models, two others that I have also actually used. I did not vote for the UAD.

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

Having actually used the UAD LA-2A, I can attest that it is no better than the Waves or IK models, two others that I have also actually used. I did not vote for the UAD.

I'm sorry, that's just demonstrably false. At least for the White2A, which I own and have experience with. Here's a quick test...

The LA-2A is known for generating a sh*t ton of gain and for being able to be abused as a distortion box if you just pad the signal after. How good is your LA-2A model at doing this?

1. Load up some audio (electric bass or vocals are good for this one)
2. Add your favorite LA-2A effect
3. Add a gain control plugin after the LA-2A (I like TrackControl by DMGAudio), set the gain to like -30db to pad the signal for what we're about to do
4. Go back to your LA-2A plugin, crank up the gain to max
5. Play your audio through

Expected Result: listen to the fuzzy distortion!

IK White2A Result: there's a tiny bit of distortion but mostly clean signal. [Whomp whomp. Descending slide whistle noise.]

UAD LA-2A Silver or Gray: distortion!

You can't have a better model of an LA-2A if this isn't modeled, compared to a unit that did properly model the gain tube/transformer interactions. Quite a few LA-2A's get that right (UAD, Black Rooster, TrackComp) but others do not model that properly (IKMultimedia, the Cakewalk one, a few others).

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

...And the above doesn't mean you can't prefer White2A. Sometimes, less distorted is preferable. I'm just commenting on the accuracy of how it, and other similar plugins, function as a model of an LA-2A if they don't model that aspect of it at all.

[Scotty]

I am thinking we should be comparing this to an actual hardware LA 2A if we are testing for accuracy. We should also be matching the gain. The UAD-2 version add boost just by tuning them on. If we are only listening to compare them against each other and not concerned with how close they are to the real deal that is different scenario. It is valid to compare for preference but it isn't testing accuracy.

[Uncle E]

This poll is too tongue-in-cheek to be about accuracy. I will say that a real LA2A sounds like instant money on vocals, puts them right in your face. Just tell us which emulations sound like instant money and which don’t.

[Scotty]

I've got a couple hardware LA2a here, I find the emulations to be close enough so as not to matter. You can push the plugins in my case (UAD-2 and the IK versions) to extremes and notice differences but that isn't practical use. In most cases with the hardware, I am just gently compressing, adding some colour and leavin room to do it with more flexibility with the plugins. IN the case of my Avalons , I bypass the compressors altogether. I find the plugins to be perfectly fine for their intended purpose. Somewhat off topic. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

This poll is too tongue-in-cheek to be about accuracy. I will say that a real LA2A sounds like instant money on vocals, puts them right in your face. Just tell us which emulations sound like instant money and which don’t.

[jens]

IK White2A Result: there's a tiny bit of distortion but mostly clean signal.

That's a really creative use of language right there...

[jamcat]

Expected Result: listen to the fuzzy distortion!

IK White2A Result: there's a tiny bit of distortion but mostly clean signal.

UAD LA-2A Silver or Gray: distortion!

You can't have a better model of an LA-2A if this isn't modeled

Yes, IK is known for leaving stuff out. But tube distortion is not one of them in this case. The White2A will distort when pushed hard. And they quite accurately modeled the behaviour of the fluorescent panel and the T4 cell interaction.

The part they did leave out, though, is the R37 side-chain pre-emphasis control.

On the UAD model, I find the distortion to be more of a hindrance than anything else. It gets too fuzzy too soon, and enters unusable territory shortly after. I've never heard anyone push a real LA-2A into distortion, so I have no idea of how authentic that behaviour is. Do you have any examples?

Anyways, I found myself backing off on the UAD models frequently to keep them usable.

But within the UAD plugins' usable ranges, I found them to behave very similarly to the White2A. The biggest difference is the White2A seems to have about 12dB more gain, so that needs to be accounted for during comparison.

You only talked about the White2A for some reason. What are your thoughts on UAD vs Waves CLA-2A? Personally, I find it sounds more like UAD's LA-2 than either of the LA-2As.

(updated to reflect new information.)

[trmupstage]

Years ago I would read these threads with such interest. Of course I want to know what the best is... The problem with polls is that everyone votes for what they have, not what sounds closest to the hardware. Seriously, how many people on KVR have a real Teletronix LA2A sitting next to them? I do, but I haven't even bothered to find out which plugin is closest. I have a handful of ones on the list and I just pick one that works. Most all of them will do the job, but you have to know what the job is first.
The Fuse VCL4 is not a clone of a LA2A but does that slow compression thing very well. Everyone gets hung up about the "best" everything. There is no best. There are different flavors. The longer I'm in this (mixing bands) the more I find it's all about what you hear in your head as the end result. Until you know what you want to hear, no amount of gear will make your mixes better. Every situation and source needs something different. nothing will work 100% of the time. ...rant over

[Uncle E]

Years ago I would read these threads with such interest. Of course I want to know what the best is... The problem with polls is that everyone votes for what they have, not what sounds closest to the hardware. Seriously, how many people on KVR have a real Teletronix LA2A sitting next to them? I do, but I haven't even bothered to find out which plugin is closest. I have a handful of ones on the list and I just pick one that works. Most all of them will do the job, but you have to know what the job is first.
The Fuse VCL4 is not a clone of a LA2A but does that slow compression thing very well. Everyone gets hung up about the "best" everything. There is no best. There are different flavors. The longer I'm in this (mixing bands) the more I find it's all about what you hear in your head as the end result. Until you know what you want to hear, no amount of gear will make your mixes better. Every situation and source needs something different. nothing will work 100% of the time. ...rant over

That’s great…so which one is best?

http://youtu.be/ETN9eNOA6vw

[trmupstage]

Years ago I would read these threads with such interest. Of course I want to know what the best is... The problem with polls is that everyone votes for what they have, not what sounds closest to the hardware. Seriously, how many people on KVR have a real Teletronix LA2A sitting next to them? I do, but I haven't even bothered to find out which plugin is closest. I have a handful of ones on the list and I just pick one that works. Most all of them will do the job, but you have to know what the job is first.
The Fuse VCL4 is not a clone of a LA2A but does that slow compression thing very well. Everyone gets hung up about the "best" everything. There is no best. There are different flavors. The longer I'm in this (mixing bands) the more I find it's all about what you hear in your head as the end result. Until you know what you want to hear, no amount of gear will make your mixes better. Every situation and source needs something different. nothing will work 100% of the time. ...rant over

That’s great…so which one is best?

http://youtu.be/ETN9eNOA6vw

You win! You made me laugh. Thank you.

[Uncle E]

[Leo1999]

All Votes are final!

This is maybe the first, yet surely the last #poll of its kind, as it is ultimate.

What is your most beloved LA2A - Leveling Amplifier #ITB - Emulation
(Program dependent optical compression, and tube amplifier)?



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LA-2A_Leveling_Amplifier

How come you like lists all of a sudden?