The LA-2A was the first compressor to use a tube-driven optical attenuator to achieve gain reduction. The T4 optical attenuator is entirely program-dependent, allowing the compression ratio and release time to vary greatly based on the source material. The average attack time is fixed at 10 milliseconds, but the LA-2A’s signature sound comes from its unique release characteristic.
The initial release time is fixed at 60 milliseconds for 50% of the release, and anywhere from one to 15 seconds for the full release, depending on the program material. Due to the largely automatic nature of the LA-2A, it features very simple controls: Peak-Reduction knob, Gain Control for make-up gain, and a Limit/Compress switch to adjust the compression ratio.
There are many choices of the LA-2A emulation plugins out there. In this list, we are going to look at the best 12 Paid & FREE versions of the LA-2A plugins and go through them all one by one.
there are lots of Opto compressor simulators in the market. free or not free. expensive or not expensive,
I liked TRS White 2A much more! It’s something else! very very real analog! I have it in all of my projects. it just does the job! It’s straightforward, but it can do lots of things if you know how to work with it.
VC-2A has a rich sound and a nice analog feel. but I feel like it has characters more than it is needed! so in my case, limited use only!
but white 2a is everywhere! of course with EQF-100.
I used some of the Compressors above. nice ones you picked.
tnx for it
Glad you enjoyed this blog and thanks for your feedback!
Yes, I also do like the characteristics of the TRS White 2A, in fact, I use their Black 76 in almost every project too.