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Post by jcoutu1 on Sept 2, 2022 19:59:09 GMT -6
Who makes the best native 2a 3a plugs?
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Post by Tbone81 on Sept 2, 2022 20:26:08 GMT -6
If you own the UAD HW version you can get the la2a native free through spark
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Post by bgrotto on Sept 2, 2022 20:29:16 GMT -6
Nobody does a good 3a. Or at least, not an 'authentic' 3a. The UA one is downright bad. The CLA waves one is *ok* (better than UAD). The Black Rooster one was kinda 'meh'. It's not unlike the hardware: there's just something about the real thing that seems damned near impossible to replicate (though the AudioScape 3a is pretty damned great).
The 2As that UAD makes are good; i particularly like the Grey model. The Black Rooster one -- VLA 2A -- is also quite good...not really a 1:1, but it nails the tubey opto "feel".
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Post by seawell on Sept 2, 2022 20:41:31 GMT -6
Overloud Gem Comp LA and Apogee Opto 3a are getting the most use around here lately.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2022 20:56:43 GMT -6
GOODHERTZ TUPE opto comp and limiter
FUSE VCL-4
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Post by drumsound on Sept 2, 2022 21:18:37 GMT -6
Check out the Brainworx Opto. I've had the pedal since they gave it out free, and it does remind me of times I was lucky enough to use LA3As. Something about the grab reminds me of it, especially on guitars.
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Post by bgrotto on Sept 2, 2022 21:19:30 GMT -6
GOODHERTZ TUPE opto comp and limiter
FUSE VCL-4
The Fuse stuff is outstanding (LOVE their stuff), but the VCL-4 is nothing like a 2a or 3a. It's not even the same gain reduction principle (LA4 used LED optos, for the curious) |
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Post by Blackdawg on Sept 2, 2022 22:06:10 GMT -6
honestly I use the crap out of the Waves LA3A plugin. It makes everything sound better just putting it on stuff even if you gain match it. Been using it for years. Not a real La3a but still great. use the la2a one a lot too.
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Post by smashlord on Sept 2, 2022 22:14:09 GMT -6
Nobody does a good 3a. Or at least, not an 'authentic' 3a. The UA one is downright bad. The CLA waves one is *ok* (better than UAD). The Black Rooster one was kinda 'meh'. It's not unlike the hardware: there's just something about the real thing that seems damned near impossible to replicate (though the AudioScape 3a is pretty damned great). The 2As that UAD makes are good; i particularly like the Grey model. The Black Rooster one -- VLA 2A -- is also quite good...not really a 1:1, but it nails the tubey opto "feel". Agreed that the Waves 3A one is the most "kinda does the thing" out of the bunch. I have a pair of the AS and feel they are great as well. The three vintage units I used to use on the reg all sounded different (I imagine due to age), so hard to say how close they get to "the real thing" other than they seem a bit more hi fi, maybe? I remember the vintage ones ("UREI" and "Universal Audio" on the face plates) to be a bit dirtier and more mid forward. The AS units seem closer to the RI units I've used in terms of tone. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2022 0:21:07 GMT -6
GOODHERTZ TUPE opto comp and limiter
FUSE VCL-4
The Fuse stuff is outstanding (LOVE their stuff), but the VCL-4 is nothing like a 2a or 3a. It's not even the same gain reduction principle (LA4 used LED optos, for the curious) Yeah but the plugin is better despite not using the light bulbs and not even being based on a stock la4. the plugin alliance optical compressors, the black rooster 2a and 3a, and then the fuse and neold stuff were all programmed by the same guy, Ray Dratwa. He just got better and better. The Tupe optos are not even modeled exactly after an LA2A. They're sped up and even better than the VCL-4 |
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Post by Johnkenn on Sept 3, 2022 0:36:38 GMT -6
Admission: I’ve never used a vintage LA3A
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Post by theshea on Sept 3, 2022 1:03:16 GMT -6
honestly I use the crap out of the Waves LA3A plugin. It makes everything sound better just putting it on stuff even if you gain match it. Been using it for years. Not a real La3a but still great. use the la2a one a lot too. me too, the cla-3a is on all my electric guitars, makes them more present with 3 simple knobs. i always play around with the hifreq/flat knob. i‘d like to try out the HW golden age comp-3a. read good things, anyone tried one? |
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Post by mjheck on Sept 3, 2022 8:58:40 GMT -6
I've only used a pair of reissue LA3A's - I would agree the Fuse sounded right. However, the comp that "felt" most similar to how the compression felt was, for me, the TDL Kotelnikov. If you haven't tried it, the free version is more than enough to give you an idea. I should note, I did not own the two at the same time, so it is just going from memory - not any sort of A/B comparison.
MJH
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Post by ragan on Sept 3, 2022 9:25:43 GMT -6
I’d say Black Rooster or Waves. Or, like mentioned, the bx_opto is really good. I reach for that thing a lot.
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Post by jaba on Sept 3, 2022 10:55:20 GMT -6
The 3A is likely my desert island compressor. I've used several over the years - all oldies - and have yet to find a plug that does the same thing.
Said that, there are very fine opto plugs out there. It's been years since I used the Waves, but I recall it being perfectly fine though it was far from magical.
The BLA I find pretty good though I almost always grab the Fuse VCL-4 for that kind of compression. It's really good. Not a total copy of a real 3A but it does that opto thing very well and you can lean into it without mucking up audio. Kotelnikov and Molot can have opto-esque feels too when set the right way.
Curious about Tupe. Wasn't even aware there was a comp in that plug.
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Post by robo on Sept 4, 2022 11:02:28 GMT -6
My favorite LA2A plugin is the one in DMG Trackcomp. You can manage the tone and compression shape in ways a real one, or a more 1:1 emulation can’t. I’ve always love the tone of real ones, but rarely have loved more than a touch of compression.
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Post by bchurch on Sept 4, 2022 12:41:27 GMT -6
Analog Obsession's LALA is absolutely deserving of an audition. Especially given the steep price of donationware. Admittedly, I'm not a huge LA2A/3A user to begin with and don't have the hardware right next to me to A/B. I will say, however, that I really do sense the depth and snap of an opto-comp, especially with fast attack times. Speaking of AnalogObsession, their SSL Bus Comp ( BusterSE), dbx160 ( dbComp), and Neve channel ( CHANNEV), however, are amazingly good. In particular, I can be a real snob about SSL*, that's always been my 'home base' for working on a console - and I've worked on a hundred of 'em by now. I would rather use the hardware whenever possible - the price difference between "free" (you should tithe something if you use them) and restored / cloned hardware is nothing to sneeze at. (* One of the worst SSL Bus Comp VST's I've used is SSL Native Bus Comp. Sounds like a DBX 166 running on the wrong voltage)
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Post by theshea on Sept 4, 2022 12:44:52 GMT -6
its been mentioned twice in this thread: kotelnikof doing sorta la3a. can you please guide me to some starting settings?
what i love about the cla3a is, its almost one knob operation. but i am open to try kotelnikof and hear how it sounds in comparison.
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Post by seawell on Sept 4, 2022 13:18:42 GMT -6
If you have Nebula, the TimP Opto 32 library is a good one too.
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Post by ab101 on Sept 4, 2022 17:41:06 GMT -6
For many reasons, including all the comps I own, I do not want to believe that a plugin can be as good as hardware. But then I worked with the TDR Molot GE. Wow wow wow. It is the first time I really felt like I had digital hardware that sounded like a hardware unit - like there were tubes and transformers in that software. And it can do that sort of la2a type thing and actually sound very rich. I have not used the kotelnikov much, but need to check it out more.
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Post by prene1 on Sept 5, 2022 0:13:45 GMT -6
If you have Nebula, the TimP Opto 32 library is a good one too. Yup. |
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Post by copperx on Sept 5, 2022 0:19:24 GMT -6
Analog Obsession's LALA is absolutely deserving of an audition. Especially given the steep price of donationware. Speaking of AnalogObsession, their SSL Bus Comp ( BusterSE), dbx160 ( dbComp), and Neve channel ( CHANNEV), however, are amazingly good. In particular, I can be a real snob about SSL*, that's always been my 'home base' for working on a console - and I've worked on a hundred of 'em by now. I would rather use the hardware whenever possible - the price difference between "free" (you should tithe something if you use them) and restored / cloned hardware is nothing to sneeze at. (* One of the worst SSL Bus Comp VST's I've used is SSL Native Bus Comp. Sounds like a DBX 166 running on the wrong voltage) I'm dying to know how do those compare to The Glue, in your experience. And have you tried DMG Audio's TrackComp SSL model? |
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Post by bchurch on Sept 5, 2022 8:14:01 GMT -6
I'm dying to know how do those compare to The Glue, in your experience. And have you tried DMG Audio's TrackComp SSL model? It's been a long time since I've had the DMG Audio or The Glue, tbh. I'm sure we all have our favorites for varying reasons. Buster isn't perfect, but if my two outboard "glue-type" (i am so tired of that term, like only a G-comp glues a mix together) VCA comps are tied up already, or if I'm working on the go from my MacBook, that's the one I like. Kinda funny how you have just as many software options as you do hardware for cloning that sound. I really need to find the space for another Stam SA-4000 MK-II. That's just 'the sound' I'm used to. |
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Post by Bob Olhsson on Sept 5, 2022 10:10:37 GMT -6
UA's LA-3a hardware is nothing like the original UREIs.
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Post by drumsound on Sept 5, 2022 12:38:40 GMT -6
For many reasons, including all the comps I own, I do not want to believe that a plugin can be as good as hardware. But then I worked with the TDR Molot GE. Wow wow wow. It is the first time I really felt like I had digital hardware that sounded like a hardware unit - like there were tubes and transformers in that software. And it can do that sort of la2a type thing and actually sound very rich. I have not used the kotelnikov much, but need to check it out more. I used the free Molot on a lead vocal last week, and damn was that thing useful. Can you tell me what the GE adds to the party? |
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