The coveted Teletronix LA2A has been shaping the sound of recorded music for half a century. Now Slate Digital brings it right into the 21st century with a twist… Luke Goddard shows you how you can now have your ‘2A cake and eat it…
What’s So Good About The Teletronix LA2A?
The original hardware LA2A compressor is an optical “limiting amplifier” with transformer and tube components in the amplification stages. In charge of gain reduction is its “T4” photo-optical cell which has a distinctive soft knee curve with “tail” and time constants that change depending on what the music is doing.
The subtle saturation of the amplification stages coupled with the very simple controls have ensured the LA2As longevity in the studio well into the digital age.
What Does Slate Digital Custom Opto Do Differently?
The original hardware LA2A’s controls are simple to say the least: two large controls for (output) Gain, Peak Reduction (this combines threshold and compression slope), plus limit/compress switch and meter mode knob. Users did not have a Ratio control, or any control of time constants. Until now...
Slate Digital first alluded to their Custom Opto module being in development back in November 2020, with the final release version bringing Speed, and Tone controls, as well as a Ratio knob that replaces the original’s Limit/Compress switch to hand us exact control of the compression curve in concert with with the slightly enigmatic Peak Reduction knob which is retained.
The Speed control gives us a single dial that sees attack and release linked, so if you set the control to “pinch” the fronts of sounds, you live with the release you get, and conversely setting the release to taste gives you a set attack. The Tone control gives us several shades to choose from which appears to filter the sidechain among other things. The obligatory screwhead control is there for Tone tweakage. A mix control borrowed from Slate Digital's FG-2A module is also there for parallel processing, further expanding the Custom Opto's versatility.
For many fans of the classic opto compressor sound, this level of control opens up the unit’s usefulness for a wider range of sources than previous incarnations of the LA2A and its clones. In the video I use this and the other custom controls on drums so you can hear them for yourself
Final Thoughts
With so many plugin recreations to choose from, doing something different with such a genuine classic might be bold, but most importantly Slate Digital’s Custom Opto sets out to bring something new. Having the 2A’s familiar musical squash along with the control of a modern dynamics processor could just be the new flavour you’ve been missing…
Head over to Slate Digital to check out Custom Opto and other plugins in the Virtual Analog Bundle.