If you find a 670 on the used market expect to spend around $40,000 for a decent example, then, if you do get our hands on one be prepared to spend thousands of dollars replacing the 20 vacuum tubes regularly. It is known for delivering astonishing sound and is a rare unit to find these days with only a handful of top studios lucky enough to own and maintain one. The Fairchild 670 is considered by serious studio gear monkeys to be the absolute gold standard in the world of compressors. Watch our video below to hear Waves CLA-2A plug-in against a modern-day Universal Audio hardware LA-2A.

Over the years the LA-2A turned out to be quite a popular device in the software world being modelled by many third-party plug-in developers, most notably by Waves who emulated Chris Lord Alge's own favourite unit. Simply reduce the Peak Reduction while increasing the Gain to level compensate, and the rest is down to what amount of dynamic squeeze you feel your tracks need. Peak Reduction and Gain which makes LA-2A compressors one of the easiest dynamics processors to set tastefully. Two simple controls dial in LA-2A compression. Vocal tracks are the main order of business for any LA-2A or emulation as their compression characteristics generally help to push vocals to the front in most styles of music. It handles gain reduction with barely any harmonic distortion side effects. The LA-2A is a tube electro-optical attenuator. Every detail of the original hardware has been carefully considered and incorporated into this stunning software model.For nearly six decades the original Teletronix LA-2A Leveling Amplifier has been a popular compressor choice in audio production, known widely for its abilities to apply instant and smooth sounding compression with ease. Turning the R37 screw controls how much compression is applied to high-frequency content, such as vocal sibilance. We even went so far as to model the user-adjustable “R37” screw on the original unit.

The tubes slightly change the shape of the signal, adding even and odd harmonics based on the frequency of the incoming program material. The four tubes in the original hardware unit were also carefully modeled giving the CA-2A its warm character. The T4 circuit is made up of an electroluminescent panel partnered with and an optical photocell that, together, determine the the attack and release time - all based on incoming program material. The characteristic sound of the original hardware unit is a result of both its tube design and the famous T4 circuitry – and the CA-2A T-Type Leveling Amplifier meticulously models both.

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