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Whatever you can do with an LA-2A, you can do with a 2-LA-2... two times over. In addition, Link mode
allows the 2-LA-2 to process not just monophonic signals, but stereo signals such as drum or backing
vocal submixes. You can even strap the 2-LA-2 across the master bus, using it as a premastering tool.
Vocals, Vocals, Vocals
Dialing in judicious amounts of Peak
Reduction can help get every syllable of
a lead vocal intelligible, even in a track
with dense instrumentation, and can also
help backing vocals to "sit" correctly.
help backing vocals to "sit" correctly. Acclaimed engineer Mike Shipley (Def Leppard, Shania Twain,
Blondie) says of the LA-2A, "On certain voices you can crank it heavily, to where you almost want to
put a piece of tape over the meter because there's so much gain reduction that you don't want anyone
else to see it! I'm not particularly into over-compression, but when you use it that way there's
something about it that just sounds really great... if you have a singer with an intensely piercing voice
I find [the LA-2A]... incredibly useful. It makes things warmer, especially when you crank it, and for
thinner voices that can be just the ticket."
In reviewing the LA-2A for the November, 2000
issue of MIX magazine, Michael Cooper began
with what he described as "every engineer's
nightmare: compressing a very undisciplined
female vocalist who had a cutting attack,
glaring tone and wildly fluctuating dynamics."
But, according to Cooper, "the LA-2A made it
easy, providing completely transparent gain reduction and a velvety tone. The result was a vocal track
that sounded dramatically smoother and warmer." And, he notes, "it took well under a minute to dial
in the sound." His conclusion? "The LA-2A's uniquely transparent processing makes it incredibly
effective for treating vocals. When you need to warm up a piercing or thin vocal and smooth its uneven
dynamics, the LA-2A can work miracles."
Similarly, Nick Batzdorf of Recording magazine reported in his October, 2001 review that he
successfully used the LA-2A on a male singer who had "a nice but small and dynamically uneven
voice. Even when it was providing as much as 10 dB of gain reduction (that's a lot), all [the LA-2A]
did was smooth him out and make his voice thicker."
In the August, 2002 issue of Pro Audio Review, Ted Spencer concluded that "where [the LA-2A] works best
on vocals is when a certain blending or warming of the sound is desired... this is especially true for
particular voices (often female) that are a bit "edgy" or harsh. The LA- 2A is like honey in your tea in these
cases—smoothing, softening and, yes, warming the sound. The nice thing is that it accomplishes this
coloring effect without sounding like anything heavy-handed has been "done" to the sound; it effortlessly
does its magic without taking away any of the apparent fidelity. On the contrary, the euphonic coloration
adds a sort of depth and dimension that can actually make voices sound more hi-fi."
Kick Drum
The original LA-2A was often thought of primarily
as a vocal compressor. This comes as no
surprise, considering its well-deserved
reputation for reining in even the most
untamable performances. Dialing in judicious
amounts of Peak Reduction can help get every
syllable of a lead vocal intelligible, even in a
track with dense instrumentation, and can also
"
When you need to warm up a piercing or
thin vocal and smooth its uneven
dynamics, the LA-2A can work miracles.
— Michael Cooper, MIX magazine
- 9 -
Insider's Secrets
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