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Am I done yet??? LA-2A, LA-3A, Manley ELOP, or nuttin' honey?


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Hi all. . .

 

I keep seeing some interesting gear on ebay (and elsewhere), and so I'm trying to decide if I should chase it or let it go.

 

Currently, my external compressors are a UA 6176 (which has a 1176LN on the right side), Distressors (EL-8X), and a Manley Variable Mu (all fine ebay acquisitions, I must add). I also have a Waves Renaissance digital compressor on board.

 

My question is whether I should add a real analog opto compressor to the "mix." That is, is the opto "simulation" of the Distressors sufficiently accurate to make the acquisition of a UA LA-2A, UA LA-3A, or a Manley ELOP a completely superfluous expense?

 

What would a real opto give me that the other units won't?

 

The Manley seems attractive to me due to is stereo nature (and, given its price and two channel design, it seems a veritable bargain), but it seems as if the LA-2A is the standard by which all other optos are measured.

 

Finally, can anyone give me a sense of the sonic differences between the LA-2A and LA-3A?

 

As always, I am very grateful for the advice and the patience of my long-suffering wife, Mary. :-)

 

Sincerely,

 

Steve

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Originally posted by umkcprof

Hi all. . .



Finally, can anyone give me a sense of the sonic differences between the LA-2A and LA-3A?


 

 

The LA-2A is a tube unit, the LA-3A is not.. I personally like the LA-3A better. It has more presence. Ant the compressor circuit adds more then enough color for me.

 

if you have protools checkout the plugin ver's to get a idea of the sound.

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Originally posted by rhythminmind



The LA-2A is a tube unit, the LA-3A is not.. I personally like the LA-3A better. It has more presence. Ant the compressor circuit adds more then enough color for me.


if you have protools checkout the plugin ver's to get a idea of the sound.

 

 

IMHO the pugin version sounds NOTHING like the real thing.

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Originally posted by Phil O'Keefe

Start with a $250
FMR RNLA.


No, it doesn't use a "true" opto circuit, but it does have an opto compressor character to it, and it's useful no matter what you may happen to have already in the compressor "goodie bag".
:)

 

Hey, where have I been?

 

Okay, India.

 

But I didn't even know this was out!!! Sounds great! And I'm sure the sound is spectacular and the price is certainly quite reasonable.

 

Can someone please talk Mark McQ into making a computer-based DAW? Or better yet, a whole stand-alone recording system?

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Originally posted by where02190

IMHO the pugin version sounds NOTHING like the real thing.

 

 

Which have you used? The BF version is crap but most people like the UAD-1 plug-in.

 

Isn't the Distressor more of an 1176 copy than an LA2A? If this is any kind of a gauge, I love using LA2A's & really am no fan of Distressors. In any event, if you decide to go the LA2A route, it would make sense to check out UA's LA-610.

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