Insider’s Secrets
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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
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
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
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.
“
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
