MASELEC MLA-2
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3.3. MLA-2 product concept and capabilities
The MLA-2 Precision 2-Channel Compressor is designed to provide very high quality signal
processing for the most demanding professional applications.
It has been carefully developed in conjunction with balance engineers, producers and
mastering engineers to be easy to use, and to provide a natural and warm sound and to offer
a greater degree of transparency in the presence of compression.
The MLA-2 also offers precision controls, which enable exact
re-creation of previously used configurations.
3.4. Driving the compressor
Early compressors or limiting amplifiers had few controls and were simple to operate.
Many such devices are still popular today, despite the limitations of their early technology.
Such devices often employed a ‘drive’ control, which provided progressively more
compression (depth) and input gain when rotated.
Some later devices split this function into two controls, which would have to be operated
together to achieve the same progressive effect without marked shifts in signal amplitude.
The MLA-2 uses the ‘drive’ principle and the control is called ‘Input Gain’. The compression
threshold is left unchanged while the input gain is adjusted to alter compression depth.
This has the advantage that gain and compression depth are adjusted together and so peak
level will only vary by a small amount, determined by the ‘ratio’, which sets the severity of
compression.
Therefore to increase the depth of compression, or to bring the quieter parts of the mix or
instrument dynamics forward, simply rotate the input gain control clockwise until the desired
effect is obtained.
Another problem with less sophisticated designs is that as the ‘ratio’ is increased the output
level drops.
The MLA-2 reduces this effect, particularly for moderate amounts of gain reduction, by
making automatic adjustments to the threshold, depending on the ratio setting.
This results in less variation on output level, for a given input range, when the ratio is varied.
For larger amounts of gain reduction it might be necessary to compensate by adjusting the
‘output gain’.
In general, for mastering applications use the 'High' threshold setting
(switch on the rear of the MLA-2)
And for recording applications (such as for an instrument, in an insert point)
use the 'Low' threshold setting.
Please note: ‘High’ setting changes the 0 VU setting to +10dBu (6dB higher)
