Universal Audio LA-3A - Manual (Page 3)

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THE LA-3A AUDIO LEVELER
Thank you for purchasing the LA-3A Audio Leveler. The LA-3A is a solid-state version of Universal Audio’s
vacuum tube based Teletronrix LA-2A, and was designed by Brad Plunkett. In it’s day, the LA-3A was consid-
ered an improvement over the LA-2A because it eliminated “noisy tubes” and maintenance issues. Today, both
products are revered for their smooth and musical control of audio levels. Engineers choose the LA-2A or LA-3A
based on the different sonic character each one offers.
The T4 Compressor elements in the LA-3A are identical to the circuit components housed inside the T4
optical cell used on the legendary LA-2A compressor. The heart and soul of the LA-3A is mostly a result of this
special optical gain control element. When first developed in the early 1960’s, the electro-luminescent optical
gain reduction was quite revolutionary: applying the audio signal to an electro-luminescent light panel which
shines on a photo-electric cell which in turn controls the gain. In contrast to the electro-optical devices that
preceded it, the electro-luminescent light source provided the fast attack necessary for broadcast applications.
Additionally, the cadmium-sulfide photocells provided a very natural “two-stage” release, which resulted in a
compression characteristic more transparent than the other compressors of the day. The LA-3A features hand-
wired components and two simple front panel controls. Its ease of operation and signature tone make it a first
call for vocals, guitars and just about any application where an ultra fast release time is not needed.
In addition to the LA-3A and Teletronrix LA-2A Leveling Amplifiers, Universal Audio has released repro-
ductions of the classic 1176LN Limiter as well as the 610 tube preamp and 2108 microphone preamplifier. UA
also offers several channel strips and “2 pak” units based on these vintage circuits. In addition, the 4110 and
8110 Precision Microphone preamps deliver ultra high performance clarity utilizing modern capacitor free JFET
circuits. Universal Audio also creates software emulation’s of our vintage hardware that run on our UAD-1 DSP
card as well as Digidesign’s Pro Tools platform. All of these products are designed to meet the demands of the
modern recording studio, yet retain the character of vintage equipment. Please visit www.uaudio.com to see
and read about other great recording tools from Universal Audio.
Once again, thank you for supporting Universal Audio. We hope our products bring inspiration to your musical
endeavors.
Universal Audio, Santa Cruz, California