Universal Audio UAD Plug-Ins ver.7.5 - Manual (Page 468)

UAD Powered Plug-Ins Manual - 468 - Chapter 48: Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection
CHAPTER 48
Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection
History
For 50 years, the original and most revered and relied upon transparent optical gain reduction design
The Teletronix LA-2A Leveling Amplifier rivals only the Universal Audio 1176
as the most ubiquitous outboard processor on the planet, and is considered
the most revered and relied upon vocal compressor in history. With its trans-
parent, program dependent optical compression and meticulously designed
tube amplifier, Teletronix Levelers instantly became favored for studio and
broadcast use. Teletronix founder Jim Lawrence first used photocells for con-
trolling gain in the early 60s. His ingenious optical compression design was
a technological breakthrough surpassing the stability and transparency of
earlier tube detector circuits. M.T. “Bill” Putnam later bought this patented
technology and continued the manufacturing of the Teletronix LA-2A and its
follow-up products for years to come. Universal Audio still hand makes this
point-to-point, tube-amplified studio staple, including the LA-2A’s all-important
T4 electro-luminescent gain reduction cell. 50 years later, the Teletronix LA-
2A is still the workhorse compressor and the most transparently musical
method to control dynamics.
Like with the 1176 Classic Limiter Collection’s redesign from UA’s legacy
2001 UAD-1 plug-in, advances afforded by greater processing power and
over a decade of emulation experience gave the team at Universal Audio the
latitude to upgrade the LA-2A in luxurious, obsessive detail. From improve-
ments to the time constant fit methods and gain reduction nonlinearities, to the
addition of the transformer and tube amplifier distortion behaviors, the result-
ing effort furthers UA’s position as having the most authentic, in-the-box opti-
cal compression tools on the market. Universal Audio is the only company
with access to the original T4’s highly-guarded chemical and manufacturing
formula, and thus the only company with the ability to study the staggeringly
complex interactions of the unique photoresistor and luminescent light source
behaviors down to the quantum level. For discerning professionals, trust only
the tools bearing the original Teletronix name.