Helpful ReplyIs CA-2A really the best ProChannel Leveling Amp?

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Drone7
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Re: Is CA-2A really the best ProChannel Leveling Amp? 2015/01/26 21:05:31 (permalink)
pencilartist
I'm torn right now between adding the CA-2A to my arsenal, or waiting for Bendeth's bundle. The decision is probably win/win.




 
I have the CA-2A and don't use it, IMO it's a shockingly bad emulation. Don't believe me? Go check-out any Youtube video doing an A/B between the Waves emulation and the IK Multimedia emulation and the CA-2A, and how different they all sound. Which one has done the emulation properly?
 
Several times when using this on my female vocalist it just sounded benign and bland with no real magic that one might expect from the real LA-2A unit. This is all in my experience of course, yours might be different. I simply refuse to use the CA-2A anywhere in my music, whether on bass or vocal or whatever. To me it's the equivalent of a paper-weight now. Truly!
 
Is there a good side to all this? Well maybe, as a possible consolation i can tell you about another plugin at overtonedsp.com... I can say to my ears it's a better performing compressor than the CA-2A. The FC70 it's called, it's a clone of the Fairchild 670 (the Holy Grail of hardware compressors). Second-hand units sell for $45,000, and the FC70 sounds pretty nice if not nearly identical, and the good news is that it's only $30. Get that baby and you'll be on your way. 
 
 
post edited by Drone7 - 2015/01/26 21:12:31
#31
michaelhanson
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Re: Is CA-2A really the best ProChannel Leveling Amp? 2015/01/26 21:22:50 (permalink)
Re: Is CA-2A really the best ProChannel Leveling Amp?

Yep.

Mike

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#32
cclarry
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Re: Is CA-2A really the best ProChannel Leveling Amp? 2015/01/26 21:24:08 (permalink)
Drone7
pencilartist
I'm torn right now between adding the CA-2A to my arsenal, or waiting for Bendeth's bundle. The decision is probably win/win.




 
I have the CA-2A and don't use it, IMO it's a shockingly bad emulation. Don't believe me? Go check-out any Youtube video doing an A/B between the Waves emulation and the IK Multimedia emulation and the CA-2A, and how different they all sound. Which one has done the emulation properly?
 
Several times when using this on my female vocalist it just sounded benign and bland with no real magic that one might expect from the real LA-2A unit. This is all in my experience of course, yours might be different. I simply refuse to use the CA-2A anywhere in my music, whether on bass or vocal or whatever. To me it's the equivalent of a paper-weight now. Truly!
 
Is there a good side to all this? Well maybe, as a possible consolation i can tell you about another plugin at overtonedsp.com... I can say to my ears it's a better performing compressor than the CA-2A. The FC70 it's called, it's a clone of the Fairchild 670 (the Holy Grail of hardware compressors). Second-hand units sell for $45,000, and the FC70 sounds pretty nice if not nearly identical, and the good news is that it's only $30. Get that baby and you'll be on your way. 
 
 



The Bendeth bundle is on sale right now for $99 (normally $199) and you'll get the ProChannel modules free when they
become available...I don't think Cake will be selling it cheaper then that...

http://www.bozdigitallabs.com/product/10db-bundle/


 


#33
cclarry
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Re: Is CA-2A really the best ProChannel Leveling Amp? 2015/01/26 22:28:46 (permalink)
Also, just and FYI...Boz Digital has a NO RESALE policy.


#34
sharke
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Re: Is CA-2A really the best ProChannel Leveling Amp? 2015/01/26 23:06:12 (permalink)
I love the PC-2A (i don't have the standalone version), but lately I've been gravitating toward the Native Instruments VC-2A, part of its Vintage Compressor bundle which also includes 1176 and Dbx 160 emulations. I had these compressors as part of Komplete Ultimate for ages before I came to appreciate how great they are. In fact I even forgot I had them when I drunk-purchased the PC-2A  but now I'm glad I have them both - when I'm in need of a LA2A type compressor I try them in turn and mostly the VC-2A sounds better (especially on vocals and guitar) but sometimes the PC-2A fits the bill perfectly and the fact that it's a ProChannel module wins the day. 

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#35
cclarry
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Re: Is CA-2A really the best ProChannel Leveling Amp? 2015/01/26 23:08:49 (permalink)
The Softube TLA-100 is nice also...but not ProChannel...


#36
Sanderxpander
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Re: Is CA-2A really the best ProChannel Leveling Amp? 2015/01/27 03:37:56 (permalink)
Funny to bring up the Waves one, because I have it and actually like the Cakewalk one a lot better. They're different, true, but the same goes for some hardware units. As for the Fairchild, it's a very different animal. Not really fair to say the CA2A is not good by comparing it to a completely different compressor. I don't know the FC70 (I own the version though) but I'm pretty sure it's not available for the ProChannel.
#37
mudgel
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Re: Is CA-2A really the best ProChannel Leveling Amp? 2015/01/27 05:09:38 (permalink)
It's the best ProChannel module but that limits the competition. If you open it up to non ProChannel don't look any further than the UAD LA-2A (not the Vintage version).

Mike V. (MUDGEL)

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#38
Sanderxpander
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Re: Is CA-2A really the best ProChannel Leveling Amp? 2015/01/27 05:36:24 (permalink)
I've heard that that's very good too, but that would be limiting yourself to LA2A emus. The question was which ProChannel comp is the nicest. I personally really don't like the PC76, the 4K I haven't used a lot but the CA2A I really like.

Other compressors I really like are for example Waves Renaissance Comp and RVox, FabFilter Pro-C and Kush UBK-1.
#39
mudgel
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Re: Is CA-2A really the best ProChannel Leveling Amp? 2015/01/27 05:57:47 (permalink)
Yeh. I was just looking at LA-2A emulations.

Mike V. (MUDGEL)

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#40
Sidroe
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Re: Is CA-2A really the best ProChannel Leveling Amp? 2015/01/27 09:10:30 (permalink)
Of course, each compressor, even hardware, has it's own optimized function! One sounds great on drums while it sucks on a vocal buss. All the way down the line you have to learn which compressor is best for certain uses.

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#41
ftf613
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Re: Is CA-2A really the best ProChannel Leveling Amp? 2015/01/28 20:29:01 (permalink)
Will this also work as a limiter? I need a good brick wall limiter that wont break the bank. I miss having access to the Waves L1 & L2
#42
Anderton
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Re: Is CA-2A really the best ProChannel Leveling Amp? 2015/01/28 21:18:57 (permalink)
Sidroe
Of course, each compressor, even hardware, has it's own optimized function! One sounds great on drums while it sucks on a vocal buss. All the way down the line you have to learn which compressor is best for certain uses.



I've heard from reliable sources that many guitar players own more than one guitar 
 
You are of course right. As I said previously, the CA-2A really flatters my voice. So whether it's accurate, inaccurate, or whatever, all I need to know is that it works really well with my voice.

The first 3 books in "The Musician's Guide to Home Recording" series are available from Hal Leonard and http://www.reverb.com. Listen to my music on http://www.YouTube.com/thecraiganderton, and visit http://www.craiganderton.com. Thanks!
#43
Anderton
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Re: Is CA-2A really the best ProChannel Leveling Amp? 2015/01/28 21:20:54 (permalink)
ftf613
Will this also work as a limiter? I need a good brick wall limiter that wont break the bank. I miss having access to the Waves L1 & L2



The Waves maximizers are multiband and IMHO are about as good as it gets. No stereo unit is going to be as effective. But try the Sonitus Multiband with the Limit button enabled on the common page. You can push it by to +6 and still have it sound decent. Another option is to use the PC4K bus compressor to add some gentle compression, then use the Sonitus afterwards to tame the peaks. Also, George Yohng's W1 is a very good emulation of the original L1, and it's free.
 
To me nothing beats the Waves L3 Multimaximer, but the W1 gets you most of the way there.

The first 3 books in "The Musician's Guide to Home Recording" series are available from Hal Leonard and http://www.reverb.com. Listen to my music on http://www.YouTube.com/thecraiganderton, and visit http://www.craiganderton.com. Thanks!
#44
twoifbysea
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Re: Is CA-2A really the best ProChannel Leveling Amp? 2015/01/28 21:37:25 (permalink)
And there is the Overloud VKFX opto compressor PC module. It's not bad at all.  

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#45
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