The CLA-2A is a plugin emulation of the classic optical tube compressor. Unlike VCA compressors (like the 1176), it uses an electro-luminescent panel and a photoresistor to control gain reduction. This optical circuit creates the signature "slow and smooth" behavior.

: Optimized for both studio mixing and real-time live sound applications. Signature Presets

: Can be toggled to show Input , Output , or Gain Reduction (the most common setting).

In the pantheon of audio recording technology, few pieces of hardware have achieved a status as mythical and enduring as the teletronix LA-2A. Its digital emulation, most famously popularized by Waves as the CLA-2A, represents not just a piece of software, but a bridge to the "Golden Age" of analog recording. For engineers, producers, and musicians, the CLA-2A is more than a utility for controlling dynamics; it is a tool for shaping emotion, adding warmth, and glueing mixes together with a sonic signature that remains unrivaled.

As part of Chris Lord-Alge’s signature series with Waves, the CLA-2A isn't trying to be the fastest gun in the West. It’s trying to be the smoothest. Based on the legendary electro-optical (opto) compression of the vintage LA-2A leveling amplifier, this plugin reimagines a 1960s classic for the aggressive workflow of modern rock and pop.