Best free LA-2A compressor plugins: Get that classic sound without paying a penny

In the audio world, a few compressors are notorious for their timeless sound. The LA-2A is one of them. There are plenty of great paid options, but you might want to try it first. That’s why we put together this list of the best free LA-2A plugins.

It’s an optical design that uses a photosensor to read the incoming signal and the compression circuit reacts accordingly. This is very different than something like a FET compressor like the 1176.

Outboard units are simple to operate, with control over the compression itself and then makeup gain. This somewhat limited the extent of what it could do, but with plugin versions of the LA-2A companies have added in all kinds of unique and useful features to accommodate modern recording.

This style of compressor offers smooth, gentle compression with a slower attack that is fantastic on vocals, guitars, and sources that don’t have fast transients – but the aforementioned modern features have helped to change that.

Best free LA-2A plugin overall: ADHD Audio Tools Leveling Tool

Leveling Tool is based on the classic optical compressor design with a lot of additional features built in.

After setting your level of compression and makeup gain you can further fine tune the compression with ratio, attack/release, filtering, saturation, and the dry/wet blend.

A side-chain high-pass filter and mix control gives you additional options without needing to set up extra routing.

It comes in VST/3, AU, and AAX formats for Windows and Mac systems. Free or not, this is one of the best LA-2A plugin options.

Best free LA-2A plugin for EQ: Analog Obsession LALA

What sets this one apart is the EQ options that it provides. The high-pass filter cuts lows to your liking and two frequency points let you set how sensitive the compressor reacts to midrange and high end frequencies.

Oversampling up to 4x help reduce any distortion that may get introduced. It runs on Windows and Mac in VST/3 and AU and comes with a sleek and sexy user interface. This one easily rivals any paid alternative.

There is a suggested donation to acquire the plugin, so go support Analog Obsession. They make great software, and your contribution goes a long way in helping to make that continue to happen!

Best simple free LA-2A plugin: Sonic Anomaly SLAX

SLAX gives a dark and somewhat aggressive sound. It’s perfect for adding some character to vocals or crunch to drums.

The Emphasis control helps to keep sibilance in check by controlling the amount of high frequencies. With a simple twist of a knob you can blend between compression and limiter settings that alter the ratio, speed, and knee.

A handy output limiter light indicates if the signal goes past -0.1dBfs, which helps when gain staging.

It’s lends a smooth, somewhat dark character to the sound that is great on vocals, guitars, and any signal that isn’t transient heavy.

Best legacy free LA-2A plugin: Antress Modern Lost Angel

Antress plugins were one of the first freeware suites that offered emulations of popular outboard gear.

Although it doesn’t include any sleek extra features, it does do some pretty nice optical compression. If you’re familiar with the layout of the LA-2A you’ll be able to dial the Lost Angel right in.

It is older, so the Antress suite is only available in 32-bit format. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you should overlook it.

Best stereo free LA-2A plugin: Variety of Sound Thrillseeker LA mkII

Variety of Sound is pretty notorious in the freeware plugin community. Their take on a classic optical compressor is one of the best free LA-2A plugins available. It’s built on custom algorithms that tailor the envelope to the source material.

Lows can be cut up to 500Hz via a knob. A switchable side-chain filter attenuates some of the low end while lifting the high frequencies. You can select between two ratios (3:1 and 10:1), which opens up how you use it.

Optical compressors are generally less “in-your-face”, so the range control sets how aggressive the compression reacts.

A saturation slider and switchable transformer emulation adds in color. Thrillseeker is great on stereo and mono signals alike and if you’re looking to test drive some free LA-2A plugins it should definitely be on your list.

Best free LA-2A plugin for multiple compression styles: Klanghelm DC-1A

DC-1A is a hugely popular freeware plugin, and you’ll find it on pretty much every “best free compressor plugins” list. It’s not directly designed to be a LA-2A emulation, but the compression style and control scheme are very similar.

It has two simple knobs – input and output. But its magic lies in the four buttons at the bottom of the interface. These allow for a single click to introduce parallel and negative compression, dual mono to compress each channel differently, and the option to compress the peak or RMS signal with the Relaxed feature.

The unique horizontal meter adds to the overall vintage look of the GUI. It can run on pretty much any Windows/Mac setup that is compatible with VST/3, AAX, and AU formats.

Best free LA-2A plugin for saturation: Tin Brook Tales TLS 1295 LEA

In the early 2010s Tin Brook Tales was making great plugins. They went away for a bit, but are back now with this fantastic take on the LA-2A-style compressor.

Time constants can be selected with a slider switch, with 6 overall options. This makes it great on fast transient material like drums and percussion, something that not all LA2A-style compressors can do.

Dial in some additional saturation and harmonics with the drive control and side-chain HPF. As if the sound isn’t sexy enough, the interface is sleek, modern, and easy to quickly dial in your settings.

The only real downside is that it’s only compatible with Windows or Linux systems.

Best DAW bundled free LA2A plugin: Cakewalk CA-2A T-Type Leveling Amplifier

One of the best takes on the LA-2A, this meticulously modeled plugin offers up to 40dB of smooth and transparent gain reduction. It has zero latency, so it’s just as useful for tracking as mixing.

The compression is frequency dependent, and the attack/release times are program dependent. A high frequency pre-emphasis control is a full model of the R37 circuit. It helps to make up some of the high end loss that inherently comes with compression.

Dual photocell reset modes (Classic and Fast Reset) give you options on how you want the compression to behave. And if side-chaining is your thing it supports that. Different people need different things from metering, and the four settings (GR, dBFS, +4, +10) give you plenty of options across the production process.

It’s a great free LA-2A plugin that rivals a lot of the paid options available. The only downside is that it’s only available as a Cakewalk legacy plugin.

FAQ

What is the LA-2A compressor?

The LA-2A is an optical compressor designed by Teletronix in the 1960s. It’s renowned for its smooth compression. The unique characteristics come from the tube circuitry and electro-optical gain control mechanism.

What makes LA-2A plugins special?

What sets this compressor apart from others is the style of compression. It’s smooth and slow, which is great for sources like vocals and guitar. It also stacks well with other types of compression.

Are all LA-2A plugins the same?

No. They all have their own take on it with variations in emulation accuracy, additional features, controls, and CPU efficiency.