LA-2A is a registered trademark of Universal Audio, Inc. Black Rooster Audio's products, specifically, the VLA-2A Vintage Leveling Amplifier, is developed by Black Rooster Audio, based on its own modeling techniques. Universal Audio, Inc. has neither endorsed nor sponsored Black Rooster Audio's products in any manner, nor licensed any intellectual property for use in this product.

VLA-2A Mark II
Vintage Leveling Amplifier

VLA-2A Mark II
Vintage Leveling Amplifier

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Manual Download
VLA-2A Mark II ManualSupported formats




Supported platforms (32/64 bit)
Requirements
MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS (MAC)
- Intel Core CPU or Apple SIlicon M+ Processor
- 1GB of RAM
- Mac OSX 10.10 or newer (M1/M2 supported)
- VST, VST3, AU or AAX compatible host (64bit)
- Display resolution of 1280x1024 pixels or more
MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS (WINDOWS)
- SSE2 compatible processor (Intel Core CPU recommended)
- 1GB of RAM
- Windows 7 or newer
- VST, VST3 or AAX (x64) compatible host
- Display resolution of 1280x1024 pixels or more
Overview
Black Rooster Audio is proud to present the VLA-2A Mark II - the world‘s finest emulation of THE opto electronic compressor of the late 1960s. After many hours of hard work, calculus and matching we finally bring you the VLA-2A Mark II plug-in. We have put all our knowledge, engineering skill and heart into designing the most authentic native emulation of this unit to this date. We love to use the VLA-2A Mark II on drums, but it also performs outstandingly well on bass or vocals and carefully adjusting the compression really helps to make your signals shine and just sit in the mix.
Already own the VLA-2A (Mark One)? Good news for VLA-2A owners - this new version is completely FREE to you. Simply head to your account and download your new plug-in. Enjoy!
Sound Samples
Features
Authentic circuit emulation
Our realtime component based circuit simulation approach allows for authentically capturing the sound and feel of the analog unit as close as possible. All the crucial parts, including in- and output transformers, discrete sidechain and audio path networks, filters and of course the T4B cell have been faithfully modelled.
SSE2 optimized code
DSP operations are pipelined using the SSE2 instruction set. This ensures high performance operation despite very complex computations.
Auto-adjusted oversampling for maximum audio transparency
Aliasing artifacts are efficiently attenuated using a low latency linear phase Dolph-Chebyshev polyphase design. The oversampling rate is auto adjusted to your session's sample rate to save CPU while offering the most transparent sound possible.
HighDPI / Retina support
Our user interfaces support high pixel density on both Windows and Mac OS systems to present you with the most enjoyable user experience on high DPI displays. Please refer to your manual to learn whether your DAW is HighDPI capable if you're working on Windows.
Examples & Videos
Notes & additional info
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Mac Installer Downloads
Download AAX Installer (Mac) Download AU Installer (Mac) Download VST Installer (Mac) Download VST3 Installer (Mac)Windows Installer Downloads
Download AAX Installer (Win) Download VST Installer (Win) Download VST3 Installer (Win)Manual Download
VLA-2A Mark II ManualSupported formats




Supported platforms (32/64 bit)
Requirements
MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS (MAC)
- Intel Core CPU or Apple SIlicon M+ Processor
- 1GB of RAM
- Mac OSX 10.10 or newer (M1/M2 supported)
- VST, VST3, AU or AAX compatible host (64bit)
- Display resolution of 1280x1024 pixels or more
MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS (WINDOWS)
- SSE2 compatible processor (Intel Core CPU recommended)
- 1GB of RAM
- Windows 7 or newer
- VST, VST3 or AAX (x64) compatible host
- Display resolution of 1280x1024 pixels or more
Customer Reviews
"LO TENGO Y EN PARALELO ES PERFECTO !! "
"LO TENGO Y EN PARALELO ES PERFECTO !! "
"LO TENGO Y EN PARALELO ES PERFECTO !! "
"VLA-2A Mark II is stellar! Warm, vintage compression, lush tube sound, and flexible features like sidechain and dry/wet mix. Perfect for vocals, bass, and more. Sleek interface, free upgrade for V1 owners. A must-have!"
"I really love this plugin"
"Really good emulation, light on CPU and very smooth!"
"Me gusta mucho el caracter en voces femininas"
"One of the best classics"
"One of the best classics"
"This plugin is amazing!!"
"Excellent Plugin!"
"otimo plugin"
"This product is great even for beginners."
"the best vocal compressor I've ever used, it brings a really nice warmth to vocals"
"the best vocal compressor I've ever used, it brings a really nice warmth to vocals"
"I really liked the sound, excellent"
"This plugin is like magic on my recorded voices"
"This plugin is like magic to my recorded voices."
"Just using this plugin makes your sound modern and thicker. The texture feels contemporary too. Since the MARK2, the soundstage feels bigger. Among BRA's compressors, this one is the best."
"Just using this plugin makes your sound modern and thicker. The texture feels contemporary too. Since the MARK2, the soundstage feels bigger. Among BRA's compressors, this one is the best."
"The best plugin"
"I really love this plugin !!! Exellent performance."
"I really love this plugin! Excellent performance."
"This is one of the best LA-2A Compressor Plugins out there. I like it on vocals and Bass Guitar. Also like the GUI of the Plugin very much. Black Rooster Audio nailed it with this one!"
"ボーカルにベストマッチ!"
"Lo uso para voces, bajo , cuerdas , gran sonido. recomendado."
"VLA-2a melhor, optima compressão mais quente e arredondado e não perde definaçã0. nos instrumentos e vocais ."
"Gran emulacion del mitico LA-2A.ProduceTuMusica"
"This is almost always the first compressor I pick up — for guitar, vocals, anything really. It’s really transparent up to a few dBs gain reduction, and beyond that sounds great with the mix level reduced a little. The valve make-up has some of the best saturation I’ve heard in a plugin. Recommended!"
"i tried a couple paid ones that i got free and a couple free ones. i did like this one the best out of the ones i tried. i did have a bug where it would freeze my daw if i used a larger ui size but just setting back to default would fix it"
"My favorite la-2a plugin. Easy to use and really nice sounds."
"Easy to use and got that smooth sound!"
"It's a very good hardware modulation, it's a very versatile plugin, it works for vocals, drums, it helps to give presence to bring the elements forward in the mix, and it does all of this in a very musical way."
"It's a very good hardware modulation, it's a very versatile plugin, it works for vocals, drums, it helps to give presence to bring the elements forward in the mix, and it does all of this in a very musical way."
"First of all, I think the sound is great. Secondly, this is for Studio One users, but if you insert this, the reduction amount will be reflected in real time on the mix screen. It's very convenient and great."
"Muy bueno agregando armónicos a los sonidos, me gusta mucho para controlar la voz."
"es un compresor muy hermoso y sobre todo muy fiel"
"Tuve la oportunidad de probarlo. Si suena igual a un LA-2A, realmente no me interesa, Destaco la excelente herramienta que es, al momento de necesitar un compresor óptico, personalmente lo utilice para voces, y me gusto muchísimo el resultado que ofreció, pero creo que puede ser usado en toda situación que se necesite un compresor óptico."
"Excellent emulation, sweet warm color for any track. Produce tu Música."
"Muy Buena Emulacion la verdad, muy fiel a el equipo analogico"
"excelente compresor da una pegada increíble. Produce Tu Música "
"un compresor muy bueno que me acompaña en todas mis mezclas."
"I love the VLA-2A, especially this one from Black Rooster Audio, that makes great and quality plugins. This one is better compared to other that I tried, I use this one a lot, with the VLA-3A."
"One of the best opto style compressor emulations out there! And the added feature and models make it a must have."
"Great emulation of the classic opto compressor. If you're in the market for one you got to check this out. And the added feature make it a must have in your arsenal!"
"This is my favorite plugin for vocals and acoustic piano."
"Es impresionante como emula sin perdida de calidad. Su sonido calidad cambio todo en mi mezclas "
"Un fantástico compresor. Lo uso en todas mis mezclas."
"I often and happily use this great compressor to "tweak" my sound. I highly recommend it."
"I usually iterate through many comp plugins to find the best match to the vocal I'm working on. Many times the search ends on MARK 2. It's just the obvious choice when I hear it doing it's delicate processing on the program, sounds just right. For this you need both smooth compression and the proper amount of saturation. VLA-2A Mark II has them."
"This has been my go to optical compressor for several years. I love the versatility and the interface flows well and works well with my REAPER MCU/OSC controller set up"
"This is has been my go-to optical compressor for several years.. I love the versatility and the interface flows well and works with my Reaper/MCU/OSC controller setup. "
"Yes, this baby is One of the best LA-2A on the market that I have heard and for less money. A must have it as soon as possible"
"Excellent sound, very complete. It allows parallel compression with the mix and independent gain control. All that was missing was a VST3 version, and now it's here! I've been using it for years, and it's never failed me."
"Thanks to the VLA-2A, I no longer have to worry about which optical compressor to insert."
"Warm, smooth, and incredibly musical. The VLA-2A nails the classic LA-2A tone with natural compression that flatters vocals and bass. It’s simple and not for heavy, modern pumping, but its analog vibe is hard to beat."
"Excellent product, it has good audio quality and sounds very professional. "
"Probé el VLA-2A y cuando salió esta versión con esteroides simplemente quedó con mi compresor óptico por defecto, no solo es suave y lento, si no también puede limar asperezas añadiendo el clásico "warm" tan deseado por todos. "
"Always my first option for a shiny Optical Compressor. The different models in Version 2 add nice optional textures."
"I tried several emulation of the famed LA2A. This one rocked my boat from day one above all the others. Both on the compression behavior side and the harmonic content side, it has all the smoothness, richness and cleaness combined I was looking for. Great job"
"Easy to use and got that tight sound for vocal you might been looking for. A must have"
"This is a go-to compressor for bass guitar. Makes it sound fat and smooth. "
"VLA-2A provides extraordinary harmonics for human voice, making the high frequencies of human voice very delicate. This is a compressor that I have used very well, it is excellent!"
"My go-to LA-2A compressor, smooth, natural, and always reliable. It delivers consistent results on vocals, piano, and everything in between."
"This is the first plugin I try when I want to use the LA-2A. It's very easy to use and has great visibility, and the sound is fantastic."
"really good compressor/limiter, I have use it a lot. Highly recomended"
"Among the many OPTO compressor plugins available, this is one of the most reliable. When I want the behavior of an LA-2A, my choice is always between the VLA-2A Mark II or the UAD LA-2A. For lightness and ease of use, it's number one."
"This is my go-to opto compressor for vocals! It's easy to use and sounds great. It goes above and beyond other LA-2A plugins with a few extra options for the knob twiddlers out there. It can also do a great job evening out guitar or bass performances."
"This VLA-2A with the VLA-FET is my perfect vocal chain combo on every mix. It makes me feel like the real hardware ! So organic and vibey ! "
"Yes I admit, I bought it for it's looks, but most of the time this is the emulation that works on my tracks, for sure on vocals, it does the thing."
"I've opto plugins emulation from other brands and finally got the real one, comparing with others when I decide to insert an opto compressor, this is my first option."
"I’ve tested almost every LA-2A emulation out there, but this one truly stands out. The VLA-2A Mark II has that smooth, creamy compression and rich analog warmth that instantly brings vocals and bass to life. It reacts musically, never harsh, and adds a classy vintage vibe to any mix. An absolute must-have tool for every producer who values tone and simplicity."
"The VLA-2A MarkII is one of the best LA-2A emulations in the plugin market. It gets a lot of use on backing vocals, acoustic guitars, and percussions and it always does what I want it to do. Highly recommended!"
"So good on vocals or anything that needs levelling out."
"I love this on my Dry Drums Bus, as it adds just a nice touch of top end and helps the drums cut just a bit more. I'm also very happy that all the new AU versions of BR plugins allows me to access the manual from the plugin once again. "
"This is one of my go to plug ins, its simple and sounds amazing!"
"Excellent for vocals, very pleasing compressor action, almost impossible to make it sound bad. One of my go-to optos, maybe THE go-to."
"Very well made and great sounding emulation. I've used it on countless of sources and it never disappoints. Beautiful GUI as well. "
"I have been using this for years and it lives on bass and vocals! My favorite LA2A plugin by far!! "
"An creamy take on LA-2A compression,amazing plug-in and character "
"The best and smoother emulation of LA2A I've tried"
"My fav is the Pultec EQP1 emu. This one is my second. It has a lot of spirit and mojo, and lets you control a lot of the LA2A characteristics that are unique to that unit. Its not perfect though, but thats not the fault of the modelling. I think there is something inherent to analog compressors that just feels different. Many people would disagree but its one of those things you either hear or dont. I do. I like this one a little better than the UAD or Waves ones. "
"I like the many setting options it has on this compresser"
"This is my favorite plugin for vocals and bass guitar. "
"Suena maravilloso. Ademas con la versión MK2 al fin añadieron el filtro de SC. 100% recomiendo."
"I like the many options to tweak on this compressor"
"this feels and sounds much better than waves competition. plus it is upgraded with MarkII features. You cant go wrong and have a nice resizable interface. THX BRA"
"I always use it in parallel to create more power, whether it's vocals or drums... it's a secret weapon, exciting the harmonics to their full potential."
"VLA-2A is an easy go-to. Something that I put on most things as a standard. Trustworthy, classy and functional. Plus it looks sick!"
"This is my first choice of LA-2A because of its tighten sound. LA-2A is a bit rounded or sweetly muffled rather than LA-3A. Good vibes for women vocals imo. If possible, I need gain compensation feature on it, anyway."
"The OG VLA-2a was my go to for vocal compression, it just works and is a great opto-style compressor. Then they released the MKII and holy balls what a monster this is. The new feature where you have a separate output trim, letting you crank the gain knob to more obvious distortion levels is so amazing. Why? Because the saturation in this thing sounds spectacular. Try it on vocals and drums! And the new cell selector and mix knob just makes this a way more versatile plugin, I keep discovering new uses for it. There are lots of great LA-2a plugins out there, but if you want one that nails the job, and gives you some very useful added flexibility and also works as a loovely saturation unit, this thing is great."
"The VLA-2A is one of the few plugins that truly feels like the real hardware. It gives a smooth, natural and warm compression, delivering an authentic LA-2A experience rarely found in software. Perfect for adding creamy, musical character to vocals and instruments."
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Industry Reviews

"These 2 compressor plugins (the VLA-2A and 3A) are really, really good—very smooth, and they react a lot like the original hardware versions. In fact, I like the limiter part better than most….A really nice addition to the arsenal of compressor plugins out there."

"Your VLA-2A and VLA-3A are amazing."