Apollo
Native
sale
Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection
Get the most famous optical compressors ever made.
- Track and mix with the world’s only authentic emulations of the historic Teletronix LA-2A Leveling Amplifier
- Dial in classic optical compression on vocals, bass, drums, and more
- Record and mix through three sought-after versions in real time with Apollo audio interfaces
- Harness presets from LA-2A users Ross Hogarth (Van Halen, Motley Crue), Darrell Thorp (Beck, Radiohead), and Vance Powell (Jack White, Chris Stapleton)
Get World-Famous Vocal Compression
What They Say
Ariel Borujow
Chromeo, Mac Miller, Madonna
Ryan Hewitt
Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Avett Brothers
Paul Hager
Goo Goo Dolls, Jonas Brothers
Reviews
Total 5 star reviews: 1.1k Total 4 star reviews: 69 Total 3 star reviews: 4 Total 2 star reviews: 4 Total 1 star reviews: 8
99%would recommend this product
Slide 1 selected
1,231 reviews
- JRJim R.Verified BuyerRated 5 out of 5 stars4 days agoGreat
Kick ass
- RSRay S.Verified BuyerRated 5 out of 5 stars6 days agoLa-2’s
These compressors have all ways been a staple in my plug-in collection
- KDKlaus D.Verified ReviewerRated 5 out of 5 stars2 weeks agoTeletronix LA-2A
Most often, I use the teletronix 2a gray compressor in my classes. This is not just a collection of optical compressors, but a collection of artistic solutions for your class!
- BNBen N.Verified ReviewerRated 5 out of 5 stars4 months agoLA-2A Levels Up Your Sound!
The LA-2A Grey is my go-to compressor for my vocal/acoustic guitar tracks. I love this compressor. It's transparent and smooth. This collection is exceptional and I am just so grateful for UAD plugins. Thank you for giving us the tools we need to bring our music to life!
- PMPhilip M.Verified BuyerRated 5 out of 5 stars7 months agoTeletronix LA2
Love these processors, they are my go to for vocals every time.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection is worth it for anyone who reaches for optical compression regularly and wants something that holds up alongside the real hardware. You get three historically distinct versions of the LA-2A in a single collection, and the emulations are faithful enough that engineers who own the hardware units still use these on their sessions. If smooth, musical compression on vocals, bass, or drums is a regular part of your workflow, owning this collection is a no-brainer.
The Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection stands apart because of UA's direct relationship with the original hardware. Universal Audio founder Bill Putnam Sr. purchased the Teletronix patents and continued manufacturing the LA-2A, and that history gave UA access to the specific unit-to-unit variations that make each model in this collection behave differently. Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all emulation, the three plug-ins each reflect a distinct era of the hardware — with different time constants, headroom characteristics, and clipping behavior — so choosing between them is a genuine sonic decision, not just a cosmetic one.
The Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection includes the LA-2A Silver, the LA-2A Gray, and the LA-2. The Silver, based on the late-1960s hardware, has a faster time constant and more headroom, making it versatile on drums, percussion, and faster-moving sources. The Gray reflects the mid-1960s original with a more moderate compression speed, making it a good all-purpose leveler that works on nearly any source. The LA-2, the earliest version, has the most distinctive clipping character and a slightly different tonal footprint, most noticeably on bass and lead vocals where saturation matters. Start with the Gray as a reference, then try the others if you want more speed or more harmonic character.
Both are models of the classic Teletronix hardware, but they represent different production eras with real sonic differences. The LA-2A Silver (late 1960s) has a faster attack response and more available headroom, making it useful on sources that need transparent compression. The LA-2A Gray (mid-1960s) has a more moderate time constant and a slightly slower response that works across a broader range of material. Many engineers default to the Gray for sustained sources like bass and vocals and reach for the Silver when the source has more transient content or when they want more dynamic control without changing the tone.
The Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection uses the same audio engine whether you run it natively or through Apollo's onboard DSP — the sound is identical either way. The difference with Apollo is functional: running the plug-in through Apollo in realtime operates at near-zero latency, which is useful for tracking without monitoring delay. For mixing, the native version performs exactly the same. Buying the collection gives you a license for both.
Optical compression uses a light source and a light-dependent resistor to control gain reduction: the louder the signal, the brighter the light, and the resistor responds by attenuating the output. The Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection emulates this behavior in detail, including the optical cell’s slight lag and nonlinear response, both of which vary with the program material. That lag is what gives the LA-2A its reputation for sounding musical rather than mechanical. It tends to ride dynamics rather than snap down on them, and the release behaves differently on a sustained note than on a quick transient. All these behaviors come from the physics of the optical circuit, and the collection captures them across all three models.
No — one of the defining characteristics of the Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection is that the timing is fixed. There are no attack or release knobs. The compression speed is determined by the optical circuit and the nature of the program material, which is exactly what makes it fast to use and musical in character. You set the Peak Reduction to control how much compression is applied and the Gain to compensate output level. The program-dependent behavior means the plug-in responds differently to a long sustained vocal note than to a short staccato phrase — the compressor adapts to the material rather than operating on a fixed timer.
Start with the Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection's Peak Reduction around 40–60 percent and watch the gain reduction meter while you play back the performance. You want the needle moving but not pinned — a few dB of average reduction with the occasional deeper grab on louder phrases. The Gain knob brings the output back up to compensate. The LA-2A Gray is a natural starting point for vocals: its response is steady and controlled without sounding slow. If you're working with a more dynamic performance that needs more aggressive gain control, the Silver will respond faster. The Vance Powell preset included in the collection is a useful reference point for a polished vocal sound.
The Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection is a go-to across a wide range of sources, from bass guitar and acoustic guitar to piano, the mix bus, and vocals. The Silver's faster response makes it useful on drums and percussion when you want to control transients without obvious pumping. On bass, the LA-2 tends to stand out because its tube saturation adds low-mid thickness while leveling the performance. Engineers regularly use the Gray in light doses on the mix bus for a sense of cohesion — not as a limiter, but as a final leveler. The collection ships with presets from engineers who've used it across these sources in professional sessions, including Ross Hogarth, Darrell Thorp, and Vance Powell.
Yes, the Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection is well-suited for realtime use on Apollo because of how simple it is to operate. With only two main controls, there's little to adjust mid-performance, which keeps your focus on the source. Running it through Apollo's onboard DSP, you can track vocals or guitar directly into the plug-in at near-zero latency and hear the compression shaping the signal as you play. The program-dependent timing also means it responds well to live material, where attack and release settings on a more complex compressor might struggle to keep up as the source changes.
The Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection runs natively on your Mac or Windows computer with no UA audio interface or UAD accelerator required. It installs through UA Connect and requires an iLok account for license management — an iLok USB key is supported for portability but not required. If you have an Apollo interface, you can also run the plug-ins through Apollo's onboard DSP in realtime while tracking. Purchasing the collection gives you a license for both the native version and the Apollo/UAD-2 DSP version.
The Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection works with any DAW that supports AU, VST3, or AAX plug-in formats on macOS and Windows, including Apple Silicon Macs. Full system requirements can be found in UA's System Requirements article.
Yes, the Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection is included in the UAD Spark subscription alongside 60+ other UAD native plug-ins. If you subscribe to Spark, you have access to all three LA-2A models as part of the bundle. If you'd rather own the collection outright, you can purchase it directly for a permanent license.
The Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection remains one of the most-used compressors in professional sessions because optical compression does something that more flexible modern compressors can’t replicate: it handles timing automatically based on the program material, producing results that feel right without careful dialing in. Engineers who have access to hundreds of modern compressor plug-ins still default to the LA-2A on vocals and bass because the character is familiar and the results are consistent. The plug-in version makes that character accessible without the hardware cost or upkeep.
The Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection works best as a program-level compressor — its design is about leveling a performance over time, not catching individual transients. In a compression chain, it tends to follow a faster compressor that handles peak control. A common approach on lead vocals is to use a FET-style compressor first for quick dynamic peaks, then bring in the LA-2A to handle longer-term leveling and add the optical tube character. That said, plenty of engineers use it alone, especially on sources that are already fairly controlled and just need the LA-2A's tone as much as its compression.
Load the Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection on a vocal or bass track, start with the Gray model, and set Peak Reduction to around 50 percent with the Gain adjusted to match your uncompressed output level. Play through the track and listen for how the gain reduction meter moves — the LA-2A should feel like it's riding the performance rather than fighting it. The included presets from Ross Hogarth, Darrell Thorp, and Vance Powell are worth loading as starting points, not because you'll use them as-is, but because they show how working engineers set the two main controls for specific source material. From there, try the Silver and the LA-2 back to back on the same source to hear how the timing and saturation shift across models.