Last month, I wrote about my positive experience with the Waves CLA-2A plugin (FRONT of HOUSE, Jan. 2012, page 39). The excellent results obtained from using that emulation encouraged me to try another studio classic compressor that Waves modeled from the personal collection of Chris Lord-Alge. The CLA-3A plugin is derived from the much-revered LA-3A compressor. This solid-state unit employs the same T4 optical attenuator found in the LA-2A. However, the sound of the original LA-3A is more transparent and punchy when compared to its warmer, thicker tube-driven cousin.
A Specific Need
My motivation to audition the CLA-3A was somewhat unconventional. I was looking for a very specific sort of dynamic control over the output of the Yamaha Motif keyboard played by Larry Goldings in James Taylor’s band. Many of Larry’s sounds are electric piano patches — usually Rhodes or Wurlitzer based — or sometimes only bass notes. These sounds, by nature, do not exhibit a lot of dynamic variation other than what is created by acceleration from the keys and do not really benefit from excessive compression. My need was to exercise compression on the more occasionally played sounds that exhibited greater dynamics and contained more high frequency content — like the strings on “Up On The Roof,” or the marimba and horns on “Mexico.”
I thought about using a multi-band compressor, but I felt that was overkill. I wasn’t looking to create a dynamic equalizer or unnecessarily complicate the setup. I also wanted to keep the sounds coming from Larry’s keyboard as pristine as possible. To that end, I run his keyboard outputs through Radial JDI passive direct boxes. These Jensen transformer equipped units provide perfect isolation and deliver smooth, accurate audio without the coloration that active circuits contribute.
What I really had in mind was a plugin that possessed frequency agility similar to the CLA-2A but would not kick in with all the extras that come with the tube emulation. Other than the high pass filter, I use no equalization on the keyboard inputs, and any additional by-products would be counter to the goal of keeping the sounds clean. I downloaded the user manual for the CLA-3A from the Waves site and saw that the variable high frequency control I liked was also included on this unit.
With James Taylor, we commonly spec a 96 channel Pro Tools rig to complement the Avid VENUE console system at FOH. The ability to rapidly convert the desk into multi-track playback mode is one of the most powerful attributes of the VENUE system, and this facility allows me to easily try out new ideas while they are still fresh in my mind. The CLA-3A is very easy to use, but I would much rather do a meticulous setup during downtime than trying to make it work on the fly in real time.
Control Parameters
The control parameters are described as follows:
- Use the Compress/Limiter toggle to select Compressor (approximately 3:1 ratio) or Limiter (approximately 100:1 ratio).
- Use the Peak Reduction control to set the amount of compression desired.
- Use the Gain control to adjust make up level after the compression.
- Use the VU Meter to monitor Input, Output, and Gain Reduction levels.
While listening to “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight,” a song that includes a great electric piano patch, I loaded up a stereo CLA-3A on the Motif channels. After setting the Gain control for unity, I adjusted the Peak Reduction control so that the meter registered indicated about 1 to 2 dB of compression during the solo that ends that song. As I said, I don’t really need to compress the electric piano and keyboard bass sounds, so just nipping at the solo dynamics was exactly what I wanted to hear. The CLA-3A performed exactly as advertised, in an uncolored and accurate manner.
The side-chain high frequency filter was where I was hoping to accomplish the additional compression needed for the more percussive and/or high frequency-dominant sounds so they wouldn’t unnecessarily jump out of the mix. The control’s behavior is as follows:
HiFreq increases voltage amplifier gain in the peak reduction circuit, for frequencies above 1 kHz, leaving lower frequencies unaffected. When set to Flat, the CLA-3A will provide equal reduction to all frequencies. The more you move away from the Flat position, the more sensitive the compressor is to higher frequencies, resulting in heavier compression. This control may also be used as sort of a de-esser.
It was my hope that I would be able to set this control so that compression would be exerted on the most dynamic sounds while leaving the electric piano sounds untouched. Listening to strings and marimba, I was able to find a position that affected these more HF-heavy sounds by moving the screw adjustment in a counter-clockwise direction away from the flat position. In this way, the CLA-3A acted as a subtle wideband filter.
I then went back to both Rhodes and Wurlitzer sounds to be sure that compression was still minimal on that type of output. Having nearly instant access to the entire show via Pro Tools has significantly improved my ability to implement the creative devices that best match and enhance the musical presentation. This mode of operation was a far-better solution than programming the keyboard compressor “on” or “off” for individual songs. Using the CLA-3A in this manner, it became a set-it-and-forget-it remedy. I much prefer this method over the work-intensive song-by-song programming task.
As I mentioned in last month’s column, it is essential to create many electronic hands to aid in the task of mixing a show with a large number of input sources. At the same time, it is equally important that the engineer’s hand is not overly apparent in the overall execution of the mix. The CLA-3A provided a simple, elegant answer to what was an audio brain-teaser, and I have used it on electronic keyboards ever since discovering the nature of this very useful plugin.
