The LA 2A is so subtle yet very powerful. I can understand why I see so many of them. The tube tech was very nice too. I'd buy the retro too, great tone.
Chandler for me is no1. Good, warm, smooth sound. Brings the vibe to the vocal. Tube Tech seems to be clear and bright (!). very interesting comparison. Many Thanks to Vintage King!
My favorite was the Highland Dynamics BG2. I just get more of the emotion of the singer, because it does something nice to the reverb, like it glues it to the vocals and it sounds more 3D-like. God bless!
I came here to hear some retro instruments compression, but I just fell in love with the sound of La-2a, so beautiful! Very articulate, all the consonants stand out better than with any other compressor here in a very nice way imo, so smooth and the high end sheen is just gorgeous. Damn now I really want one.. Kick ass comparison, thank you for the video!!
For this particular vocal performance, Retro STA-LEVEL for me, followed closely by the Chandler RS124. Both of these compressors delicately pushed the presence in the vocal forward in such a nice way. The STA-LEVEL kept the top end more even and the RS124 added a slight top end sheen. Fabulous demonstration Dave, thank you!
Retro 176 is the clear standout on program material. It doesn't sound squashed like the others. On vocals I liked Chandler RS124, TT CL1B, and UA LA2A.
Great shootout and great selection! Funny that no one cared for the BG2 which I preferred. Would be nice to know which mode they used, American or British. Guessing the latter.
Every one of these was superb. I found the CL1B was the most transparent while doing the job. The Chandler was a close second I thought. Listen close, it's really good, but there's a bit of a spitty sound the CL1B doesn't have. The 176 was a revelation. It's like the best 1176 you ever heard. I'd use that on more things than any of them, but I'd prefer the CL1B for lead vocals any day.
As a vocalist, I much preferred the Highland Dynamics BG2. It added less low-mid thickness and grunge and brought up low level detail more than the others. I also loved the elegant RS124 (too bad that plugin is not available from Chandler/EMI anymore...or Waves...weird that Waves doesn't put that out since they have put out so many others and are clearly the Abbey Road Studios official plugin vendor!? There is a plugin version of the RS124 by United Plugins called the "Royal Compressor"...not sure if it's as good). I'm just not huge on the Tube-Tech CL1B. It always seems to add that muddy distortion around the fundamental. Not sure why everyone loves it so much. I think the Highland Dynamics blows it away on vocals. I wonder how the BG2 was set up...?
Having any one off those should make the majority of us extremely happy. The Acme Opticom xla-3 added beef to the vocal, could be a better bet for bass and kick, The Highland Dynamics BG2 pushed the reverb back into the mix and gave the vocal extra dimension without adding too much beef that was my favourite. What converters were used, everything was popping nicely.
what a good shootout!! thanks for doing this, very nice units. I actually really liked all, but the winners for me are Retro 176 and especially the RS124 (nice vibe and textures) and TubeTech (clean). Chandler seems a bit louder, but in case its really well level matched, the rs124 is just very deep and 3D, nice color. I thought Sta-Level would have more character, LA2A is very nice as usal, but Acme and Highland sound very good too.
Absolutely highlights the fact the performance is everything and the gear not nearly as important as marketing makes us believe. It would be a great vocal track and work in a mix even if it were run thru an Art VLA......
the RS124 brings a saturated crispness that is just unique .. Tube tech is the more hifi of the lot, BG2 is the warmest ... Prefered for this song is the RS124 ... man what a sound it brings
This is a really representative shootout. I own most of these, and I think this essentially captures the vibe of each properly dialed in, with the exception of the Acme. I love my Opticoms - they don't want to do "slow" without the level knob pulled out, it's not the right vibe. They want to be nasty and aggressive without the pad, normal or fast. Slow's not the thing there. Otherwise great vid. Honestly the only one I don't love is the Sta-Level, but it's the only one of the lot I demoed and never bought. Tone is great, but the way it's thick and pumpy isn't as satisfying as the RS124 or BG2 for me.
Chandler and Sta-Level are the most colored. If I’m going to spend hardware money then I want color. I can get clean and airy just fine from plug-ins plus I don’t really do pop music so that CL1B just isn’t for me but I get why it’s so popular in music I don’t particularly enjoy.
No compression sounds best to me 👌 I think the singer has intention behind the volume changes, and since the instrumental is sparse, it doesn't get buried.
I took your advice and listened twice and was able to pick up differences I missed the 1st time. Retro 176 sounds very open, the Tube-STA even more open (I like better for this demonstration), Tube-Tech makes it sit perfectly in the mix (like it should sound), LA2A sounds “finished” as well, Chandler to my ears was transparent and intimate though I know it’s mean to be more vibey, BG2 has a low end color that pronounced the plosives and transients not in a good way, XLA3 had ground loop hum so it’s hard to be fair critiquing it. My favorite is the CL1b then Chandler. I love all of them but for this demo, either of those 2 I mentioned I would select.
Maybe I'm odd or missing something, but I really can't hear any significant differences... I don't know if it's me or TH-cam etc not much difference to the original track or vocals...I'm listening for dynamics change, tonality differences etc but nothing.. However, when listening to other channels such as mixing with the masters or channels comparing mixing techniques I can clearly hear a difference... To make sure I went on Rick Beato "How the pros use compression - Audio compression Instruments and Mixes" and I clearly heard differences... In my opinion the original track and vocals did not need any of those units. Besides there is nothing wrong with "slightly" allowing the dynamics of a track to cut through as this makes for a better realistic artistic express and realism of a performance... Maybe its just me
The Chandler R124 is magical here! It adds warmth and depth! CL1B sounded better to me on the Mix. These Two are my favorites! I can here a lot of Hiss on the Solo Vocals on the ACME. Would be nice to hear a real RS124 against the old Plugin Version from EMI Abbey Road.
I like the tube-tech the best. I came in thinking I would like the LA-2A the best but it's my second place now. I'm either looking for a rack mount economy optical compressor or 500 series. Has anyone tried the Tree Audio LC1?
The acme had the most crush and the teletronics seemed to be the most aggressive, really attacking the peak of the snare. The rest had no real remarkable effect, which may be what you want? Transparent compression.
I have a question you have all these compressors what do you do for EQ all in the box? About to buy some hardware was thinking compressors getting a couple or going eq or masterbus!! thanks for the video
1:28 - No Compression
1:53 - Chandler Limited RS124
2:16 - Highland Dynamics BG2
2:48 - Tube-Tech CL1B
3:12 - Acme Opticom xla-3
3:48 - Retro 176
4:09 - Retro STA-Level
4:31 - Universal Audio LA2A
All of them sound amazing, the LA2A it's just a little more pleasant to my ears. 176, CL1B, RS124 are a close second to me.
Tube tech gave goosebumps on the music and vocal combo
Isolated vocals:
4:54 - No Compression
5:13 - Chandler RS124
5:32 - Highland Dynamics BG2
5:50 - Tube Tech CL1B
6:08 - Acme Opticom XLA-3
6:24 - Retro 176
6:41 - Retro Sta-Level
6:59 - Universal Audio LA-2A
Tube Tech and LA-2A are my favorites. Thanks for doing this, Dave.
You bet!
Man, the Chandler RS124, Retro 176, and the TT CL1B are each so impressive. This is a great shootout, thanks for posting.
Chandler has the most vibe. Great video.
Great video thanks!
Chandler RS124 & Retro STA-LEVEL.
The LA 2A is so subtle yet very powerful. I can understand why I see so many of them. The tube tech was very nice too. I'd buy the retro too, great tone.
tube tech, retro 176 and the la-2a are my favorites, that warm and the nice dynamics sounds fantastic!!!
My favorite was Retro STA level and then RS124
Chandler for me is no1. Good, warm, smooth sound. Brings the vibe to the vocal. Tube Tech seems to be clear and bright (!). very interesting comparison. Many Thanks to Vintage King!
My favorite was the Highland Dynamics BG2. I just get more of the emotion of the singer, because it does something nice to the reverb, like it glues it to the vocals and it sounds more 3D-like. God bless!
I came here to hear some retro instruments compression, but I just fell in love with the sound of La-2a, so beautiful! Very articulate, all the consonants stand out better than with any other compressor here in a very nice way imo, so smooth and the high end sheen is just gorgeous. Damn now I really want one.. Kick ass comparison, thank you for the video!!
For this particular vocal performance, Retro STA-LEVEL for me, followed closely by the Chandler RS124. Both of these compressors delicately pushed the presence in the vocal forward in such a nice way. The STA-LEVEL kept the top end more even and the RS124 added a slight top end sheen. Fabulous demonstration Dave, thank you!
The first RETRO...woweeeeee. also always going to be a fan of these chandler products theyre always such a viiibe
I prefer the sound of the Tube Tech the most, but they all sound great.
Awesome! Thanks for this. Chandler and Retro for me. (and La-2a to brighten things up)
Retro 176 has a beautiful tone.
Acme is the best here, nice feel of the groove
Retro 176 is the clear standout on program material. It doesn't sound squashed like the others. On vocals I liked Chandler RS124, TT CL1B, and UA LA2A.
BG 2 and RETRO sound AMAZING in the MIX
BG2 and LA2A were tops. Had the most emotion and clarity.
Great shootout and great selection! Funny that no one cared for the BG2 which I preferred. Would be nice to know which mode they used, American or British. Guessing the latter.
I also really liked the BG2 in this test!
Tube tech 👍🏻
They all sound similar
Every one of these was superb. I found the CL1B was the most transparent while doing the job. The Chandler was a close second I thought. Listen close, it's really good, but there's a bit of a spitty sound the CL1B doesn't have. The 176 was a revelation. It's like the best 1176 you ever heard. I'd use that on more things than any of them, but I'd prefer the CL1B for lead vocals any day.
This is very well done and very useful thank you. The Chandler definitely take it out, followed closely by the Acme.
1:28 - Clean 1:53 - Chandler Limited RS124 2:16 - Highland Dynamics BG2 2:48 - Tube-Tech CL1B 3:12 - Acme Opticom xla-3 3:48 - Retro 176 4:09 - Retro STA-Level 4:31 - Universal Audio LA2A
The Highland, TubeTech, and Retro 176 were my favorites. I think the CL1B might be the overall winner for me, so smooth!
I really liked the Tube Tech and the LA-2A.
They all have a great sound!
Its a toss up between the Chandler, and the Tube Tech. I do have to say I love the vibe of the LA2A too. I'll take all three.
Great shootout. All are phenomenal in different ways.
As a vocalist, I much preferred the Highland Dynamics BG2. It added less low-mid thickness and grunge and brought up low level detail more than the others. I also loved the elegant RS124 (too bad that plugin is not available from Chandler/EMI anymore...or Waves...weird that Waves doesn't put that out since they have put out so many others and are clearly the Abbey Road Studios official plugin vendor!? There is a plugin version of the RS124 by United Plugins called the "Royal Compressor"...not sure if it's as good). I'm just not huge on the Tube-Tech CL1B. It always seems to add that muddy distortion around the fundamental. Not sure why everyone loves it so much. I think the Highland Dynamics blows it away on vocals. I wonder how the BG2 was set up...?
Love the Tube Tech.!
Having any one off those should make the majority of us extremely happy. The Acme Opticom xla-3 added beef to the vocal, could be a better bet for bass and kick, The Highland Dynamics BG2 pushed the reverb back into the mix and gave the vocal extra dimension without adding too much beef that was my favourite. What converters were used, everything was popping nicely.
Some seem brighter. Some seem louder. All of them sound good, but the uncompressed signal sounded good already.
what a good shootout!! thanks for doing this, very nice units. I actually really liked all, but the winners for me are Retro 176 and especially the RS124 (nice vibe and textures) and TubeTech (clean). Chandler seems a bit louder, but in case its really well level matched, the rs124 is just very deep and 3D, nice color. I thought Sta-Level would have more character, LA2A is very nice as usal, but Acme and Highland sound very good too.
Chandler RS124! Albeit, they all sound great!
Retro and bg2 and the acme opticom have a lovely enhancing sound - wonder what father John Misty uses?
CL1B was my favorite! It seemed to do the job in a very transparent way, which is cool.
Really like the cl1b
Highland dynamics bg2 fire 🔥, Tube Tech fire 🔥 , optical fire 🔥, sta level , and la 2a best ones ...
Highland Dynamics and Tube Tech for my ears 👂🏾
LA2A, and the CL1B, and then the Sta-Level
I prefer the Highland Dynamics BG2, they are all great Compressors, but this one got the most porfeul dynamic IMO
Absolutely highlights the fact the performance is everything and the gear not nearly as important as marketing makes us believe.
It would be a great vocal track and work in a mix even if it were run thru an Art VLA......
Again, thanks again! They're all great pieces of gear!
now, THAT is a nice snare.
Great video - nicely done Dave.
Thanks for Nice Comparison! :)
What I like was LA-2A and The Most impressived one was Acme Opticom XLA-3!
the RS124 brings a saturated crispness that is just unique .. Tube tech is the more hifi of the lot, BG2 is the warmest ... Prefered for this song is the RS124 ... man what a sound it brings
1. BG2
2. LA2A
3. STA-Level
4. Everything else
5. CL1B
My favourites are 1 the tube tech, 2nd chandler and then la2a
Funny how subjectiv this is ...no one is calling the BG2 his favorite which i like the most. The ACME is the worst in this comparison.
Awesome video
This is a really representative shootout. I own most of these, and I think this essentially captures the vibe of each properly dialed in, with the exception of the Acme. I love my Opticoms - they don't want to do "slow" without the level knob pulled out, it's not the right vibe. They want to be nasty and aggressive without the pad, normal or fast. Slow's not the thing there. Otherwise great vid. Honestly the only one I don't love is the Sta-Level, but it's the only one of the lot I demoed and never bought. Tone is great, but the way it's thick and pumpy isn't as satisfying as the RS124 or BG2 for me.
Thanks for the video! Looking forward to more like this? Maybe??
Chandler and Sta-Level are the most colored. If I’m going to spend hardware money then I want color. I can get clean and airy just fine from plug-ins plus I don’t really do pop music so that CL1B just isn’t for me but I get why it’s so popular in music I don’t particularly enjoy.
Incredible gear
Good video! Keep it up!
Thank you!
STA -level and Chandler to me.
No compression sounds best to me 👌 I think the singer has intention behind the volume changes, and since the instrumental is sparse, it doesn't get buried.
I'd be happy to mix with any one of those....
I took your advice and listened twice and was able to pick up differences I missed the 1st time. Retro 176 sounds very open, the Tube-STA even more open (I like better for this demonstration), Tube-Tech makes it sit perfectly in the mix (like it should sound), LA2A sounds “finished” as well, Chandler to my ears was transparent and intimate though I know it’s mean to be more vibey, BG2 has a low end color that pronounced the plosives and transients not in a good way, XLA3 had ground loop hum so it’s hard to be fair critiquing it. My favorite is the CL1b then Chandler. I love all of them but for this demo, either of those 2 I mentioned I would select.
Can you use hardware compressors on vocals after recording instead of tracking with it on a vocal take? I'm so afraid of messing up.
CL1B: most "invisible" compression... RS124 and very closely the STA-level: best "sound"!
Maybe I'm odd or missing something, but I really can't hear any significant differences... I don't know if it's me or TH-cam etc not much difference to the original track or vocals...I'm listening for dynamics change, tonality differences etc but nothing..
However, when listening to other channels such as mixing with the masters or channels comparing mixing techniques I can clearly hear a difference...
To make sure I went on Rick Beato "How the pros use compression - Audio compression Instruments and Mixes" and I clearly heard differences...
In my opinion the original track and vocals did not need any of those units. Besides there is nothing wrong with "slightly" allowing the dynamics of a track to cut through as this makes for a better realistic artistic express and realism of a performance... Maybe its just me
It takes some experience to hear this
The Chandler R124 is magical here! It adds warmth and depth! CL1B sounded better to me on the Mix. These Two are my favorites! I can here a lot of Hiss on the Solo Vocals on the ACME. Would be nice to hear a real RS124 against the old Plugin Version from EMI Abbey Road.
They all sound identical.
Tube Tech Cl1b for me. Unquestionable
CL1B and BG2 for me. CL1B is a bit more "tucked and classy" sounding than all the others. LA-2A sounded good, as well.
I like the tube-tech the best. I came in thinking I would like the LA-2A the best but it's my second place now. I'm either looking for a rack mount economy optical compressor or 500 series. Has anyone tried the Tree Audio LC1?
The acme had the most crush and the teletronics seemed to be the most aggressive, really attacking the peak of the snare. The rest had no real remarkable effect, which may be what you want? Transparent compression.
@Dave Rieley - What are you using to switch all these please?
how many compressor do you want ? Yes !
CL1B, STA-Level , RS124 in that order.
I like the Chandler the tube tech and the ACME in that order. THe others are ok but one of them sounds like a hollow tube sound.
What's the reverb on the vocals ?
LA2A yeah!
Chandler RS124 takes it.
Tube Tech for this tune.
LA2A
Chandler
Retro 176
Highland
it seems like you are adding reverb, not just compression?
I liked Retro Sta level the best on this vocal and then UA LA 2A.. with CL1B vocals sounded too bright in the mix..
Only the vocals were run through the compressors right? Not the entire mix?
Universal Audio LA2A +++
La2a and Retro176
I have a question you have all these compressors what do you do for EQ all in the box? About to buy some hardware was thinking compressors getting a couple or going eq or masterbus!! thanks for the video
Tube-Tech CL1B
Hey sorry if this sounds dumb but how do you get a stereo mix to go through the compressor?
TubeTech, then the LA2A
Is that an Argosy Dual or Aura console you're using?
I like the first three the best. Bg2 first, Tube Tech second, Chandler third
4:55
5:14
5:32
5:51
6:08
6:25
6:42
6:59
CL1B!
So much noise on the ACME 🥺
Are those pmc two two 6’s ?
my guy
either is fine if you know what you are doing