LA-2

The LA-2 models the early-1960s predecessor of the LA-2A. Its aged electroluminescent panel produces the slowest response among the three modern collection models, making it a different envelope choice from the quicker Silver or medium-speed Gray units rather than simply an older-looking interface.

The optical element follows the program and frequency content, with a multistage recovery instead of user-set attack and release knobs. Peak Reduction determines how strongly that response is invoked, and Gain sets the subsequent level. The model includes the electronics' tonal contribution, so minimum Peak Reduction does not mean a completely untouched signal.

Choose this version when a sustained phrase should settle gradually rather than have every short transient tightly caught. Set reduction in context, match Gain, then use Emphasis if low frequencies dominate the detector. Unlike the LA-2A variants, the LA-2 has no Compress/Limit switch: it is fixed in Limit. Its added Mix control can blend the processed sound with the original without an auxiliary route.

Manual — sections: Teletronix LA-2; Operational Overview; LA-2A Controls.

• Peak Reduction: Lowers the trigger threshold as it turns clockwise. The documented threshold range is 0 to −40 dB, but the printed 0–100 numbers are arbitrary, not dB. Adjust while watching gain reduction. At minimum, compression stops while the modeled electronics remain in circuit.
• Gain: Provides up to 40 dB output gain for compensation after compression. It does not change the amount of gain reduction. Match the processed and bypassed levels after establishing Peak Reduction; its 0–100 faceplate is also not a dB scale.
• Meter Knob / VU: Gain Reduction displays attenuation. +4 and +10 display output with different references; at +4, a 0 reading corresponds to +4 dB output. Use reduction mode for setup and output mode for level checks.
• Emphasis / +HF−: A sidechain shelf, not an audio treble control. Fully clockwise is the unfiltered default. Turning counterclockwise progressively reduces low-frequency detector content, making the compressor relatively more responsive to high frequencies.
• Mix: 0–100% dry/wet, default 100%. At 50%, dry and processed signals contribute equally. This addition belongs to the LA-2 in the linked collection control description; it is not a feature of the original hardware.
• Power: Bypasses the processor for comparison. There is no Compress/Limit switch on this model and no independently adjustable attack or release: Limit operation and the model's optical timing determine the response.

Manual — sections: Peak Reduction; Gain; Meter Knob; Compress/Limit; Mix; Emphasis (HF).