Summit Audio TLA 100A Compressor

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Audio has been making the TLA-100A for decades and it produces a much sought after sound that has been used on literally thousands of records and in live sound venues around the world. The TLA-100A leveling amp uses a soft-knee and program dependent transition characteristic and a transformerless signal path, resulting in a set-and-forget compressor that always sounds right with a minimum of knob fiddling.With all the changes that nearly a quarter of a century has made in the audio industry, the popularity of Summit Audio's TLA-100A Tube Leveling Amplifier has yet to wane. The TLA-100A is a classic design with a technological hybrid of vacuum tube and solid state devices. The harmonious blend of old and new technologies produces the incredibly warm and smooth sound of vacuum tubes in a compression device that does not have the inherent disadvantages of older designs.Compressing in a musically satisfying way is easy with the TLA-100A; the incredibly forgiving circuit design makes it almost impossible to make it 'pump and breath'. When fast transient signals are being sent to the TLA-100A, the unit reacts quickly both in attack and release, when the signal has a slower rise time, the attack and release times automatically react more slowly resulting in a set-and-forget compressor that always sounds right with a minimum of knob fiddling. Try it on vocals and bass, also great for kick drum and guitars. The TLA-100A really shines for tracking and mixing individual instruments and is linkable with another TLA-100A for stereo signals.The Attack Switch is a three position switch with fast, medium and slow settings, which controls the time it takes the TLA-100A to respond to the input signal. The Release Switch controls the time it takes the TLA-100A to return to unity again. It's a three position switch with fast, medium and slow settings. The release time is also effected by the program material. The slower the release time setting, the more the program material determines the release time. The Meter Switch allows monitoring the output level of the TLA-100A or the amount of gain reduction taking place.The Bypass Switch is a three position switch. In the bypass position, the TLA-100A is removed from the audio path. In the middle (or in) position, the TLA-100A is switched into the audio path. In the left (or link) position, the stereo link signal is connected to its back panel connector. This allows stereo or mono operation of two units by front panel selection. The Gain sets the voltage gain of the TLA-100A. It determines the output level, which can be monitored on the meter. The Gain Reduction sets the amount of gain reduction taking place, and the operating point where gain reduction begins. The higher the gain reduction, the higher the ratio becomes. A rear panel Balance/unbalance switch changes the output and metering circuit for proper operation into balanced or unbalanced loads.
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