Black Rooster Audio VLA-2A MARK II User manual

VLA-2A MARK II | PRODUCT OVERVIEW & MANUAL
VLA-2AMARK II
VINTAGE LEVELING AMPLIFIER

VLA-2A MARK II VINTAGE LEVELING AMPLIFIER
GENERAL OVERVIEW
2
BREATHING DYNAMICS
VLA-2A MARK II | VINTAGE LEVELING AMPLIFIER
The VLA-2A* Mark II is the new and improved version
of our best selling VLA-2A plug-in - the world‘s nest
emulation of THE opto electronic compressor of the
late 1960s.
It includes all of the VLA-2A features that you know
and love, with a larger GUI, added Emphasis Control,
Sidechain, Cell Selector, MakeUp Gain and Mix
Control.
This classic compressor with a twist is pure magic -
use it to gently add warm, breathy compression and
tube saturation to your tracks, for that unmistakable
vintage sound that is lled with character.
We recommend the VLA-2A especially for vocals and
drums, however, it also performs outstandingly well
on bass or even on the master bus. Pair it with the
VLA-FET for the perfect analog-inspired dream team!
Embrace the beauty of smooth opto electronic
compression, along with new features that catapult
this unit into the 21st century.
History
The predecessor to the VLA-2A dates back to the early
1960s, when it was originally used for broadcast.
Engineers quickly noticed that the tubes in this unit,
as well as its multi-stage release and frequency-
dependent attack and response, lend incredibly well
to music production as well.
The VLA-2A was faithfully modeled to the original unit,
perfectly capturing all of its character and making it
an instant favorite!
The VLA-2A Mark II will throw you back in time, giving
you that authentic vintage feel, without feeling
antiquated, thanks to our careful renement and
added features. A true Black Rooster Audio classic,
this unit is a vintage classic with a twist!
—
*LA-2A is a reg. trademark of Universal Audio, Inc. The
VLA-2A is developed by Black Rooster Audio based on its
proprietary modeling techniques. Universal Audio, Inc. has
not sponsored or endorsed Black Rooster Audio‘s products
in any way, nor licensed any intellectual property for use in
the VLA-2A.

VLA-2A MARK II VINTAGE LEVELING AMPLIFIER
GENERAL OVERVIEW
3
FEATURE OVERVIEW
AUTHENTIC CIRCUIT EMULATION
Our real time SPICE type component-based circuit si-
mulation approach allows us to authentically capture
the sound and feel of the original analog unit with all
its nuances. Every crucial part of the device, including
in- and output transformers, sidechain and audio
path tube stages, the emphasis lter network, and the
T4A cell have been faithfully modeled to its original
60s reference unit.
SIDECHAIN (NEW)
This feature allows you to control the gain reduction
on your main signal via the envelope of the external
sidechain signal.
CELL SELECTOR (NEW)
Use this feature to choose from 3 dierent opto-
electric cells (A, B, and C). Each one oers dierent
attack and release times.
EMPHASIS CONTROL (NEW)
The Emphasis control feature is responsible for
controlling the sidechain pre-emphasis. It is useful for
keeping high frequencies in check, preventing
overmodulation and allowing for a higher sensitivity
to high frequencies.
MAKEUP GAIN (NEW)
Use this feature to optimize your output signal, by
trimming it with the all new make up gain control.
MIX (NEW)
You can now mix in the compressed signal with the
original one for maximum control.
SSE2 OPTIMIZED CODE
DSP operations are pipelined using the SSE2 instruc-
tion set. This ensures the highest possible
performance operation despite very complex compu-
tations.
AUTO-ADJUSTED OVERSAMPLING FOR MAXIMUM
AUDIO TRANSPARENCY
Aliasing artifacts are eciently attenuated using a low
latency linear phase Dolph-Chebyshev poly-phase de-
sign. The oversampling is auto adjusted to your ses-
sion‘s sample rate to save
valuable CPU power while oering the most transpar-
ent sound possible.
HIGHDPI / RETINA SUPPORT
All our plug-Ins support high pixel density on Mac OSX
and Windows to bring you the most enjoyable user
experience on high DPI displays. Please refer to your
manual to nd whether your DAW is HighDPI capable
if you‘re working on Windows.
FURTHER INFO
Plugin Activation & System Requirements
All Black Rooster Audio plug-ins are equipped with a
straightforward and easy to use, serial-based activa-
tion system. We did our best to ensure that our sys-
tem works well for both online and oine users. By
supporting USB key activation, mobile use is sup-
ported. For detailed information on activation and the
current system requirements of our plug-ins please
refer to https://blackroosteraudio.com/en/faq

VLA-2A MARK II VINTAGE LEVELING AMPLIFIER
PLUG-IN CONTROLS
4
» ON/OFF
Engages or bypasses processing. You can click both on the switch and the Power
LED.
» RATIO (LIMIT/COMPRESS)
Toggles between a smooth or a more aggressive compression mode.
» EXT SC (EXTERNAL SIDECHAIN)
Switches between the external or internal sidechain signal. The sidechain can be
ltered with the shelving emphasis lter.
» EMPHASIS CONTROL
Controls the emphasis lter (shelving lter; sensitivity to high frequencies). In-
creasing the ltering reduces the low-frequency content of the sidechain signal,
resulting in compression that is less sensitive in the low end, and more sensitive
to high frequencies.
» CELL SELECTOR
Select between opto-electric cells A, B and C. Each one oers dierent control
and release times.
A: Soft knee | Low ratio
B: Soft Knee | Higher ratio
B: Hard Knee | Higher ratio
» GAIN
Controls the amount of gain in the audio amplier. Turning up the gain will grad-
ually drive the signal into a beautiful sounding saturation.

VLA-2A MARK II VINTAGE LEVELING AMPLIFIER
PLUG-IN CONTROLS
5
» VU METER
The VU meter allows for the monitoring of the average input, gain reduction or
output levels in dB. A readout of -14dB full scale in the plug-in equals a level 0 dBu
in the hardware.
» PEAK REDUCTION
Controls the amount of compression applied to the input signal.
» MAKE-UP GAIN
Trims the output signal’s gain.
» MIX (WET/DRY)
Mix your wet and dry signals to nd the right amount of compression for your
track.
» METER SWITCH (IN/GR/OUT)
Toggles between input-, gain-reduction- and output-metering.

VLA-2A MARK II VINTAGE LEVELING AMPLIFIER
PREFS & INSTRUCTIONS
6
ADDITIONAL PLUG-IN PREFERENCES
(GEAR ICON MENU AT THE BOTTOM)
GUI SIZE
In the GUI size menu, you can select your preferred GUI ranging from a list of four settings, if you’re looking to
change the default sizing. Please note that the GUI size setting is a global preference that aects all Black
Rooster Audio plug-ins installed on your system. If you are stuck with large GUI sizes, please right click on any
non-control section of the plug-in for the regular settings menu to adjust GUI size.
KNOB BEHAVIOUR & KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS
Use the plug-in settings menu to select your preferred knob mode globally. Please note that all of our plug-ins
share the same settings across all DAW applications. Choose between “Host Setting“, “Circular“, “Relative Cir-
cular" and "Linear“.
• By default, the knob mode is set to "Host Setting", which means that the knob mode is dictated by the DAW
application. Some VST hosts allow you to change the knob mode setting in their preference menu. Our plug-
ins will respect the host knob mode in that setting.
• In "Circular" or "Relative Circular" mode, all knobs will react to circular mouse gestures and you have to drag
your mouse in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction to change its value.
• In the "Linear" mode you have to drag your mouse up or down when selecting a knob to change its value.
Use the knob sensitivity menu and adjust it to your liking. Please note that this function is only available in lin-
ear mode.
ALL OF OUR PLUGINS SUPPORT THE FOLLOWING KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS
AU Hosts on Mac OS
Alt + Click - Reset control to its default value Shift + Drag - Fine control
Shift + Mousewheel - Fine control
VST Hosts on Mac OS
CMD + Click - Reset control to its default value
Shift + Drag - Fine control (only a applicable in linear knob mode) Shift + Mousewheel - Fine control
VST Hosts on Windows
Ctrl + Click - Reset control to its default value
Shift + Drag - Fine control (only a applicable in linear knob mode) Shift + Mousewheel - Fine control