Waves CLA-2A vs Cakewalk CA-2A (with blind comparison at the end)

In our opinion CA-2A reduces the high frequencies much earlier in the frequency spectrum than CLA-2A, in a way very similar to the CLA-3A while having more punch which makes it more useful for instruments or aggressive performances. CLA-2A sounds much smoother and invisible and the character is more noticeable and beautiful which makes it more useful for vocals and lead instruments. Both are fine emulations that have been modeled from differently calibrated units and in different state of conservation which justifies why we had to put the controls so differently to achieve the same amount of gain reduction in both plugins. The Waves version offers control over the original noise of the hardware and the classic and useful Waves toolbar while the Cakewalk version offers different calibrations for the meter and a Photocell memory mode to choose between the classic or faster recovery times and thus avoid peaks when the compressor is activated between silences in the processed track.

If you are looking to find which of these two plugins is better and want our opinion we would say: the one you have is good enough, you do not need to buy another; or, buy the cheaper one because both, although different, compress the signal in the style of the old Teletronix LA-2A, the difference is not so big that it will ruin somebody's precious work. Just know that Cakewalk is going through a transition period and their technical support is inactive at the moment while Waves is one of the most experienced audio software companies and still one of the strongest, that's a strong selling point.

Since we have both, we use both, the fact that they are different is an advantage for us because where one does not work, it is almost sure that the other will be the perfect fit.

Vocal sample provided for free by Sample Magic.

Blind Comparison:
1: Waves CLA-2A https://waves.alzt.net/c/1321769/286864/4512?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waves.com%2Fplugins%2Fcla-2a-compressor-limiter
2: Cakewalk CA-2A http://www.cakewalk.com/products/CA-2A/

Enjoy!
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Видео Waves CLA-2A vs Cakewalk CA-2A (with blind comparison at the end) канала Andrei Martinez Agras