It would be impossible for me to test that claim, of course, even if I had a hardware LA‑2A in the studio (which currently I don’t): how could I be sure the unit sounded like FG‑2A’s muse? A reasonable point of comparison, though, is Universal Audio’s LA‑2A Leveler collection for the UAD platform. Slate claim that not only is FG‑2A the most authentic recreation of a real LA‑2A yet, but that it models the best‑sounding LA‑2A they found during extensive listening tests. To use it, you can buy it outright or sign up to the All Access Pass. The latest to enter the VMR stable is FG‑2A, an emulation of the Urei/Teletronix LA‑2A tube opto compressor. Since I last auditioned their range, Slate have added a remarkable number of emulations to this ecosystem, making VMR much more useful in the process: if you subscribe to Slate’s All Access Pass you’ll rarely need to leave it to access other developers’ plug‑ins.

This DAW plug‑in (in the usual Mac/Windows formats) hosts a range of Slate’s analogue modelling plug‑ins, which you can drag and drop to add, delete and reorder. It’s only recently that I’ve really got into using Slate Digital’s Virtual Mix Rack (VMR). The world’s not short of LA‑2A plug‑ins, but some are more convincing than others.

Slate virtual mix rack