CLA-2A Compressor / Limiter
The deal
$34.99 at Waves (down from $149), a 77% discount on one of Waves' most enduring compressor plugins. No coupon code needed - the discount is already applied at checkout. This is part of Waves' ongoing specials page rather than a dated event, so there's no fixed expiration to watch for.
What it is
CLA-2A Compressor/Limiter is Waves' modeled recreation of the classic optoelectronic tube compressor that shaped countless vocal and bass recordings, tuned in collaboration with mix engineer Chris Lord-Alge. It reproduces the smooth, gently saturated gain reduction the hardware is known for, with a simple two-knob workflow built around peak reduction and gain.
Who it's for
Vocal mixers, bassists, and anyone tracking or mixing sources that need gentle, transparent leveling without obvious pumping. It suits engineers who want a compressor that works well on the first try rather than one with a dozen parameters to dial in.
Key features
- Switchable Compressor and Limiter modes for different styles of gain reduction
- A Mix knob for instant parallel compression without building a separate bus
- A sidechain frequency filter that keeps the compressor from over-reacting to low end
- Zero-latency processing plus a set of Chris Lord-Alge signature presets for vocals, bass, and drums
