The Summit Audio TLA-100A Tube Leveling Amplifier is a classic hybrid design of vacuum tube and solid state devices - a harmonious blend of old and new technologies, producing the incredibly warm and smooth sound of vacuum tubes in a compression device without the inherent disadvantages of older designs.
Summit Audio has been making the TLA-100A for over 20 years and produces a sound that remains a much sought after quality that is used on literally thousands of records and in live sound venues across the world. The TLA-100A 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.
Summit Audio TLA-100A Features :
- In continuous production for over 20 years
- "Soft knee" and program dependent transition characteristics
- Switch selectable attack and release times
- Stereo linkable
- Unity gain bypass switch for A/B comparison
- Transformerless signal path
- Side chain insert
- Hand crafted in the USA
- Backed by Summit Audio's 3 Year Warranty
Summit Audio has been designing compressors/ leveling amplifiers for nearly 25 years, with the TLA series as the very first product to hit the market with the Summit Audio name. Summit knows compressors, and they ARE the TLA company. Accept no substitutes.
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. You can't deny great tone and the TLA-100A has it in abundance, lending it's magic to literally thousands of recordings and live shows across the globe. 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.
What is a leveler?
The main difference between a leveler and a compressor is that the leveler has no individual control of threshold and slope (ratio); these functions work together and interact with each other completely as a function of the same control. The result is a very easy-to-use signal processor that controls the dynamics in a musical and intuitive manner.
TLA-100A Basic operation :
After warm up (15 minutes), set the Gain Reduction control to 0 and adjust the Gain control for 0VU on the meter. Switch the attack to slow and the release to fast. Now adjust for the desired amount of gain reduction and recheck the output level.
As the amount of gain reduction is increased, the processed audio follows a smooth reduction curve, thereby changing the compression ratio. In this way, compression may be easily controlled. If a large peak is detected, the unit will automatically increase the compression ratio to keep the audio output controlled.
If a low compression ratio is desired, turn the gain reduction control until the meter indicates a small amount of gain reduction. If a higher ratio is desired, set the gain reduction control so the meter indicates a high amount of gain reduction. Try different attack and release settings, depending upon the program material and the desired effect.
Tracking, live sound, mixing:
Plug the TLA-100A into your mixing console's insert jack or patch bay. The TLA-100A also sounds great if inserted directly in line after the preamplifier.
Compressing a stereo mix:
Insert a 1/4" cable into two TLA-100A's link jacks, set the attack and release switches and gain reduction on both units to the same settings. Put both units in link mode. The channel with the strongest peak will override both units.
De-essing:
Plug a TRS insert cable into the side chain jack on the back of the TLA-100A. Plug the send (tip) of the insert cable to the input of an EQ, and the return (ring) of the cable to the EQ output. Boost the frequencies on the EQ that you want to compress (de-ess).
Ducking:
Send the output of the "lead" program material into the side chain input after inserting the TLA-100A on the "background" program material. Example: Send the output of a vocal mic into the side chain, with the TLA-100A inserted on the lead guitar track. As the singer uses the vocal mic, the lead guitar will decrease in amplitude.
The History of Summit Audio :
Summit Audio began their foray into the professional audio world in 1979. A few years later, Summit Audio released the original TLA-100 tube leveler that would later evolve into the highly sought after TLA-100A, still manufactured today unchanged after twenty years, and whose signature sound has graced countless songs and albums to date.
Now a real force in the audio world, Summit Audio's foundation of high value, no compromise products with intense testing and unparalleled commitment to its customers needs is the perfect launching pad for a bright future of innovative and interesting products, all with a commitment to excellence and a passion for creating inspirational audio products.
As Summit evolves with the dynamic world of professional audio, they still stick to their basic traditions of solid reliability, precise manufacturing and integrity in everything they do.
Each Summit Audio product is crafted, manufactured and tested exclusively in the United States to the most exacting standards, utilizing human ears in addition to the best available test equipment along with years of combined experience and customer input.
Having built a reputation upon superb and reliable products, professionals worldwide trust Summit Audio for their critical studio applications.
