Analog Obsession LALA

LALA by Analog Obsession is a free LA-2A-inspired optical compressor. It captures the slow, program-dependent leveling behavior of the original hardware and adds a few things the LA-2A never had. The three-band sidechain filter (HPF plus mid- and high-sensitivity controls) lets you shape how the compressor responds to different frequencies. There’s an external sidechain input, a dry/wet Mix knob for fast parallel compression, and a 4x oversampling toggle.

I used LALA a lot for backing vocals and bass guitars. The Mix knob is the main reason. Most LA-2A emulations don’t include one, which means you have to set up a parallel routing manually. One thing to know before you use it on serious projects is that Analog Obsession plugins sometimes change their internal plugin ID with updates, which means a new version might register as a different plugin in your DAW. Updating LALA mid-project can break sessions that reference an older version.

Print or freeze tracks before updating, or hold off until the project that you’re working on is finished. The plugin is available for free on Patreon. The page is publicly viewable, and the plugin is free to download with no pledge required. A small monthly pledge supports the developer if you find yourself using the catalog often.