From the course: Fundamentals of Pro Audio Equipment
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VCA (voltage-controlled amplifier) - Pro Tools Tutorial
From the course: Fundamentals of Pro Audio Equipment
VCA (voltage-controlled amplifier)
- VCA is an abbreviation of Voltage-Controlled Amplifier. This type of compressor is known for clean and smooth compression that can add a nice glue on the masterbus. The controls offered are usually: threshold, ratio, attack, release and gain makeup. More recently other features such as high-pass filter and the detector circuit in a parallel mix knob have become much more common, making them far more versatile than every before. Ideal applications are masterbus, drums, vocals and bass, but just like the FET, the VCA compressor is not limited to any application. Some of the most recognizable VCA compressors include: the SSL Quad Masterbus Compressor, which was first released in 1977 and was featured in the center section of the SL-4000A console. Today, it's the most iconic VCA compressor and like the 1176 it's one of the most copied designs. At the time, this unit was unique as there was never before a console that feature an on-board compressor on the masterbus. It was patchable so…
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