CLA-3A User Manual
Contents
1. All Waves processors feature the WaveSystem toolbar which takes care of most administrative functions you will encounter while working with your Waves software The features of the WaveSystem toolbar are the same on practically all Waves processors so familiarity with its features will be helpful whichever processor you are using Toolbar Functions Undo Undoes the last 32 actions Redo Redoes the last 32 undone actions Setup Toggles between two presets This is useful for close comparison of different parameter settings Copy A gt B Copies the current settings to the second preset register Load Recalls presets from file Save Saves presets in the Waves file formats Opens the manual for the processor you are using 4 2 Preset Handling Preset Types Factory Presets are permanent presets in the Load menu Factory presets cannot be over written or deleted When applicable different component plug ins may have different factory presets User Presets are your favorite settings of the plug in saved as a preset in the Load menu under User Presets User Presets can be over written and deleted Setup Files may contain more than one preset For example a single file can contain all the presets for a session When you open a Setup File all its setups become part of your Load pop up menu for fast access This can be particularly useful with multiple instances of a plug in in a single session By saving all the settings you2. Presetsand SEUNS TEE OQ cee leah s 12 Deleting T m 13 COD VINA e 13 AS INTERFACE CONTROL net _ hog al 13 POOGIS iila ac E EN TEE ET m 14 Value E 14 Siders On 14 Hover _ 14 TAB FUNCIONS taste ted ed neue arte E 15 APPENDIX ee eset cee cic DP ILL E DI EG D NCC LOU 16 Waves CLA 3A User Guide 2 Chapter 1 Introduction 1 1 Welcome Thank you for choosing Waves In order to get the most out of your Waves processor please take the time to read through this manual In conjunction we also suggest that you become familiar with www wavesupport net There you will find an extensive Answer Base the latest Tech Specs detailed Installation guides new Software Updates and current information on Authorization and Registration By signing up at www wavesupport net you will receive personalized information on your registered products reminders when updates are available and information on your authorization status 1 2 Product Overview The CLA 3A is modeled on an
3. create into a single Setup File they can all be quickly available for every instance of that plug in Waves CLA 3A User Guide 11 Loading Presets and Setups Load Click and hold on the Load button to see the Load pop up menu The menu is divided into four sections If a section is not currently available it will not appear in the Load pop up menu Open Preset File Select to open any setup or preset file whether from the Library or your own creations Filename xps Displays any currently loaded Setup File and its presets Factory Presets Displays the default Factory Presets User Presets Displays any loaded User Presets Saving Presets and Setups Click and hold on the Save button to see the Save pop up menu Four options are available If an option is not currently available it will be grayed out and inaccessible Save to New File Select this to start a new Setup file There are two prompts first for the setup filename then for the preset name You must provide a name for both the setup file and the preset Click OK ENTER to complete the save It is a good idea to create a folder in which to save several setup files for a project Save File Name Preset Name Overwrites the settings of the loaded preset whether a User Preset or a preset from a Setup File with the current settings If a Setup File is currently loaded the name of the Setup File is displayed followed by the name of the preset itse
4. switch as you change from Setup A to Setup B Note an asterisk will be added to the preset name when a change is made to the preset 4 3 Interface Controls Controls can be in one of three states e Not Selected where the control is not the target of any user entry e Selected where the control is the target of mouse control entry only e Selected and Active where the control is the target for both mouse and keyboard entry Waves CLA 3A User Guide 13 Toggle Buttons Toggle buttons display the state of a control and allow switching between two or more states Single click to change the control s state Some toggle buttons have a text display which updates with the current setting and others bypass solo or monitoring toggles illuminate when the control is active Some processors have link buttons between a pair of toggle buttons allowing click and drag adjustment while retaining the offset between the controls Value Window Buttons Value windows display the value of a control and allow click and drag adjustment or direct control via the keyboard e Using the mouse click and drag on the value window to adjust Some value windows support left right some up down as you hover over a button arrows will appear to let you know which direction of movement that button supports e Using the arrow keys click once with mouse to select the button and then use up down left right depending on the direction supported by that butt
5. 08 unity gain Peak Reduction controls the amount of signal compression IUCTION Range 0 to10 in 0 01 steps Initial Value 4 00 Reset Value 0 Please note The scale is not linear and has been adjusted to conform to the exact scaling of the modeled unit Thus there may be more compression than expected at certain steps as with analog gear Waves CLA 3A User Guide 8 Compressor Mode selects compression or limiting Range Comp Limiter Default Comp HiFreq increases voltage amplifier gain in the peak reduction circuit for frequencies above 1 KHz leaving lower frequencies unaffected When set to Flat the CLA 3A will provide equal reduction to all frequencies The more you move away from the Flat position the more sensitive the compressor is to higher frequencies resulting in heavier compression This control may also be used as sort of a de esser HiFREG 7 FLAT Range 0 to 100 in 0 1 steps Initial Value 50 00 Reset Value 100 flat Analog controls analog characteristics caused by noise floor and hum based on the power supplies of the original units SOHz GOHz OFF Range Off 50Hz 60Hz Initial Value 60Hz Reset Value Off Waves CLA 3A User Guide 9 VU Display toggles between Input Gain Reduction and Output monitoring VU DISPLAY Range In GR Out Default GR Waves CLA 3A User Guide 10 Chapter 4 The WaveSystem 4 1 The lini
6. WAVES CLA 3A User Manual oa Save PEAK REDUCTION CLA 3A 5 Fm d NI NEN TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER INTRODUG TION NL duplice Sur eet ou tacks 3 MSN ELOOME EIE 3 Tee Ned VERVIEW RR T at egies 3 ES ice RESO 4 xoi sets e E M a cee E dM D M MM t LM EP D MEM EE 5 CHAPTER 2 QUICKSTART GUIDE ae Quen aa voa Oo e deoa ev oa eee omi dec detec ndum 6 CHAPTER INTERFACE AND 7 STOCA AINTER AC E eee ee Iun AE EMI I M I IE 7 So E E E E E Oo Mae E af 8 CHAPITER 4 THE WAVESYSTEM eee sce ahaha ei tat a eet ede e aget ac 11 AA THE VWWAVESY STEM TOOLBAR ____ ___ ________ esegue 11 MOOIDAN FUNC TONS TEE 11 ZO TRESET rt OUI Om ard aeu 11 Us PY DOS chat D T I Tee 11 Leading Presets and SelupS eoa peto Masque 12
7. acclaimed solid state compressor originally introduced in 1969 Like its tube based predecessor the inspiration for the CLA 3A featured a simple control set the T4 optical attenuator for gain reduction and powerful program dependent compression characteristics Embraced by engineers and producers the world over due to their unmistakable compression behaviors and unique sonic signatures the original hardware units are widely used to this day Chris Lord Alge considers these among his favorites of all vintage compressors About Chris Lord Alge GrammyQG winner Chris Lord Alge is the mixing engineer of choice for pop and rock royalty Green Day U2 Dave Matthews Band Daughtry Pink Leona Lewis Avril Lavigne My Chemical Romance All American Rejects Nickelback Rob Thomas Snow Patrol Ray LaMontagne Miley Cyrus Jonas Bros Tim McGraw Faith Hill Tina Turner Rod Stewart Celine Dion Santana Steve Winwood James Brown For almost thirty years Chris has energized the sound of popular music His hard hitting mixes have transformed the radio soundscape and introduced a new sonic vocabulary along the way CLA s massive hardware arsenal includes racks and racks of the most coveted compression units in music history Waves CLA 3A User Guide 3 Widely known among audio pros and listeners alike for his punchy sound and extreme compression techniques Chris gave us exclusive access to model his most prized processor
8. at you have grown accustomed to a worn out T4 component 1 4 Components WaveShell technology enables us to split Waves processors into smaller plug ins which we call components Having a choice of components for a particular processor gives you the flexibility to choose the configuration best suited to your material The CLA 3A has two component processors CLA 3A Stereo Two channel compressor with one detector for both channel paths CLA 3A Mono One channel compressor Waves CLA 3A User Guide 5 Chapter 2 Quickstart Guide ORS EEN Ee a CER ETT PEAK REDUCTION The CLA 3A offers 2 main controls for compression as well as additional controls for fine tuning Using the Compress Limiter toggle select Compressor approximately 3 1 ratio or Limiter approximately 100 1 ratio Use the Peak Reduction control to set the amount of compression desired Use the Gain control to adjust make up level after the compression Use the VU Meter to monitor Input Output and Gain Reduction levels Waves CLA 3A User Guide 6 Chapter 3 Interface and Controls 3 1 CLA 3A Interface Output Waves System Meter Peak Reduction sldeChain Hi Frequency Compressor VU Display Analog Section Filter Mode Waves CLA 3A User Guide 7 3 2 CLA 3A Controls Gain controls the output level of the audio path Range 0 to 10 in 0 01 steps Initial Value 5 50 Reset Value 4
9. lf If a User Preset is loaded its name is displayed Save to File Name As Saves the current settings as a new preset into the Setup file that is open if one is not open the option is grayed out You will be prompted to give the preset a name Put into Preset Menu As Save the current settings into a User Preset that will always be in your Load menu until deleted You will be prompted to give this preset a name User Presets are stored in the plug in s preference file Waves CLA 3A User Guide 12 Deleting Presets You may delete User Presets and presets within a Setup File Factory Presets and Setup Library files cannot be deleted or overwritten 1 Hold the Command Mac Control PC key down 2 Click and hold the Load button to see the pop up menu 3 While still holding the Command Control key select the preset or setup to delete 4 Aconfirmation box will appear allowing you to cancel or OK the deletion A B Comparison and Copying The Setup A Setup B button may be clicked to compare two settings If you load a preset in the Setup B position this will not affect the preset loaded into the Setup A position and vice versa If you want to slightly modify the settings in Setup A you can copy them to Setup by clicking on the Copy to B button then alter Setup A and compare with the original Setup B The name of the current setup will be shown in the title bar on platforms which support it and will
10. lue Off 0 100 0 1 steps Initial Value 50 Reset Value 100 Waves CLA 3A User Guide 16
11. on to move in the smallest incremental steps across the button s range holding down the arrow keys will move faster through the range e Using key entry double click on the button to open the value window and directly enter the value from your keyboard If you enter an out of range number the button stays selected but remains at the current setting system beeps If system sounds are on some processors have link buttons between a pair of value windows allowing click and drag adjustment while retaining the offset between the controls Sliders Click on the slider itself or anywhere within the sliders track The numerical value of the slider settings is displayed in a hover window above the slider path Hover Box Hovering boxes will appear and display the control value when hovering with the mouse over the control Waves CLA 3A User Guide 14 TAB Functions TAB moves the selected status to the next control with shift TAB moving in the reverse direction Additionally the Mac has an option TAB function for down movement and shift option TAB for up movement where applicable If you have several Value Window Buttons selected TAB functions will take you through the selected controls only Waves CLA 3A User Guide 15 Appendix CLA 3A Controls 0 10 0 01 steps Initial Value 5 50 Reset Value 4 08 unity gain Peak Reduction O to 10 0 01 steps Initial Value 4 00 Reset Value 0 Reset Va
12. ral seconds may result In certain cases this may cause the same passage to sound different during successive playbacks as the Release does not return to the unity position This behavior is identical to that of the original hardware and should not be a cause for concern e Hum Waves modeled both 50Hz power current and 60Hz power current If you listen closely you will hear that there is a difference in hum level between 50Hz and 60Hz Since hum is unique to each region and dependent upon the local electrical conditions you may find that the modeled hum is different than the hum already present in your studio and may not be suitable for your particular use Waves CLA 3A User Guide 4 e 14 In the original hardware units the T4 optical device is responsible for the amount of overall compression and compression characteristics These components are quite vulnerable to wear and tear and need to be replaced ideally every 2 to 3 years Depleted T4 devices result in up to 8096 less compression as compared to newer components In the course of our research we discovered that up to 9096 of T4 components in use today have never been replaced This means that the majority of users are working with devices that compress far below the original manufacturer specifications If you are used to the performance and behavior of an original unit and find that the modeled plug in provides more aggressive compression than you are used to it may be th
13. s and worked closely with Waves through every phase of development Together with many of his personal presets these precision models deliver the distinctive sound of CLA s favorite classic compressors 1 3 About the Modeling Many different elements contribute to the unique sonic behavior of analog gear Waves painstakingly modeled and incorporated the characteristics of the hardware into the CLA 3A in order to fully capture and replicate the sound and performance of the original equipment The hardware was modeled at reference levels of 18 dBFS 4 dBu meaning that a signal of 18 dBFS from the DAW to the hardware unit will display a meter reading VU 4 dBu These are some of the most important elements of the CLA 3A s analog behavior e Total Harmonic Distortion Perhaps the most important analog behavior is Total Harmonic Distortion or THD which is defined as the ratio of the sum of the powers of all harmonic components to the power of the fundamental frequency THD is usually caused by amplification and changes signal shape and content by adding odd and even harmonics of the fundamental frequencies which can change the overall tonal balance THD can also change peak output gain usually by no more than 0 2 0 3 dB e Variable Release Times In the original modeled hardware a T4 optical device determines compression behavior When strong signals are introduced to the compressor input release time constants lasting seve
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