Tube-Tech CL 1B Alternatives: The Famous Danish Opto Compressor
Options to get that legendary tube-optical compression sound.
Tube-Tech CL 1B Alternatives: The Famous Danish Opto Compressor · Source: Universal Audio
To get a clean, rounded vocal sound, we’re looking at Tube-Tech CL 1B alternatives that can be added to the input chain in your studio.
CL 1B Alternatives:
The Tube-Tech CL 1B
Launched in the late 1980s by the Danish manufacturer Lydkraft, the Tube-Tech CL 1B was inspired by the famous LA-2A. However, its design offers a balance of program-dependent dynamics shaping and modern versatility, with controls for the ratio, attack, and release settings.
This gave the CL 1B a character and identity of its own, and it quickly became an industry standard for Pop, Hip-Hop, and R&B vocal recording, often used with the SONY C-800G tube condenser mic and the Avalon VT-737SP tube preamp for the ultimate high-end clean input stage.
The CL 1B shapes vocals in a particularly desirable way, bringing the subtle nuances into focus and pushing the vocals forward cleanly and transparently. For this reason, it remains one of the most sought-after vocal compressors available, used on famous recordings by The Weeknd, Beyoncé, and Justin Bieber.
Tube-Tech CL 1B Alternatives: Softube And Universal Audio
The Softube Tube-Tech CL 1B is a meticulous recreation of both the mk I and mk II models of the renowned optical compressor that runs natively in any DAW, combining its coveted transparent sonic character with the flexibility of software. Every aspect of the original has been carefully modelled, and there are a few extra features that make this plugin version usable in a wider range of applications.
The mode switch lets you select either the vintage mk I or modern mk II model, so you can get the upfront character of the vintage model on sparse mixes where the lead vocal needs to be larger than life. Also, there is a sidechain low-cut filter with two settings (80 and 220 Hz) for preserving the low-end of the signal and a wet/dry mix control for parallel processing.
While Softube offers an entire range of Tube-Tech plugins for different workflows, Universal Audio Apollo and Satellite users can get the UAD version. It might not offer the choice of the two models, but it has all the other features and runs on your external DSP system, which puts less strain on your CPU.
Tube-Tech CL 1B Alternatives: Tegeler VTRC and Vocal Leveler
German manufacturer Teleger Audio is renowned for doing its own spin on classic recording gear designs at accessible prices. With the VTRC, Tegeler has created a recording channel strip with both optical and vari-mu compression circuits, as well as a Pultec-style passive EQ.
With the flexible signal path of the VTRC, you can place the EQ section before or after the dynamics and use either or both of the compressors at the same time. Although it doesn’t have the same control set as the CL 1B, the VTRC has a high-quality preamp stage at the beginning of the chain, which adds value. Get it at Thomann.*
Meanwhile, Tegeler has taken the optical compressor from the VTRC and made it available in a stripped-down 500-series module version called the Vocal Leveler. As the name suggests, this module will help you shave and smooth the transients of vocal and bass guitar tracks on the way in, and you have fast, slow, and auto time modes. Get it at Thomann.*
Tube-Tech CL 1B Alternatives: Warm Audio WA-1B
What if you could get a CL 1B for nearly a third of the price? This is exactly how Warm Audio has made the coveted tube optical compressor accessible to a new generation of users. With its Chinese assembly and US quality control, Warm Audio has recreated the CL 1B with Lundahl transformers and a selection of 12ax7, Tung-Sol, and JJ 12au7 tubes.
From the compression ratios to the attack and release times, each aspect of the original has been preserved to give you an authentic CL 1B experience. With the 270-volt Class-A discrete circuitry, you can also expect the same low-noise transparent compression behaviour as the original for leveling vocals and bass guitar tracks while tracking.
In addition, there are two sidechains that allow you to link up to 10 WA-1B compressor units to operate in unison. This means you can use these compressors in a stereo bus or a multichannel configuration for immersive audio applications. Overall, the WA-1B is an impressive budget option for home studios. Get it at Thomann.*
Tube-Tech CL 1B Alternatives: Heritage Audio Tubesessor
The Heritage Audio Tubesessor is a versatile tube-based optical compressor that offers all the basic functionality of the CL 1B, with a few extra features that give the Tubesessor its own identity. With its basic compression parameters, the Tubesessor provides ratio settings between 2:1 and 10:1, attack times between 0.5 and 300 ms, and release times between 0.05 and 10 seconds.
Like the CL 1B, the Tubesessor gives you 30 dB of makeup gain, but there is also a separate tube saturation circuit with four different modes. This allows you to use the Tubesessor’s tube circuitry as a colouration tool, which is an interesting prospect, especially with a pair of stereo-linked units for bus processing.
Another unique feature is the variable sidechain filter with five settings for different applications. At 80 or 160 Hz, the high-pass filter preserves the low-end, while the bandpass filter at 1 and 3 kHz can tame harsh resonances. Overall, the Tubesessor is a well-thought-out design that provides good value for the price. Get it at Thomann.*
Tube-Tech CL 1B Alternatives: Antelope Audio A4-1B
The Antelope Audio A4-1B brings the classic tube optical compressor design into the modern era with digital automation and recall capabilities. This means you can switch between DAW projects, and the hardware settings will be contained within the accompanying A4-1B plugin.
What’s more, the ability to automate parameters allows you to squeeze the vocals a little harder in the chorus to get a slightly more upfront and punchy sound. For added flexibility, there are also high-pass, band-pass, and de-essing sidechain filters for different applications, which are accessed via the plugin.
The A4-1B connects to your computer via USB-C, and it’s recommended to use a powered hub if possible. Also included is a 2-year subscription to Synergy Core Native, which gives you access to a collection of over 70 processing plugins, including compressors, EQs, reverbs, and more. Get it at Thomann.*
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