Summit TLA-100A

Simple not much to it but a must have for vocalist that have no technique. I have used this piece for over 7 years and it never disappoints me. It is a must have on the front end of singers that have little or zero mic technique.
In 2005 I had a rock singer that came to the studio www.chrislieckstudios.com and he was all over the place as for levels. I looked around for pre amp that soften the hard notes but did not sound to compressed. After a long search I gave up and almost used my SSL to control the sound by over compressing.

So it was suggested to me by a friend to buy this unit with the Summit Levelor as well (a must have as well) and I live on both of them. I took that singer and placed him in the booth and turned on the unit and the Levelor and there it was. The controls are simple and self explanatory. The Levelor has two knobs, but back to the Pre Amp, it can take great deal of level and input aside from the TUBE control. The Tube control is a bit sensitive. You have to use the pad when turning the tube up.

I love this unit for vocals. We use it daily and no matter what other units I have I go back to it all the time. It is a bit sensitive on the input surprisingly and I don't like that but I normally pad the signal down if it is a vocalist. The tube control knob is very easy, turn it one way and you have more tube, the other less. It has a roll off for the lows and the highs. It has a line input on the front. I love it.

UTILIZATION

Simple as can be. Plug in mic, turn up the tube and enjoy. Not complicated at all. I have a few settings I use but not much to the unit. The input has a pad like most and there is one knob that allows more of the tube saturation and the tube is quite dirty on some mics and a bit cleaner on others. I use it with an AKG and it can be a bit dirty at times. The less tube the better in that you don't need a great deal of tube on must instrumentation such as acoustic guitars and other acoustic instruments. There is a roll off for the lows and a sweeping set frequency roll off for the top or high end. I don't use either of those much at all as I will use a plug in first or a one band digi EQ to roll off any low end noise that I get from the unit's tube that I do get at times.

SOUND QUALITY

It is a clean transparent pre amp with little color and very high quality. I put it up there with and against any other pre-amp in the world. I have been so satisfied from this purchase and it has saved my vocal sessions for years. Like I said it is a bit sensitive not like an API but still really great sounding and solid. The construction is really good.

OVERALL OPINION

A must have if you want that tube sound and old school sound. I have it in my rack and use it every day. I would buy it again today. I tell guys all the time that this pre is really great and if I had one pre amp that I had to have it would be this unit. I do love the Levelor along with it. I recommend that piece to go along with this pre amp. I paid about 1000.00 for both of the units and I would not trade them for anything or any pre amp out there in the market.

The Summit Audio TLA 100A Tube Leveling Amp is well worth the high penny that it cost. This unit has a classic design feel to it, there are no extra special designs on it. Its just plain and simple, with a very clean design. This unit provides great compression that you will love no matter what you genre of music is. This unit is ultra fast, its reacts almost instantly. You can use it for bass, or kick drums or even vocals. I prefer it on bass though just because I feel it can take your bass to another level with no effort. Its also great for tracking out and mixing your individual mixer tracks/instruments.


UTILIZATION

The sound quality will shock you, it really doesn’t get much better than this. This processor can be found in a lot of studios that still have hardware around. Even if you are a new age software guy, its still good to have this around for the great compression. Its USA made, and they say that each unit is made by hand. I was surprised when I heard this in a live setting.


SOUND QUALITY

The basic operations of it are easy to operate, because basically all the functions are basic. There is nothing on this unit that makes it hard to operate, its pretty cut and dry right in your face. Just start tweaking knobs to get your compression and watch what happends.


OVERALL OPINION

Overall, I say go with this if you have some sort of a decent budget. They have been making this unit for over 15 years and they don’t plan on stopping. So you will always have the support for it, not to mention the warranty that you get through Summit I think it’s a few years. So you have nothing to worry about with your investment. it’s a protected high quality piece of hardware. Try it

The Summit TLA-100A is a single channel analog compressor. I believe it has XLR connections and it is rackable.

UTILIZATION

The use of the TLA-100A couldn't be easier - it has two knobs for compression and gain make up and a few switches for attack and release. If you have ever used any compressor before, you will be able to figure out how to use this one as well. I've never had access for the manual so I can't speak to how useful it is, but I think that pretty much anyone with audio experience could get a good sound out of this. I also like the huge meter it has as it makes it easy to monitor output and gain reduction, depending on you set it on.

SOUND QUALITY

The overall sound quality of the TLA100A is above average for a compressor. I would classify the sound gotten from this compressor as full and thick. I use it as my go to compressor for bass guitar when tracking and mixing. It will probably sound good on other instruments but I haven't really experimented too much simply because I always have bass running through it and have other options for other instruments. I would also bet that this would sound good on male vocals and any other instruments in the lower register.

OVERALL OPINION

I've been using the Summit TLA100A for a little less than a year and I would have a hard time living without it now. It adds a thickness and fullness to bass that I haven't been able to replicate with other compressors. As most high end compressors are, this one is probably out of budget for the small studio owner, but if you looking to add a new compressor to your collection, this would be a fine choice. Summit has a good reputation and the TLA100A is no exception to that.

Hybrid compressor lamp (12AX7A)
Type "leveler"
Selector 115-230V,
External side chain can
selection on the rear panel: symmetrical or asymmetrical

UTILIZATION

leveler easy to use,
reduction of a button which compresses more and gain knob to retrieve the compressed signal
the attack and release times are between:
Attack times: 180uS-100mS
Release times: 32ms-1.5S
compression is always applied knee soft mode

SOUND QUALITY

great leveler! the sound is a clean and sharpness,
the soft knee compression and the attack and release times make it an extremely versatile tool and upscale, it is also thanks to the External side chain, the best de-esser that have been given to me to use .

- My first choice by far in bass, perfect for lead vocals, kick, bass, piano, acoustic guitar
- To choose an instrument for harmonic and dynamic complex, the perfect example bass and piano!
- With fast attack and release, perfect for room mics very clean (ie ben 1176 what!!)

good it will never be as big as 1176 revA and dirty, but here it is in a soft compression, musical and effective

OVERALL OPINION

I love, I like the other two,
compared to my Manley Vari-mu, Api 527, Urei 1176 revA and DBX 160x,
he brings something the other is not consistency between (rapid attack and release, soft compression and signal clarity)
this is an obvious machine, standard and it is rare!