SvalaC-Audio is offering Es-A2, its $45 analog-modeled optical compressor plugin for macOS and Windows, as a free download for a very limited time.
The Payhip product page currently says the sale ends in two days, so I would claim this one quickly if you’re interested.
Es-A2 is the flagship release in SvalaC-Audio’s new Es-Series and is modeled after the classic LA-2A tube leveling amplifier.
The developer is also a mixing engineer who created the series after finding that existing emulations didn’t respond quite like the hardware. Instead of stopping at the familiar two-stage release behavior, Es-A2 uses component-level modeling to make its attack and release times change exponentially with the amount of gain reduction.
Another interesting thing worth noting here is what the developer calls the optical trap. An optical compressor converts the audio signal into electricity, then light, and finally gain reduction, but the EL panel’s light output has a physical maximum. Es-A2 models this hard ceiling, so its gain reduction eventually stops increasing, as in the optical hardware.
I also like that there’s a drawer in the interface that lets you swap internal components, including vacuum tubes and transformers. These aren’t just cosmetic choices, and swapping them can make a surprisingly big difference.
I tried Es-A2 on a full mix and liked it a lot. It works well on individual instruments and is very easy to dial in.
I haven’t spent enough time with different LA-style plugins to make any grand comparisons, but first impressions are positive. It has plenty of that glue I look for in vintage compressor emulations. As a character compressor that pulls a mix together, Es-A2 is definitely a keeper.
For more options, check out our own free Dirty LA plugin. It’s inspired by the same type of hardware, but with our own more characterful twist. And if you want something more advanced for your mix, don’t miss the current VATRA sale.
Es-A2 runs as a VST3 plugin on 64-bit Windows. The macOS version supports Intel and Apple Silicon systems and is available in VST3 and AU formats.
Download: SvalaC-Audio Es-A2 (FREE)
Deal of the day 🔥: Get the VATRA mix finisher plugin by Flame Sound!More:
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Last Updated on August 24, 2026 by Tomislav Zlatic.
