Acme Opticom XLA-3
Acme Opticom XLA-3 is an AAX audio plugin developed by Plugin Alliance in cooperation with Brainworx that emulates the hardware optical compressor of the same name. It delivers glorious tube sounds and opto-electric character using a unique three-mode compression circuit, and includes an "Amp Mode" for adding harmonic color without affecting dynamics. The plugin is used by mixing engineers, producers and mastering professionals working in Pro Tools and other DAWs to achieve the signature warm, smooth LA-2A style leveling on drums, vocals, and full mixes. Plugin Alliance includes it in their CORE and PRO plugin subscriptions.
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1 suggestionAcme Opticom XLA-3 received native Apple Silicon compatibility for AAX format in version 1.10.0, released in August 2023, so you should already have access to a natively compiled build if you are running a recent version. To ensure you have the latest native AAX version, update through the Plugin Alliance Installation Manager — this is Plugin Alliance's own update tool and is the correct channel for all Plugin Alliance plugins. Launch the Installation Manager (you likely have it already if you installed this plugin), select Acme Opticom XLA-3 in the product list, and let it download and install the current build. If you do not yet have the Installation Manager, download it from plugin-alliance.com — it handles all Plugin Alliance formats (AAX, AU, VST2, VST3) and will detect your Pro Tools installation and place the native AAX build in the correct location. Pro Tools itself must be on version 2023.6 or newer to load the native AAX plugin; if your Pro Tools is older, update it first via Avid Application Manager.
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