Acme Audio Manufacturing Co. is a boutique audio company that prides itself on its high quality hand-built audio gear. Acme founder Al Sutton has been producing, engineering and recording music in Detroit for over three decades with bands like Sponge, The Detroit Cobras, Bob Seger, Uncle Kracker, and Kid Rock. Acme Audio all-tube optical limiters and DI boxes can be found in many top recording studios across the US and worldwide.

• • $299
  • ACME Audio
  • Opticom XLA-3
  • ★★★★★
  • ACME’s vivid Opto Compressor, full of Mojo and Harmonic Coloration!
  • • Hardware Emulations
    • Secret Weapon

• 

  Toby Pitman

  Paul McCartney, David Arnold, Sonos

  The Opticom XLA-3 is a clean and super useful compressor with all the squash and punch that you’d expect from an Opto like this. The Wet/Dry mix makes it really easy to get great parallel effects and I love the fact that you can just use the amp section on it’s own. I’m finding I rarely get past the letter ‘A’ in the plugin list!

  about Opticom XLA-3
• 

  Deniz Koyu

  Spinnin' Records

  I really like the three curve settings on this compressor. No matter what material you’re dealing with, one of the three curves always gives you the response you’re looking for. Especially on drum busses it achieves such a great punch with perfect transients when I set the response curve to slow. I also love the harmonic distortion when you start pushing the input, and having the option to use only that feature without the gain reduction section is awesome!

  about Opticom XLA-3
• 

  Ethan Mates

  Engineer (Linkin Park, Red Hot Chili Peppers, J-Lo, Tupac, Tom Petty)

  This plug has vibe for days! The attitude and grit I was able to pull out of some drably recorded vocals was amazing. Don’t sleep on Amp Mode either!

  about Opticom XLA-3