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8 BLOCKS GUIDE
Look Ahead Time
– Despite fast attack times, a compressor can fail to “catch” very fast transients. This setting
introduces a short audio delay so the gain control stage can have “advanced notice” from the detector, which is
side-chained with no delay. Higher look-ahead values help reduce “popping,” especially when heavy compression
is used on very percussive sources.
Level
– Sets the output level of the compressor.
Auto Attack/Release
– Turns dynamic control on or off. Turning this switch ON automatically varies the Attack
and Release rates according to the program material; the compressor will respond to faster transients with a
faster attack.
Light Type
– (Optical Compressor-type only) Three light types each cause the compressor to respond differently.
Choose the type found in your favorite hardware compressor, or whichever one sounds best to you.
Studio Parameters
The Studio compressor has the same parameters as the Pedal/Optical Types, with these exceptions:
Threshold
– Sets the level above which automatic volume reduction will occur. When the input exceeds the
threshold, the compressor reduces the output. Ratio (below) determines how much.
Ratio
– Sets the input-to-output ratio for signals above the Threshold. A ratio of “2.00” (2:1 compression) means
that the compressed portion of the signal will be 1/2 as loud as it was at the input. A ratio of “10.00” (10:1
compression) means that the compressed portion of the signal will be 1/10
th
as loud as it was at the input.
Setting Ratio to “INFINITE” turns the compressor into a “limiter,” which has an absolute ceiling or “brick wall”
which nothing can exceed.
Auto Makeup
– When turned ON, this increases the output level to maintain perceived loudness at the current
threshold and ratio. The Level knob can still be used.
Detector Type
– Selects whether the compressor will use "RMS" (“Root Mean Square” ...formerly known in our
products as Fast RMS), "PEAK" detection, or "RMS+PEAK" detection. RMS is “smooth” and generally used to even
out the level of the program material over a long period of time. Peak detection, commonly used with guitar, is
useful for fast limiting. RMS+ Peak combines attributes of both: the speed of a peak and the smoothness of RMS.
Knee Type
– The knee control “softens” the operation of the threshold and the ratio, introducing gain reduction
gradually as signals approach the threshold. With high compression ratios, a hard knee may produce abrupt gain
changes. A soft knee produces a more “transparent” effect since it causes the compressor to engage gradually.
Mix
– Sets the ratio of wet (compressed) and dry sounds. This would normally be set to 100% but lower settings
allow parallel compression, also known as “New York compression.”
Dynamics Processor Parameters
When Type is set to DYNAMICS PROCESSOR, the following parameter appears:
Dynamics
– When set below zero, compression occurs and dynamics are de-emphasized. When set above zero,
expansion occurs and dynamics are exaggerated. Expansion is basically the inverse of compression. Rather than
making loud signals quieter, it makes quiet signals quieter, as any signal below the threshold is reduced.
Other controls for this type are the same as their counterparts from the pedal compressors.
