Klark Teknik square one dynamics, Operator'S Manual

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Applications
34 Square ONE Dynamics
Applications
Your Square ONE Dynamics processor can function as a multi-mode compressor or gate. As most dynamics
processing is a matter of personal taste and preference, these application notes are provided as a guide only.
Experimenting in unconventional areas can often yield interesting and useful results. Always remember, be
creative with your Square ONE Dynamics - and have fun!
Compression
The Square ONE Dynamics’s compressor can perform various compression styles for different applications.
Drums and percussive instruments
Drums require consistent slow attack times to thicken the sound. Try the compressor in RMS and soft knee
(default) mode, using low ratios (between 1.5:1 to 2:1) with threshold set low.
Stringed acoustic instruments
Acoustic instruments benefit from subtle processing. Settings that are too aggressive can sound unnatural.
Try the compressor in vintage and soft knee mode, using high compression ratios with a slow attack.
Stringed electric instruments
Here the compression process can become an integral part of the instruments’ sound. Try aggressive
compression (after ok’ing it with the musicians!) on electric and bass guitars, use RMS and soft knee mode
(default) for adaptive compression or try the vintage mode to add
colour .
Electronic instruments
Electronic keyboards, sound modules and PC audio, typically, have their audio already compressed. If you
are using your Square ONE Dynamics’s compressor for automatic level control between different patches, try
vintage and hard knee mode using fast attack combined with slow release times.
Brass instruments
Compression is useful for thickening thin sounding instruments and compensating for less-than-perfect
microphone technique. Try RMS and soft knee mode (default) for using high ratios (between 4:1 to 2:1) with
medium attack.
Sung vocals
Try the compressor in RMS mode with the ratio at 2:1, making sure the attack is not too fast as you may lose
intelligibility.
Be careful not to apply excessive gain reduction when working with live PA, as you
may find the compressor hunting for level and causing gain problems in the foldback mix.
De-essing
Setting the compressor to respond to a specific bandwidth of high-frequency audio can reduce excessive
sibilance in vocals, see “Hi-Q frequency-conscious compressor (de-esser)” on page 21 and “De-essing” on
page 26 for further details.