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1

Soft Clip

Gain Reduction

M/S Mode

Active

Channel Link

Mix

Gain

EQ Freq

Hz

SC Gain

dB

SC Freq

EQ Gain

Auto Fast

Feed Forward

On

Auto Fast

x10

On

Transformer

Direct

Compressed

On

Thresh

Attack

Release

Ratio

Soft Clip

Mix

Gain

EQ Freq

SC Gain

dB

EQ Gain

Auto Fast

Feed Forward

On

Auto Fast

x10

On

Transformer

Direct

Compressed

On

Thresh

Attack

ms

Release

ms

Ratio

1:X

Soft Clip

SC Freq

M/S Matrix

One of the most powerful features of the alpha compressor is its switchable M/S matrix. By acti-
vating it, the incoming stereo signal is encoded into a middle channel (mono) and a side channel 
which contains the stereo parts of the left and right channel (but not the common mono part).

This enables you to process the middle and the side signals separately, and finally both channels 
are decoded back to left and right (stereo). A practical example helps to understand the general 
idea.

The ideal song for this would be the following: Important elements like voice, drums and bass are 
placed in the middle whereas the remaining instruments are mixed stereophonically.

Switch the alpha compressor into M/S mode and leave the link function deactivated for now. The 
left side of the compressor now controls the middle channel and the right side the side channel. 
By using the compressed switches, you can listen to both channels separately, so that you will be 
able to hear what is instantly happening in the particular channel.

Now you can process the mono and side parts separately from each other. Depending on the mix, 
sometimes it is only the middle channel that needs compression whereas the side channel stays 
unprocessed. Other mixes have a lot of stereo information; in these cases both middle and side 
channels are processed, the settings of which can be completely different from each other.

At the beginning, both gain controllers should be set at the same values, but this can change in 
the progress of optimization by all means. You can use different settings of the gain controllers in 
M/S mode for specific changes of the stereo width, for example.

Of course the link function also works in M/S mode. In this case, signals in the M and S channels 
are reduced evenly so that the result of the compression is the same as if working in stereo mode. 
However, you will still be able to adjust the level proportion between M and S with the gain con-
trollers. 

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Содержание alpha compressor

Страница 1: ...A L P H A C O M P R E S S O R A L P H A C O M P R E S S O R...

Страница 2: ...egistered trademarks of elysia GmbH Other product and brand names contained in this document are used for identification purposes only All registered trademarks product designations or brand names use...

Страница 3: ...irculation Do not cover circulation vents CAUTION Connecting Mounting Never connect the output of a power amplifier to this device Place the unit on a rigid board or fix it to an appropriate rack Use...

Страница 4: ...rtance to practical experience and fast results which is also the reason for reserving the explanation of the technological excesses realized in the alpha compressor to our website The Basics chapter...

Страница 5: ...21 Upward Leveling 21 M S Leveling 22 Groove Compression 22 Vocal Down 23 DeEssing 23 Parallel Compression 24 Stereo Enhancer 24 LoFi Compression 25 Extreme Settings 25 REFERENCE 26 Threshold Offset...

Страница 6: ...o Fast similar to the Auto Fast feature for the attack parameter this function automati cally shortens the release time and then returns to the set value pp 13 28 Ratio the relation between the input...

Страница 7: ...tive in their respective channel the Mix controller blends between them for onboard parallel compression p 18 33 Compressed makes the compressed and or filtered signal audible in its respective channe...

Страница 8: ...5 VAC 3 0 A Slo Blo Incorrect or missing fuses are dangerous safety hazards for both the unit and yourself Audio outputs 4 dBu Pin assignment balanced 1 ground 2 hot 3 ground Pin assignment unbalanced...

Страница 9: ...dependent compression when it is switched into the detector path Level section The lower array starts with the mix controller that allows blending between the unprocessed and the compressed filtered a...

Страница 10: ...rs filter mix gain limiter are not linked though and therefore have to be set manually In this mode the gain reduction is identical for both channels Signal Flowchart The schematic shows the signal fl...

Страница 11: ...orange are not combined In linked stereo mode please pay attention to set the controllers and switches for both EQ mix and gain sections identically Otherwise an audible drift between the left and the...

Страница 12: ...ssion process fast slow strong weak etc The levels of the compressed signals can be made up by adding an appropriate amount of ampli fication with the gain controllers Since the link function will onl...

Страница 13: ...not be changed at all The compressor will only become very fast in case it is really needed Auto Fast Release The same example is suitable to use the Auto Fast function for the release parameter too T...

Страница 14: ...values of the attack controller will also change noticeably in feed forward mode as they will become almost twice as high as the value shown on the scale Transformer Each of the two channels features...

Страница 15: ...essor into M S mode and leave the link function deactivated for now The left side of the compressor now controls the middle channel and the right side the side channel By using the compressed switches...

Страница 16: ...operation The combination of sidechain filters M S matrix and different attack settings enables you to make very selective changes and depending on the source material even to process single instru m...

Страница 17: ...and Again the results can be listened to separately by using the com pressed switches for each channel However in stereo mode both audio filters should be set to the same values in order to avoid unwa...

Страница 18: ...tion of the initial dynamic structure remains The control logic of this feature is also worth mentioning If only the compressed button is pushed you will hear the compressed signal only Otherwise if o...

Страница 19: ...so the case in M S mode because the limiters are located after the M S decoder and therefore are always assigned to the left and right stereo chan nels Note that the channel link does not affect the c...

Страница 20: ...Direct Compressed On Thresh 20 18 dB 15 11 0 3 6 9 13 12 4 Attack 0 01 2 0 ms 7 0 13 28 50 70 110 150 130 24 Release 60 75 ms 100 150 430 570 800 1k1 1k8 1k5 300 Ratio 1 1 1 2 1 X 1 3 1 4 1 7 1 8 1 9...

Страница 21: ...ain Lo 2 7 1 0 0 3 1 6 2 2 2 7 Hi dB 0 3 Auto Fast Feed Forward On Auto Fast x10 On Transformer Direct Compressed On Thresh 20 18 dB 15 11 0 3 6 9 13 12 4 Attack 0 01 2 0 ms 7 0 13 28 50 70 110 150 13...

Страница 22: ...dB 21 19 14 11 8 0 5 5 3 0 16 4 0 Mix Dir 10 20 30 60 70 80 90 Com 100 50 Gain 0 0 5 dB 1 5 2 0 4 5 6 0 8 0 10 12 11 3 5 EQ Freq Hz 20 22 30 40 140 170 500 220 300 2k0 1k0 SC Gain dB LP 12 5 2 1 0 3...

Страница 23: ...6 4 0 Mix Dir 10 20 30 60 70 80 90 Com 100 50 Gain 0 0 5 dB 1 5 2 0 4 5 6 0 8 0 10 12 11 3 5 EQ Freq Hz 20 22 30 40 140 170 500 220 300 2k0 1k0 SC Gain dB LP 12 5 2 1 0 3 0 3 2 5 12 HP EQ Gain Lo 2 7...

Страница 24: ...2 0 4 5 6 0 8 0 10 12 11 3 5 EQ Freq Hz 20 22 30 40 140 170 500 220 300 2k0 1k0 SC Gain dB LP 12 5 2 1 0 3 0 3 2 5 12 HP EQ Gain Lo 2 7 1 0 0 3 1 6 2 2 2 7 Hi dB 0 3 Auto Fast Feed Forward On Auto Fas...

Страница 25: ...1k1 1k8 1k5 300 Ratio 1 1 1 2 1 X 1 3 1 4 1 7 1 8 1 9 2 1 2 4 2 2 1 6 Soft Clip 25 24 dB 21 19 14 11 8 0 5 5 3 0 16 4 0 Mix Dir 10 20 30 60 70 80 90 Com 100 50 Gain 0 0 5 dB 1 5 2 0 4 5 6 0 8 0 10 12...

Страница 26: ...sure to disable the M S and link functions Now send an audio signal into the compressor and set the attack to approx 24 and the release to 300 ms On the upper circuit board there is a blue trimmer lab...

Страница 27: ...lso smaller Therefore the amount of gain reduc tion is always higher on fast attack settings than on longer settings Auto Fast Attack Utilizing a burst signal again this diagram shows a comparison bet...

Страница 28: ...astest release settings without generating unwanted artifacts REFERENCE Release Auto Fast Release Auto Fast Release In this case the Auto Fast function was added to a release time of 400 ms light curv...

Страница 29: ...ain reduction settings as these are the ones most frequently used in mastering applications Ratio Feed Forward In feed forward mode the ratio characteristics differ strongly from those in feedback mod...

Страница 30: ...up to 4 5 dB Depending on the setting of the EQ gain the level might need some make up with the gain controller EQ Gain High Now let s have a look at the opposite scenario In this figure the EQ gain c...

Страница 31: ...The green curve shows an almost linear compression with a constant gain reduction across the complete frequency spectrum If the SC gain controller is set to high pass HP yellow curve however the low f...

Страница 32: ...he highest frequency you just about want the com pressor to react to SC High Pass Here the controller was turned completely the other way round In high pass position HP the ap proach of the sidechain...

Страница 33: ...signal is switched in the mix controller does not have any influ ence on the level Soft Clip These characteristic curves show the smooth processing of the Soft Clip limiter Even though this figure em...

Страница 34: ...This cumulative load might result in a decrease of level If now the alpha compressor is activated the preceding device only sees the alpha compressor and no longer the following unit Therefore the lo...

Страница 35: ...20 Hz 22 kHz Stereo Mode 122 dB M S Mode 118 dB Maximum Input Level Stereo Mode 28 dBu M S Mode 23 dBu Maximum Output Level Stereo Mode 27 dBu M S Mode 23 dBu Input Impedance 10 kOhm Output Impedance...

Страница 36: ...you cannot or do not want to use this option please contact us via the address you will find at the end of this warranty statement You will be provided with registration documents suitable for fax or...

Страница 37: ...0 1k1 1k8 1k5 300 Ratio 1 1 1 2 1 X 1 3 1 4 1 7 1 8 1 9 2 1 2 4 2 2 1 6 Soft Clip 25 24 dB 21 19 14 11 8 0 5 5 3 0 16 4 0 Mix Dir 10 20 30 60 70 80 90 Com 100 50 Gain 0 0 5 dB 1 5 2 0 4 5 6 0 8 0 10 1...

Страница 38: ...38 Let there be sound And there was sound AC DC TCHAIKOVSKY S NEWS...

Страница 39: ......

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