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Threshold- the level at which the compressor starts compressing
Attack- how long it takes the compressor to start compressing after the signal exceeds the threshold
Release- how long it takes the compressor to stop compressing after the signal drops below the threshold
Ratio- how much it compresses- example: 4:1- for every 4 db the signal exceeds the threshold the compressor will decrease so it's only 1 db over.
Makeup gain- adding gain after compression. If you decrease the signal with the compressor, it's quieter now. Bring the makeup gain up, now the signal is more even, with more perceived volume perhaps. Get this set so it's the same with the compressor bypassed. Otherwise, the makeup gain is high, then your track sounds awesome because it's louder, not because of the compressor.
Pro-c is a good tool for learning because you can see exactly what the compressor is doing in real time.
Oh, and speaking of the latest computer music magazine issue, not only is there a Saturn tutorial but the main article is about side chaining.
Excellent tute notes. Bookmarked.
@mrufino1 thanks a lot for your list with explaning the terms! Helpful!
@mrufino1 Can I see Attack and Release as a sort of fade-in and fade-out? it compresses a little at the start and after 5 ms its fullblown.
Or I don't understand the explanation of the terms attack and release. I think this is the case. Whats the point of Attack and Release?? It feels like I lack the insight to understand this, though I am convinced that I am not stupid, and I have the papers to prove it.
What is the advantage/point in setting the threshold at a point, when it doesn't start compressing at that point?
It feels like: I say I give you a euro, and then I give you 90 ct, with the words: my release time is 10%. That was not what we've agreed. Another illustration of my question: I always come 10 minutes to late at an appointment, cause my attack time is 10 minutes.
I get a bit agressive about these things I don't understand. I can buy it, do some tweaks, hear the result, and if I am lucky I get to understand it, but if I am unlucky I don't understand it at all, and I don't understand the effect of my tweaks and I am 22,99 poorer cause in that case I will not use it again. Same as Final Touch.
The attack is the amount of time from the threshold crossing until the the full ratio of compression is achieved. Or, the ramp between 1:1 and 1:8 (or whatever you set the ratio at). If you have an attack of 100ms and a ratio of 1:4, 50ms after the signal is detected to be louder than the threshold the compressor is reducing the gain at 1:2. At 75ms, it's reducing the gain at 1:3.
You might imagine a compressor as a dim-witted studio intern whom you task with manually controlling a single volume fader on a mixer. Pointing at a particular spot on the channel meter you say, "anytime the signal goes above this line on the meter, turn the fader down". The threshold is the line on the meter you pointed at. The ratio is how much it gets turned down. The attack is the amount of time it take between when the intern sees it go above the line on the meter and when they get the fader moved to the quieter position. Release is the amount of time it takes to put the fader back to its default position after the signal drops below the line on the meter.
Or something like that.
Easiest to test this out with your ears and a sparsely played but fullish sounding drum loop. Set the threshold so that it's always triggering compression and set the ratio pretty high. Then, play with the attack and release, sloooooowly. One at a time. Attack will adjust how much of the initial transient thwack of the drum comes through. The release is the black magic and, particularly with heavily compressed sounds, can (some would say should) be adjusted rhythmically, almost like you might adjust a delay.
@marcel yes that's about it. The attack release allows you to affect the dynamics.
For instance, if you were playing lead guitar and set the ratio high and the threshold low to really squeeze the levels to a point where every note came out at the the same volume. Then you had attack set to it's fastest but release to slow, you would find that every note came out sounding at the same level fairly robotic levels but it would sustain forever.
If you now set the attack slower, it lets your initial picking level of the note through but when the attack kicks in then your note would still have the long sustain. So the effect would sound more dynamic/human.
At the opposite end of the note if you had fast attack and fast release all the notes would sound at the same level again but you wouldn't get the extra sustain so you might get a shorter, more percussive sound. Having a longer release can also affect the perceived separation between notes.
Obviously there are many settings in between these two extremes and it may become clearer if you try Tweaking these settings with an instrument you are playing 'live'.
@marcel, the only way to really understand how these things work is to try them. You put them on a track, crank them up, and have a listen. Because truth to tell, it's tough to figure out how to do something from the descriptions.
The other thing with Fabfilter, is the presets. You click on where it says "default setting", and there are a bunch of menus and submenus behind. You'll find lots of good stuff there, on all their plugins. Saturn and Timeless, in particular, I'm not sure I'm ever going to get super deep. There's about 45 years worth of presets to try first.
@Matt_Fletcher_2000 IF you are missing the standard content IRs then unfortunately the only solution is to delete and reinstall Auria. I've had this happen to me a couple of times, usually when upgrading to a new iPad and using the restore from iCloud feature, everything works except for those pesky IR files.
@Marcel just to add to what everyone else has said, having a fast attack on a compressor can dull the transients in the music. So for example when compressing drums it's best to have a slow attack so that the initial hit doesn't lose too much of its impact.
Unless you have a drum that you feel needs thickening. Fast attack, fast release, transient is squashed, now the transient and body of the drum are closer in volume, and when you turn up makeup gain, you have a drum with a fuller body.
For a dull drum, slow attack and slower release, with lower threshold lowers the body , then makeup gain makes the transient louder.
Basically a transient designer (like the fxpansion one in auria) is doing exactly what I said.
Crank the ratio very high, set the threshold really low so the compressor is killing the sound (like 20-30 db of compression), bring up the makeup gain. Set release really fast. Now just play with the attack and hear what it does to the sound. Then do the same with release. That process really opened up compression for me.
Thanks for the replies, looks like Pro Q and Timeless are the faves with most folk, with Volcano and 'that look' from Mrs Monzo following a close third.
Has anyone bought the IAP's in the UK? Just wondering what costs the will be as I'm only seeing US prices. UK prices are notoriously high once the dreaded VAT is added so it'd be good to know what I'm shelling out. If they're too much I might only get one - @Matt_Fletcher_2000 you're in the UK aren't you? How much did they sting you for?
@monzo I thought you were avoiding Auria, due to it losing your projects?
Not avoiding, just not using as many tracks as before and using it more as a live capture/editor thing. I managed to record into one of the problem tracks with Audiobus a couple of nights ago (though IAA still doesn't work in that one) - actually that's a good point as the problems I had were with IAA inputs, and these are IAA plugins...
I'll test a new song tonight using Turnado as an IAA effect and see if that gets messed up after a few tracks. If not, and the price is right I might get a couple of Fabfilters while the sale is on.
£10.99 and £16.99 I think.
Not a very good rate of exchange!
Fair enough, thought I may have missed some revelation.
Thanks Matt, that's actually better than I thought it would be, not great though. I reckon I'll get Timeless, possibly Pro Q as well. Expensive...
I think I had a moan about it in the SOTM thread, and my submission was a live take of madness which didn't really make the grade so I added it to the weird thread instead. Strangely the recording via Audiobus latency issue has gone, which was why I started using IAA instead, so that's allowed me to go back into one of the tracks that was messed up. It still screetches at me if I try and add an IAA track but I can get away with AB recording and editing existing waves.
I think for 11 quid I'll take a punt on Timeless and see how that works out - if IAA starts mucking about again I'll leave it at that. Better EQ control would be really useful though...
I'm enjoying exploring my new plugins...
I have some specific questions though - any help appreciated...
In Timeless (which i'm now getting the hang of) i'm still trying to work out a way to apply the delay to just one part of the audio. I basically want to "dub out" certain parts of, say, a sentence - so maybe only the last word gets delayed. That sort of thing of. In Gadget you just grab the 'depth' knob and swing it on when you want a word delayed, then swing it off again when you want the delay to shut up. It's easy because it's just one dial. In Timeless it's not that simple. What should I be targeting an XY pad to? 'Input' to grab the word I want to delay? And then something else to control the depth/amount of delay on the fly? I'm a bit confused between feedback amount and cross feedback amount to be honest!
I know this is general question, but if I want to "thicken up" or "brighten" the synths from Gadget i've got in my track what sort of tools should I be considering? Chorus in Timeless? Amping up in Saturn? Compressing and then adding gain in Pro C? EQ obviously... Anything else?
I have WOW (although find it a bit tricky to get very smooth liquid filter effects going in it because it has no easy XY pad and often it ends up quite harsh) - so will I find buying Volcano much easier and smoother for sweeping drums etc... I'd love a big XY control to enable me to get the mix of cutoff and res just right over time... And just a great quality sound.
All this talk of compression... I get the attack/release/ratio/threshold things now... but at the end of the day I like to understand very simply what compression is doing and why/where you'd use it. So am I right that often you are using it to lessen the difference between the very loud and very quiet parts to allow you to boost the gain without it clipping? Other times you are side chaining it to 'duck' certain points for rhythm and/or to hear the kick.snare hits etc... And you might use it to sculpt a particularly sound e.g. come in more quietly with a longer attack and boost second half of the sound? So ultimately it allows you to control how loud or quiet a sound is at different points?
Any sagely advice most appreciated!
I'm afraid i've not been into the weird thread for a listen to anything because it tanks on my iPad.
For thickening I recommend simply doubling the track ... you could add some subtle distortion to it as well. Chorus can help too. I often double track and make one track an octave lower, keeping that track low in the mix.
For brightening use EQ.
I'll go in and remove any Soundcloud links in my post replies - might help a bit.
@Matt_Fletcher_2000 - regarding your first question, can't you use automation and adjust the wet level on Timeless during the times needed?
Thanks. That deals with the "getting the delay to stop and start" bit, yep.
But in my example, the whole sentence is being repeated, rather than just the one word of the sentence I want to pickout.
E.g.
Rather than:
This is an awesome tut for Timeless by the way:
Just finished watching it... Wow... If I wasn't sold on Timeless before then I am now!
Are you happy with the purchases Matt? Seems like a lot of money to spend so I'm hesitating a bit - just Pro Q on it's own is nearly as much as Auria itself. I think I'll definitely get Timeless but not sure I can justify the cost of the others..
I'm sure you can live without all of them. But they are fun.
Pro Q if you are going to do any serious EQ work to perfect your track. If you realisically aren't going to spend the time on this stage then maybe make do with the factory options?
Timeless and Saturn are more for adding spice...
Turnado - which I got out in Auria last night - does also have an awful lot of options... You could do a lot getting into the guts of Turnado. Although annoyingly they seem to have removed the x-y pads in the Auria version!
I've decided to go in for about £60 in all (after iTunes card discounts too) and get:
ProQ, ProC, Saturn, Timeless and Volcano
A big indulgence I know - but i've been a bit better on app buying recently and i'm hoping it will get me to the 'next level' production quality wise...
Given I already have Turnado, Wow and MicroWarmer I think i'm pretty well kitted out now...
Just need to clear a load of space so that I can get the Gadget > Auria workflow working properly and smoothly...
I'm still a bit confused on the best option for basic limiting on the master track... I really like the limiter in master record (I guess I could use that), but MicroWarmer doesn't seem to work like that at all. The other option is the hard limiter that comes with Auria... I need to look into that.
Holy smok-a-roll-ee's
this thread has turned into an information goldmine! Thanks for all the info, I almost had to ask for the direct link on the Saturn tut, but I found it.
I bought Saturn and Timeless last night. Only had a chance to use Saturn a little bit on some synth stuff. I love it. It doesn't seem to "click" for me like Pro q did/does. But, it's got a sheeeet ton of presets, that are a good starting point to mess with.
Can't wait to check out Timeless. Oh ya, keep the info coming. I'm soaking it all in. Kinda........
Best option for limiting is Pro L
Micro Warmer adds a lot of grit, it's not a transparent limiter, and the native Auria one doesn't have the sound quality IMO.