HM2-NAIL Compressor Limiter User Guide / Owners Manual

Introduction
Owner’s Manual | 3HM2 Compressor, Nail
™
A Designs Audio, Inc.
Introduces the HM2 Compressor
A Designs Audio Inc. is proud to produce a new design of compression to professionals in the audio recording industry.
We call it the HM2
Compressor (Dual channel with stereo link) or, as we here at the shop refer to it as, “The Nail.”
Our goal is to bring a Hybrid of tubes and solid state design technology to market that will integrate with the digital world
and at the same time delivering analog warmth with a hint of color and richne ss to your recordings.
The Nail does that and more with some new con ce pts in the art of compression. The features i nco rporated are: Hard
Threshold, Filter, and Mix .
The Hard Threshold works with 3 stages, Threshold, Hard Threshold, and Filter. With the Hard Threshold in off position
the Threshold feature reacts more like a Gain Reduction. With the Hard Thre shold engaged, you then have your choices
of filter frequencies to choose from. Whe n you sele ct a frequency with the filter switch you are then allowing all the
frequencies above the sel ected frequency to be hit by compression. The frequencies below the selected frequency will
pass through the compressor and still be compressed but in a lesser manner. It’s almost like having a multi-band, but it is
by no means a multi-band compre ssor. And at some point it becomes a Limiter.
This is great for working on any style of music that has a kick or bass forward like Hard Rock/Hip hop/Rap.
The next feature I want to draw your attention to is the Mix Switch.
Some of today’s units have what they refer to as a “Wet/Dry” switch. This allows you to hear your audio with compre ssion
and without. But, in the case of the Nail, the Mix feature allows you to have the best of both worlds with an In/Out Switch
and Mix Control.
With the Mix Control, you can dial in as much of the compression OR as little compression has you need into the signal
path. You still can have the wet/dry by simply dialing in “No” compression or “All” compression. So what you achieve is
mixing the Nail’ s compression with your original signal. This feature makes the Nail a valued tool for any studio.
So, e xplore the endless possibilities the Nail has to offer .