Owner`s manual

8
With the AVP, you can record each track through a model of the type of
mic that will best produce that ideal sound you’re looking for. Or use it in
live performance to get the sound of mics you’d never consider using on
stage. You can even use it during mixdown to effectively change the mic
on an already recorded track. And for that final touch of perfection, you
can even add some tasty tube saturation.
About the technology
The models employed by the AVP are not derived from theoretical consid-
erations. They are generated by a proprietary analysis process that is
applied to each physical mic modeled. Not only the sonic characteristics,
but the behavior of other parameters such as low-cut filters or proximity
effects accurately reflect the specific performance of each microphone we
model.
Another advantage of our model-based approach is that there is essen-
tially no processing delay apart from the natural phase effects of the
microphones being modeled.
Finally, the quality and signal-to-noise characteristics of the processing are
pristine. Because of our commitment to model-based processing, there are
none of the limitations or distortions characteristic of FFT-based algo-
rithms. The quality of the output is limited only by the quality of the
input.
So what exactly does it do?
While there is a lot of fairly complicated stuff going on under the hood,
the essential functionality of the AVP’s Mic Modeling module is really
quite simple. Basically, audio originally recorded by a microphone is input
to the AVP where it is first processed by a “Source Model” which serves to
neutralize the known characteristics of the input mic. The audio is then
processed by a second “Modeled Mic” model which imposes the character-
istics of the modeled mic onto the previously neutralized signal. Finally,
the audio is passed through a model of a high-quality tube preamp
offering the option of classic tube saturation distortion.
Understanding Compression
Compression is probably the most widely used (and potentially confusing)
signal process used in today’s studios. Simply put, compression reduces the
dynamic range of a signal. That is, it reduces the difference in loudness
between the loudest and quietest parts of a piece of music. Another way
to think about this is that the compressor is acting as an automatic fader
which fades down when the signal gets loud and fades back up when the
signal gets soft.