Technical information

APPENDIX 12
achieving transparent results and insuring such an output ceiling is never
exceeded. The ML1 was designed with this primary application in mind, and
can readily suit many musical genres.
Currently the ML1 does not include any dithering functionality. Pro Tools
already comes with a variety of dither options, and a dither plug-in can be
placed after the ML1 as required. By not placing a dithering generator in
the ML1, DSP horsepower is saved. Users will gladly note several ML1 stereo
instances can  t on a signal HD DSP chip (at 48 kHz sample rate).
Bus Level Control
During the mixing process, many elements of a session are compressed in an
e ort to establish a moderately predictable signal level, the dynamics of which
are then automated by volume fader moves (as opposed to the track’s original
dynamics). The ML1 can set up a maximum output level on a variety of busses,
and add subjectively suitable e ects to those groups using the Knee, Mode,
and Release controls. In particular, the Knee control can e ectively setup the
ML1 as a compressor, with a brick wall limiter as a  nal output stage. The user
need only set a threshold and output ceiling, and then be assured the signal
level will never rise above the ceiling. Rough mixes (and perhaps even  nal
ones?) can be done quickly and easily.
Gentle Limiting
Many instruments and their performances require only a subtle amount of
limiting, but still must adhere to output ceiling requirements. The ML1 unique
Knee control, when set to values over 50%, can give great results for this type
of smoother, transparent limiting action.
ML4 Multi-band Dynamics Processor
The idea behind multi-band processing is that by breaking down the audio
into ranges of frequencies, referred to as ‘bands’, each band can be processed
by a gate, expander, and/or compressor with more accuracy.
Multi-band dynamics processing  rst starts with a set of  lters, commonly
referred to as a ‘crossover’, to split the signal into selected frequency ranges.
Once separated, each band can be fed into a gate, expander, and/or compressor
(the ML4000 does all three) for processing. Then the signals are recombined
into a full-range signal.
Consider the wide range of frequencies a single-band compressor has to
contend with – the low bass sounds change slowly in comparison to the