User Manual

Page 22 Duende Native User Guide
DYNAMICS SECTION
T
he Dynamics section comprises a Compressor/Limiter and an Expander/Gate. Both sections work
i
ndependently but can be operational at the same time, providing sophisticated control of signal levels. The
d
iagrams down the right-hand side of the page give a simplified overview what each control represents – If
y
ou are unfamiliar with any of the operations described, you may want to view SSL’s on-line tutorials (See
P
age 5 for details).
Press DYN IN to switch the Dynamics into circuit. To place the Dynamics before the EQ in the signal chain, press the PRE EQ
switch (See Page 27 for more info on processing order).
Compressor/Limiter
To activate the Compressor/Limiter, turn the RATIO knob
so that it’s ratio is no longer 1:1.
To turn the compressor into a ∞:1 limiter, turn the knob
fully to the right.
There is no gain makeup control as the T/HOLD
(threshold) knob controls both the level at which gain reduction is introduced and the
gain make-up, keeping the output level steady regardless of the compression.
RELEASE controls how quickly the level returns to normal after the input level has
dropped below the threshold (measured in seconds). The attack time is adjusted
automatically to match the audio. To choose a constantly fast attack time, press the
FAST ATT switch.
Press the PK button to switch from RMS to peak signal detection. In normal RMS mode
the compressor reacts to the average signal level, and has a soft knee characteristic.
When switched to peak mode, it responds to peak signal level and introduces a hard
knee characteristic, resulting in more dramatic compression.
The level of compression being introduced is shown in the left-hand of the two meters
in the centre of the Dynamics section.
Expander/Gate
To activate the Expander/Gate, turn the RANGE
knob so that it’s range is no longer zero. The
green indicators in the right-hand of the two
meters in the centre of the Dynamics section
show the amount of gain reduction being
introduced.
By default, the Expander/Gate section functions as a gate. To switch to the expander,
press the EXP switch.
The THRESHOLD function uses different levels to ‘open’ the gate to audio and to ‘close’
it again – the level at which the expander opens is higher than the level at which it closes
again. In other words, when the expander is opened, it stays open until the signal level
crosses the quieter ‘close’ threshold. This is known as hysteresis and is very useful as
it allows instruments to decay more naturally. The word ‘Threshold’ normally refers to
the ‘open’ threshold.
HOLD controls the delay before the signal level starts reducing again, and RELEASE
controls how quickly the level then reduces. Note that the RELEASE interacts with the
RANGE, which determines the depth of gain reduction.
The attack time (the time taken for the Expander/Gate to ‘recover’ once the signal level
is above the ‘deactivate’ threshold) is normally set to 1.5ms per 40dB. Press the FAST
ATT switch to introduce a faster attack time of 100µs per 40dB. This is useful when
gating signals with a steep rising edge, such as drums.
Full scale
output level
Ratio
Range
Threshold
1:1 ratio
below and
above range
Higher ratio
(steeper)
for gates
change in 0utput level
time
Release
Attack
Hold
input level
change in 0utput level
time
Release
Attack
output level
input level
Ratio
Threshold
Gradient is
shallow or flat
for limiters
full scale
?
click here for
on-line
tutorials