User Manual

RackPack: DynaMaxx

Technology And Applications

Full-Band versus Multi-Band

Some compressors try to solve the problem of high frequencies being

modulated by low frequency compression by moving to a split band

system, so why don‘t we do that?

Multi-band compression seems like a good idea to overcome the

pumping effects caused by heavy bass compression also causing

high frequency sounds to be pulled down in level. For example, with

a regular compressor, you may be compressing a bass-drum but the

release time is set a little too long with the result that the following

hi-hat gets ducked in level. Multi-band technology splits the original

signal into two or more bands to be processed individually, and in this

way, heavy gain reduction at the bass end doesn’t affect the level of

the high frequencies.

Sounds like a good idea, but the elaborate level of automation and the

double VCA circuitry allow to dispense with multi-band techniques –

and that provides two main advantages:

1. Neutral Sound

Multi-band technology has a significant sonic short-coming: due to

different levels of processing within the various bands, each band’s

output may be changed in phase response, so that when the bands are

recombined, the signal tends to have reduced dimensions and sounds

incoherent and colored.

2. Time Saving

DynaMaxx offers simplicity of control. With Multi-band systems you

have to set all the time constants plus Gain, Threshold, and Ratio for

each band. With a fully manual Four-Band-compressor, this would

mean 20 parameters to set up per channel. DynaMaxx needs 2 – and

provides better sound results.

Attack Time Automation

First it’s necessary to see what happens when a compressor is used

with a fixed attack time setting. For example, the sound of an e-bass

can either come in smoothly (especially with fretless basses), or with

a very fast transient attack when slapping. If the attack time is set to

minimum (very short), the compressor is able to catch the peak of the

transient attack but any following notes will suffer increased transient

distortion because the control voltage within the compressor rises fur-

ther as successive notes are processed. >