6.0

9
The included effect plug-ins
Dynamics plug-ins
This section contains descriptions of the plug-ins in the
“Dynamics” category.
Compressor (Cubase Elements only)
Compressor reduces the dynamic range of the audio, mak-
ing softer sounds louder or louder sounds softer, or both.
Compressor features separate controls for threshold, ratio,
attack, hold, release and make-up gain parameters. Com
-
pressor features a separate display that graphically illus-
trates the compressor curve shaped according to the
Threshold and Ratio parameter settings. Compressor also
features a Gain Reduction meter that shows the amount of
gain reduction in dB, Soft knee/Hard knee compression
modes and a program-dependent Auto feature for the Re
-
lease parameter.
The following parameters are available:
Limiter (not in Cubase LE)
Limiter is designed to ensure that the output level never
exceeds a set output level, to avoid clipping in following
devices. Limiter can adjust and optimize the Release pa
-
rameter automatically according to the audio material, or it
can be set manually. Limiter also features separate meters
for the input, output and the amount of limiting (middle
meters).
Parameter Description
Threshold
(-60 to 0 dB)
Determines the level where Compressor “kicks in”. Signal
levels above the set threshold are affected, but signal lev
-
els below are not processed.
Ratio
(1:1 to 8:1)
Sets the amount of gain reduction applied to signals over
the set threshold. A ratio of 3:1 means that for every 3
dB
the input level increases, the output level will increase by
only 1
dB.
Soft Knee
button
If this button is off, signals above the threshold are com-
pressed instantly according to the set ratio (hard knee).
When Soft Knee is activated, the onset of compression is
more gradual, producing a less drastic result.
Make-up
(0 to 24 dB or
Auto mode)
This parameter is used to compensate for output gain loss,
caused by compression. If the Auto button is activated, the
knob becomes dark and the output is automatically ad
-
justed for gain loss.
Attack
(0.1 to
100
ms)
Determines how fast Compressor will respond to signals
above the set threshold. If the attack time is long, more of
the early part of the signal (attack) passes through unpro
-
cessed.
Hold
(0 to
5000
ms)
Sets the time the applied compression will affect the signal
after exceeding the threshold.
Short hold times are useful for “DJ-style” ducking, while
longer hold times are required for music ducking, e.
g.
when working on a documentary film.
Release
(10 to
1000
ms or
Auto mode)
Sets the amount of time it takes for the gain to return to its
original level when the signal drops below the threshold
level. If the Auto button is activated, Compressor will auto
-
matically find an optimal release setting that varies de-
pending on the audio material.
Analysis
(0 to 100)
(Pure Peak to
Pure RMS)
Determines whether the input signal is analyzed according
to peak or RMS values (or a mixture of both). A value of 0 is
pure peak and 100 pure RMS. RMS mode operates using
the average power of the audio signal as a basis, whereas
Peak mode operates more on peak levels. As a general
guideline, RMS mode works better on material with few
transients such as vocals, and Peak mode better for per
-
cussive material, with a lot of transient peaks.
Live button When this button is activated, the “look ahead” feature of
Compressor is disengaged. Look ahead produces more
accurate processing, but adds a certain amount of latency
as a trade-off. When Live mode is activated, there is no la
-
tency, which might be better for “live” processing.
Parameter Description