Specifications

Audio Plug-Ins Guide104
Smack! Controls and Meters
Smack! includes controls for multiple compres-
sion modes and a VU meter.
Smack! Compression Mode
Buttons
Smack! has three modes of compression: Norm
(Normal), Opto, and Warm. Use the correspond-
ing button to select a mode.
Norm Mode Button
Enable the Norm button to emulate FET com-
pressors, which can have significantly faster at-
tack and release times than opto-electrical-
based compressors. It can be used for a wide
range of program material and, with extreme
settings, can be used for sound effects such as
“pumping.”
In Norm mode, you can precisely adjust the Ra-
tio, Attack, and Release controls to fine-tune the
compression characteristics.
,
Warm Mode Button
Enable the Warm button for compression that is
based on Norm mode, but which has program-
dependent release characteristics. These charac-
teristics, often described as “transparent” or
“smooth,” can be less noticeable to the listener
and can reduce waveform distortion caused by
some sustained low-frequency tones.
As with Norm mode, Warm mode can be used
for a wide range of program material including
vocals or low-frequency instruments such as
tom-toms or bass guitar. Extreme settings can
be used to produce “pumping” effects. Like
Norm mode, Warm mode lets you precisely ad-
just the Ratio, Attack, and Release controls to
fine-tune the compression characteristics.
Opto Mode Button
Enable the Opto button to emulate opto-electro
compressors. Opto mode produces “soft knee”
compression with gentle attack and release
characteristics, and is ideal for compressing
thin vocals, bass guitars, kick drums, and snare
drums. In Opto mode, only the Input and Output
controls are available for adjusting the amount
of compression. The Attack, Release, and Ratio
controls are greyed out and cannot be manually
adjusted.
Smack! Input Control
In all Smack! compression modes, Input adjusts
the level of input gain to the compressor. For
more compression, increase the amount of input
gain. For less compression, reduce the amount
of input gain.
Norm, Warm, and Opto mode buttons
Some sustained low-frequency tones can
cause waveform distortion in Norm mode.
The release characteristics of Warm mode
(which is based on Norm mode) can be used
to remedy this distortion by reducing wave-
form modulation.
Setting the Input and Output controls to 5 is
equal to unity gain at a compression ratio of
1:1.
Input