Does anyone know how this works?
Please try to help me understand it.
Q: Super Fast Attack
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- KVRian
- 1094 posts since 23 Sep, 2006
In a normal setup of a compressor or other dynamic processor, the level detector will try to match the signal amplitude, obviously with the restrictions of the attack release times. So as a signal is coming down in volume towards silence, the level detector will continue to fall down to silence. Then when it needs to come up again it has to travel all the way up and you won't hear any effect until the signal detector reaches the threshold. Imagine if you have a long attack time, it could take a while for the level detector to reach the threshold.
With this setting enabled though, when the signal is coming down to silence after a loud sound has finished, instead of falling to silence it will sit at the threshold. This way, when a loud sound happens next the level detector doesn't have to wait for the signal to climb up from silence, it's already right there at the threshold. It basically pauses the signal detector when signals are below the threshold.
Try using it with spectral dynamics, it gives a good visual indication of what's going on. I must admit, I haven't found much use for it, would be curious to know if other people have found good uses for it.
With this setting enabled though, when the signal is coming down to silence after a loud sound has finished, instead of falling to silence it will sit at the threshold. This way, when a loud sound happens next the level detector doesn't have to wait for the signal to climb up from silence, it's already right there at the threshold. It basically pauses the signal detector when signals are below the threshold.
Try using it with spectral dynamics, it gives a good visual indication of what's going on. I must admit, I haven't found much use for it, would be curious to know if other people have found good uses for it.
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- KVRian
- 1094 posts since 23 Sep, 2006
With the above explanation in mind, imagine using a high knee value... if the signal detector pauses at the threshold, at the threshold there is going to be some gain reduction because the knee is smoothing the ratio around that point. Therefore it's probably best to use a strict zero knee compressor, otherwise the signal will be reduced during quiet parts, which usually isn't what you want with a compressor.