TBProAudio releases Impress3 - Compressor effect plugin for Windows and Mac OS X
- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 756 posts since 16 May, 2014 from Germany
Preset menu->save as default preset
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- KVRist
- 227 posts since 22 Jan, 2022
Does this have stereo linking/unlinking. Or better yet a link/unlink mix knob?
Looking for an excuse to try it.
Looking for an excuse to try it.
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- KVRAF
- 3678 posts since 1 Sep, 2016
Yep
- KVRist
- 145 posts since 5 Oct, 2004 from Brooklyn, NY.
this might be silly but you've been so proactive with everything I figured I'd just throw my hat into the ring with a small ask. Regarding modes, in the manual you have a few passages like the following, "The Vari mode emulates the compressor transfer curve of classic variable tube compressors. Classic gear operates with ratios of 2:1, 4:1 or 8:1".
The EL Arouser has a function, when selecting the opto modes it will highlight traditional settings on the GUI that classically pertain to that mode. That'd be kind of a neat function for this when selecting through modes. If you SHIFT and select the mode it will take those parameters and just default them to potentially expected settings. I've always found it a compelling function. You dont have to use the suggestions but it's nice to see them.
The EL Arouser has a function, when selecting the opto modes it will highlight traditional settings on the GUI that classically pertain to that mode. That'd be kind of a neat function for this when selecting through modes. If you SHIFT and select the mode it will take those parameters and just default them to potentially expected settings. I've always found it a compelling function. You dont have to use the suggestions but it's nice to see them.
- KVRAF
- 24021 posts since 12 Jul, 2003 from West Caprazumia
Oh, that's a great function indeed!t.o.t.s. wrote: ↑Fri Oct 04, 2024 1:29 pm The EL Arouser has a function, when selecting the opto modes it will highlight traditional settings on the GUI that classically pertain to that mode. That'd be kind of a neat function for this when selecting through modes. If you SHIFT and select the mode it will take those parameters and just default them to potentially expected settings. I've always found it a compelling function. You dont have to use the suggestions but it's nice to see them.
In fact I've been dreaming of something like this (the GUI part of it) for Valhalla Vintage Verb for quite some time - never mentioned/requested it because I thought it was too way out there...
- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 756 posts since 16 May, 2014 from Germany
Thank you for this. We will see what we can do here.t.o.t.s. wrote: ↑Fri Oct 04, 2024 1:29 pm this might be silly but you've been so proactive with everything I figured I'd just throw my hat into the ring with a small ask. Regarding modes, in the manual you have a few passages like the following, "The Vari mode emulates the compressor transfer curve of classic variable tube compressors. Classic gear operates with ratios of 2:1, 4:1 or 8:1".
The EL Arouser has a function, when selecting the opto modes it will highlight traditional settings on the GUI that classically pertain to that mode. That'd be kind of a neat function for this when selecting through modes. If you SHIFT and select the mode it will take those parameters and just default them to potentially expected settings. I've always found it a compelling function. You dont have to use the suggestions but it's nice to see them.
- KVRist
- 145 posts since 5 Oct, 2004 from Brooklyn, NY.
very cool and you are welcome!TB-ProAudio wrote: ↑Fri Oct 04, 2024 9:36 pmThank you for this. We will see what we can do here.t.o.t.s. wrote: ↑Fri Oct 04, 2024 1:29 pm this might be silly but you've been so proactive with everything I figured I'd just throw my hat into the ring with a small ask. Regarding modes, in the manual you have a few passages like the following, "The Vari mode emulates the compressor transfer curve of classic variable tube compressors. Classic gear operates with ratios of 2:1, 4:1 or 8:1".
The EL Arouser has a function, when selecting the opto modes it will highlight traditional settings on the GUI that classically pertain to that mode. That'd be kind of a neat function for this when selecting through modes. If you SHIFT and select the mode it will take those parameters and just default them to potentially expected settings. I've always found it a compelling function. You dont have to use the suggestions but it's nice to see them.
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- KVRist
- 227 posts since 22 Jan, 2022
I tried this tonight. IMO its an even more intellectual compressor than Unisum. The flexibility and range of dynamics management capabilities is awesome. Just cycling through presets is like patching in a completely different compressor every time. It's a really, really impressive, impeccable sounding compressor.
On the downside, I don't love the metering. I prefer VUs or GR bars that make it easy to assess how the compression is dancing to the track. Meters that help me visually groove to the gain reduction. This one just doesn't do that for me. Its timeline graph actually works better than the GR bar for this kind of monitoring, but IMO timeline graphs are better at analyzing peaks over time than assessing the 'vibe' of the compression. The metering is not horrible by any means, but it's not as good as Unisum's GR bar, or even a mediocre VU for that matter. Impress3's GR bar would be better if it was a different color than the frame and had some nice color gradients between the peak and average levels. Something to draw your attention to it so you can better see how it reacts to configuration changes. A db ruler next to the GR bar would also help. Having to take your eyes off the GR bar to look below it to see a long term average of the number of db's reduced isn't fun. Adding a db ruler next to the GR bar would be way more useful.
I also really dislike the tabbed layout. I don't like needing to remember what function is hidden inside what tab, and I wish the information in the 5 tabs was all just displayed in one larger screen. It's like usability was sacrificed for the sake of having a smaller sized plugin. But IMO something of this complexity shouldn't be jammed into the size of a Valhalla reverb plugin. It should be the size of a plugin like Unisum or Serum and just get rid of the tabs.
But the main reason I probably won't buy this plugin has nothing to do with the plugin itself. It's that I can't figure out where it would get used, given my other mainstay compressors. For individual tracks, it's not as fast to dial in as COMPER. And IMO the metering isn't as useful, and no 2-stage compression like COMPER (though you can kind of fake it with all the curve manipulation options... but again, not as easy to dial in). For drum and mix busses, it just couldn't get Impress3 to groove the low end like the Vertigo does. I tried for about a half hour and gave up. Perhaps it's possible to replicate the Vertigo's 'glue' and low end 'bounce' with the Impress3 , but I don't want to spend hours trying to find it. For mastering, it's not as nearly as easy to configure or monitor in mid/side as Unisom. I thought maybe it could replace DMG Trackcomp on instrument busses due to the unlinked L/R, but Trackcomp gets the job done while easily winning the usability contest.
I developed a love-hate relationship with Impress3 in my short time with it. If the metering and layout were better, I'd probably be tempted to buy it as a tool to deal with edge cases when none of my usual compressors are getting the job done. But I don't have any primary use cases for it, so it's probably going into the bucket of plugins that I demo'd but won't buy. Which is really unfortunate given how amazing Impress3 is.
But all those negatives are totally related to my personal tastes and needs, and not the sound or functionality of the the plugin. It's such an incredible tool. I'm not often impressed by plugins these days, but this one is really impressive. It's namesake is totally deserved.
On the downside, I don't love the metering. I prefer VUs or GR bars that make it easy to assess how the compression is dancing to the track. Meters that help me visually groove to the gain reduction. This one just doesn't do that for me. Its timeline graph actually works better than the GR bar for this kind of monitoring, but IMO timeline graphs are better at analyzing peaks over time than assessing the 'vibe' of the compression. The metering is not horrible by any means, but it's not as good as Unisum's GR bar, or even a mediocre VU for that matter. Impress3's GR bar would be better if it was a different color than the frame and had some nice color gradients between the peak and average levels. Something to draw your attention to it so you can better see how it reacts to configuration changes. A db ruler next to the GR bar would also help. Having to take your eyes off the GR bar to look below it to see a long term average of the number of db's reduced isn't fun. Adding a db ruler next to the GR bar would be way more useful.
I also really dislike the tabbed layout. I don't like needing to remember what function is hidden inside what tab, and I wish the information in the 5 tabs was all just displayed in one larger screen. It's like usability was sacrificed for the sake of having a smaller sized plugin. But IMO something of this complexity shouldn't be jammed into the size of a Valhalla reverb plugin. It should be the size of a plugin like Unisum or Serum and just get rid of the tabs.
But the main reason I probably won't buy this plugin has nothing to do with the plugin itself. It's that I can't figure out where it would get used, given my other mainstay compressors. For individual tracks, it's not as fast to dial in as COMPER. And IMO the metering isn't as useful, and no 2-stage compression like COMPER (though you can kind of fake it with all the curve manipulation options... but again, not as easy to dial in). For drum and mix busses, it just couldn't get Impress3 to groove the low end like the Vertigo does. I tried for about a half hour and gave up. Perhaps it's possible to replicate the Vertigo's 'glue' and low end 'bounce' with the Impress3 , but I don't want to spend hours trying to find it. For mastering, it's not as nearly as easy to configure or monitor in mid/side as Unisom. I thought maybe it could replace DMG Trackcomp on instrument busses due to the unlinked L/R, but Trackcomp gets the job done while easily winning the usability contest.
I developed a love-hate relationship with Impress3 in my short time with it. If the metering and layout were better, I'd probably be tempted to buy it as a tool to deal with edge cases when none of my usual compressors are getting the job done. But I don't have any primary use cases for it, so it's probably going into the bucket of plugins that I demo'd but won't buy. Which is really unfortunate given how amazing Impress3 is.
But all those negatives are totally related to my personal tastes and needs, and not the sound or functionality of the the plugin. It's such an incredible tool. I'm not often impressed by plugins these days, but this one is really impressive. It's namesake is totally deserved.
- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 756 posts since 16 May, 2014 from Germany
Thank you very much for the detailed and very valuable feedback. We will analyze this carefully and take out the points that we consider useful.
Especially the point 'usability' is very important to us. We will therefore take another very close look at this point.
- KVRist
- 145 posts since 5 Oct, 2004 from Brooklyn, NY.
"I wish the information in the 5 tabs was all just displayed in one larger screen"
Perhaps if tabs ADV1 ADV2 ADV3 were instead labeled something like (trying to stay 6 characters or less):
IO/Pan | PROC | DYN
At least in this case it gives some idea of whats there instead of paging through. XFER and DETECT tell us enough. those other tabs could as well.
Perhaps if tabs ADV1 ADV2 ADV3 were instead labeled something like (trying to stay 6 characters or less):
IO/Pan | PROC | DYN
At least in this case it gives some idea of whats there instead of paging through. XFER and DETECT tell us enough. those other tabs could as well.
- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 756 posts since 16 May, 2014 from Germany
Thank you. We go into next update.t.o.t.s. wrote: ↑Sat Oct 05, 2024 7:20 am "I wish the information in the 5 tabs was all just displayed in one larger screen"
Perhaps if tabs ADV1 ADV2 ADV3 were instead labeled something like (trying to stay 6 characters or less):
IO/Pan | PROC | DYN
At least in this case it gives some idea of whats there instead of paging through. XFER and DETECT tell us enough. those other tabs could as well.
- KVRist
- 145 posts since 5 Oct, 2004 from Brooklyn, NY.
Something like this as an example... i also moved bypass to the left next to the delta and moved "stereo proc" under the renamed PROC tab and extended the VU meters. I'm just pissing around though on a saturday afternoon. I think this plugin is killer. I love yer stuf TBPro!
- KVRist
- 145 posts since 5 Oct, 2004 from Brooklyn, NY.
and if someone hid the Spectrum view... that could also extend the VU meters even more for people that like that level of detail.
- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 756 posts since 16 May, 2014 from Germany
Thank you for the mockup.
Have you noticed that the peak level display and the meter have the same synchronized magnitude scale?
If we extend the meter to the bottom we will break this visual alignment ...