Compressor w Sidechain - Front Panel questions

[jaytwoeight]

Hi,

I am trying to make sure I understand the Sidechain section of the Compressor Front panel. Could you confirm this is what the Front panel > Sidechain section does:

Left VU meter: Main/Input 1 (before compression)
Center VU meter: Input 2 (sidechain signal hitting the compressor)
Right VU meter: Compressed Output
Int/Ext Signal: This blends Input 1 (main) and Input 2 (sidechain input) as the signal which triggers the compressor
Gain: This attenuates the signal from Input 2 OR attenuates the Int/Ext Signal (above)?
Filter Freq: Low cut filter cut off (removes low end from sidechain trigger signal)
Filter: this just toggles the filter ON/OFF
ListenSideChain: This allows you to hear the sidechain signal (presumably should only be used for preview and left at 0 the rest of the time)?

I have one extra question: When I set the Sidechain Gain to max the middle VU meter value is still fairly low (even though the channel which this signal is coming from is almost peaking). How can I attenuate the Gain even higher (without changing the compressor ratio to infinite)? I'm assuming I can just open the Mux for the compressor and add an attenuation module in the in the right place. I'm just not sure between which 2 modules that right place is.

Thanks!

[MuTools]

This is a user preset by Andreas D, iirc.
For time management reasons, i can't dive into each and every user preset, so i hope Andreas can answer the question.
Alternatively, and in fact that's the best way, is to dive yourself into the modular area and see how things work. If you would have questions about MuLab's atomic modular elements, i mean the core modules, the connections, the meta-parameters, then please check this starting point:
https://www.mutools.com/info/M10/docs/mulab/mux.html
If the docs and tutorial videos don't answer your question about MuLab's modular engine, just ask.

[jaytwoeight]

I had a look at the patch before posting and I just spent some more time with it. I think I understand everything now. The main suggestion I would make here is to name the modules inside the factory included patches (like this one) something meaningful:
ex. "Main Input Meter" instead of "Audio Level Meter (1)"
ex. "Inputs Balancer" instead of "Audio Balancer 2->1 (1)"
Just like var inputs is much better name than var var1

If I open the Info box I can already see what type of a module it is. If the Front panel labels and the names of the modules inside the patch are not related one has to inspect every MP against every module to find the connections. Which is doable, but a lot slower than understanding what's going on quickly based on the names of the modules inside the patch being somewhat related to (or the same as) the Front panel labels.

[MuTools]

Thx for the good suggestion but it's a pity and with reluctance that i have to say that i don't have the time (now) to go in detail thru / update all presets.

[AndreasD]

Hi,

You are lucky! These days, I am not visiting here very often. Different interests like photovoltaic or long bike rides.

About what the VU meters do, you are correct, but the middle one is the difference between input and output. This shows the amount of signal compressed (or missed at the output). The higher this VU, the more compression.

About your question, change the Threshold. That is exactly the purpose of this parameter.

And about changes of the user interface or any functionality, just go inside any module and change!
There is a learning curve, but it's rewarding. You build what you need!
Why do you think I made all these patches in Mulab, because I didn't want to buy more VSTs!
Be sure to share when you have made something.

Cheers
Andreas

[jaytwoeight]

Thanks for jumping in! I think I will make a slightly modified version of the patch where the Front panel labels make it a bit clearer what's what and maybe I add some text inside the patch so the routing is clear at initial glance... and post it here.

That way I know I understood everything and the community has a usable record of the accessibility improvement of the already epic Sidechain compressor patch.