KHS COMPACTOR

[billinder33]

Yeah, I don't know why you'd need something like this running during a low-latency tracking session. Or why it would be an issue during mixing/mastering.

Maybe a live performance issue? I don't do any live DAW work, so not familiar with that use case. A few ms isn't usually noticeable, even for people with golden ears.

[ffx]

Well, but why there is latency even while attack is 0? Is attack supposed to be automatable? The plugin could adapt the latency, as soon as the attack is changed. Actually a lot of plugins do such thing.

Also, for super pros like you, composing and mixing always is a separate process. But not for me, being just an amateur. Sidechain ducking might even be an stylistic / sound design element. So of course no latency is always better than quite a lot latency.

[dysjoint]

..

[dysjoint]

Misclick

[swilow11]

Well, but why there is latency even while attack is 0? Is attack supposed to be automatable? The plugin could adapt the latency, as soon as the attack is changed. Actually a lot of plugins do such thing.

This plugin has lookahead capacity which is how it is able to perform sample accurate audio rate modulation. Lookahead isn't really an accurate way to describe anything because all it means is that every other track in your daw is shifted forward in time which we the listener hear and experience as latency. This is the case for basically every plugin that uses lookahead. It's how they anticipate sounds that have technically yet to be played.

Why would 0 attack not create latency? If anything, having some attack should reduce latency because you're then asking no longer asking Compactor to use its lookahead functionality. Attack in this context is the time taken for the side chain signal to effect the carrier and duck it.

[ffx]

Ah ok, I've seen some video where it was told that attack actually acts like prelook. All the other ringmod sidechain plugins do not introduce any latency, so I was assuming it should be possible to do without latency. In the end I am only saying that 10ms of latency seems to me way to high for such a tool. 1ms, ok, but not more.

[swilow11]

Ah ok, I've seen some video where it was told that attack actually acts like prelook. All the other ringmod sidechain plugins do not introduce any latency, so I was assuming it should be possible to do without latency. In the end I am only saying that 10ms of latency seems to me way to high for such a tool. 1ms, ok, but not more.

Fair enough. Maybe the other plugins doing this aren't as accurate? No idea tbh, didn't know there were many other plugins dong this sort of thing.

[ffx]

Ah ok, yes, there are a lot now, a lot are free, too. Some examples:
https://github.com/Mrugalla/Absorbiere
https://github.com/ryukau/VSTPlugins/releases (look for "ringmodspacer")
https://justdanpo.ru/data/projects/misc/ (rmsc)
https://github.com/DovahKiindubs/RingMod-Sidechain
https://emphaseas.gumroad.com/l/massimizer
https://ko-fi.com/s/029f5ac0aa

Technically seen, a ringmod sidechain does not require any latency, as explained here:
https://github.com/ryukau/VSTPlugins/discussions/30
https://www.patreon.com/posts/ultra-sidechain-114868926

You can also do ringmod sidechain using some free Melda plugins, or even natively in Bitwig.

So the latency seems to be some kind of "adaptive" early attack phase here. But you know better than me.

[Dr.Gunjah]

Technically seen, a ringmod sidechain does not require any latency, as explained here:
https://github.com/ryukau/VSTPlugins/discussions/30
https://www.patreon.com/posts/ultra-sidechain-114868926

When I've tested compactor 2ms attack/release sounded much cleaner than 0ms.
Also the links you posted just describe the technique but not why lookahead isn't required/useful.

That being said I agree that 10ms seems overkill. It would be nice if there were some options for the lookahead budget.

[vanerio]

I think default latency is caused because Kilohearts oversample most of their plugins by default.

Thank you Kilohearts!

[SLiC]

Kilohearts are such a great Dev, thanks!

[Igro]

I think default latency is caused because Kilohearts oversample most of their plugins by default.

Thank you Kilohearts!

Are you sure in that? I heard the opposite - they never use oversampling. PhasePlant doesn't use any ovesampling.

[ffx]

I think default latency is caused because Kilohearts oversample most of their plugins by default.

Thank you Kilohearts!

Seems to be logical, in one video, the inter sample mode was mentioned, which then definitely requires oversampling.

I am just wondering what for, since a ringmod sidechain already sounds distorted, but the distortion somewhat is masked. I would say that's normal. Would be interesting to get some details from the developer. Or maybe I should RTFM...

[vanerio]

I think default latency is caused because Kilohearts oversample most of their plugins by default.

Thank you Kilohearts!

Are you sure in that? I heard the opposite - they never use oversampling. PhasePlant doesn't use any ovesampling.

I am not 100% of course, but try to add a distortion, ring modulator or shaper module (for example) in Phaseplant and see that latency is added.

[ffx]

I assume this now: Just for the ISP mode, there is oversampling (very logical). But since the mode for some unknown reason also is automatable, the maximum latency needs to be kept all the time, since then no dynamic adaption of the latency is possible.

So my suggestion for this plugin @kilohearts would be:
Please remove mode automation and instead add latency adaption based on what is required in each mode (assumingly zero if not "ISP mode").