Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor, Plugin Alliance... You using it?

[meloco_go]

Also got it for free. I tried it and it seemed nice, but there was kinda discrepancy between the GUI and the sound. I expected something with more character from looking at the image. Kinda stupid, but because of it, the comp didn't click with me and so I never use it.

[tmaworks]

Also got it for free. I tried it and it seemed nice, but there was kinda discrepancy between the GUI and the sound. I expected something with more character from looking at the image. Kinda stupid, but because of it, the comp didn't click with me and so I never use it.

Plus, I think there are some settings on there that you can't change -The "nickel, iron and steel" section, I believe, cannot be disabled. So, you're stuck with one of those three "charachters" (eq curves). I'd rather it were just a straight out compressor...

[beely]

Plus, I think there are some settings on there that you can't change -The "nickel, iron and steel" section, I believe, cannot be disabled. So, you're stuck with one of those three "charachters" (eq curves). I'd rather it were just a straight out compressor...

It's the input transformer modelling. The hardware has I/O transformers - without them, there would be no way to get audio in and out, and the "sound" of those transformers, and the fact that you can specific different transformers for a different colour in the hardware is modelled in the plugin. It shouldn't be just an EQ curve, if they are doing transformer modelling correctly (but it's often difficult to differentiate claims from implementations, of course). There should be non-linearities/saturations, transient shaping and so on that transformers typically do, as well as some slight tonal modifactions.

Now, you could argue you'd like an extra feature, not available on the hardware, to bypass the transformers and have a totally clean I/O stage. Fair enough. For me, the appeal of the Shadow Hills is the sound of the unit, and that includes the modelling of the input/output stages. If I want a comp that *doesn't* sound like the 'Hills, I'd use a different comp. The 'Hills is in no way (for me at least) a general purpose compressor - it's a character one, that I might choose to use specifically *because* of it's character.

I also tend to use it pretty subtley - I've never found it that good to "smash" signals. I also prefer the Red version over the Green - linked controls, slightly fatter sounding (a little more "character"), and the extra features down the bottom are useful.

Like I say, I quite like it, by I find it quite a specialised tool that doesn't work for everything, and when I do use it, I tend to use it with a light touch (and typically more the VCA than the opto section) - if can actually be doing quite some significant work with the gain reduction meters barely moving.

I don't think it's an amazing plugin, generally though. It's ok.

[pixel85]

Let's face it, all these plugins do the same thing: they make stuff louder.

This was my understanding of compression at the beginning of my journey with mixing processors.
Since many years I'm not using compressors to make things louder, but to:
- level signal over certain amount of time
- create new envelope of the signal
- add character if compression plugin is capable of any (like MJUC)

I'm always setting levels to be the same before/after (by ear not by numbers).

For me, Shadow Hill compressor didn't excel in any of those tasks. I don't know what is so special about it. I guess that it has its own usefulness in hardware world but in plugin world, not so much.

Ps. it reminds me plugin versions of a "legendary ultra-clean hardware compressors". Well, hard to beat basic native compressor in a DAW in that task.

By "basic native compressor in a DAW", you're referring to just any old generic Reaper compressor (reacomp?) or whatever - correct??

I went back and forth between MANY compressors on my master bus the other night and I think I've been fooled by the "nickel, iron, steel" setting on the Shadow Hills. It adds some eq - Plus, it doesn't look like you can disengage that section...

As of this moment in time, I'm leaning towards the Modern Apaltogether..., (keep coming back to it) or just plain old reacomp, which I just tried this morning. Either that or no masterbus compression at all. Just skip the nonsense alrogether...

Yep I meant basic compressor plugin. While in hardware world, getting a clean compressor after decades of using those with high noise level, thd and other non-linearities, it surely was a revelation. But in a digital world, we are getting clean compression right away with basic plugins (that are not trying to emulate hardware): no nonlinearities, no noise, no thd etc. In digital world there's no need to "emulate" clean audio processing. We're getting it on default.
Or course it's all offtopic.

About those "nickel, iron, steel" settings, I never analyzed those but I don't expect that there's some amazing coding used that emulates hardware in 100 and 1 % more.

Ps. I'm not a pro mastering engineer (even that I do basic "mastering" for some audio materials). The longer I work with audio, the less often I put compressor on master bus. I prefer to glue mix with some gentle tape saturation if I want it.

I'm so happy you said that about not putting compression on the master bus anymore!! -It's definitely something I've been struggling with recently and I've elected to leave all that up to the mastering engineer. Intuitively, I like to take care of things on a track by track basis -It doesn't make sense to me to apply some "cover-all" compressor early on in the process and mix through that. Even with only 1-2 db of gain reduction I've noticed my mixes becoming smaller. And -What if I don't want that style of compressor on everything?? Why put it there to begin with?

What are some typical things you do on the masterbus these days and when do you apply them, typically?

Also -Not quite sure what you meant by "I don't expect that there's some amazing coding used that emulates hardware in 100 and 1 % more...". Was there a typo in there??

In my last sentence, I simply meant that this plugin rather doesn't have any fancy and complex code to emulate hardware, but rather something basic like EQ curve and/or basic saturation (it's just my wild guess, not supported by any technical test).

My main reason to use a compressor on a master or group is to 'glue' all tracks together and it's the final touch (nothing drastic, not anymore ). Depends on the genre of course (I do many different genres), sometimes it's ultra subtle, and sometimes it gives a bit of audible pumping.
Since I got IKM Tape plugins, my every production has one of those plugins on master (no matter, Techno or some Romantic French music ). Almost always, after applying those tape plugins, I don't feel that additional compression is needed and often it just spoils the mix. An exception can be with Techno/EDM where the compressor serves additionally as a "dynamic envelope" (can't explain it better, sorry).
So to summarize, after many many years of learning music production, where at the beginning I could have even 10 plugins on master bus I went to having sometimes just 2: IKM Tape (that saturates and glue mix together) + brickwall limiter / maximizer*.

*it applies to my own productions. When I'm getting mixes from my friends often it requires way more processing and correction but this is another story Master Bus is the worst place to fix broken mix.

[tmaworks]

My main reason to use a compressor on a master or group is to 'glue' all tracks together and it's the final touch (nothing drastic, not anymore ). Depends on the genre of course (I do many different genres), sometimes it's ultra subtle, and sometimes it gives a bit of audible pumping.
Since I got IKM Tape plugins, my every production has one of those plugins on master (no matter, Techno or some Romantic French music ). Almost always, after applying those tape plugins, I don't feel that additional compression is needed and often it just spoils the mix. An exception can be with Techno/EDM where the compressor serves additionally as a "dynamic envelope" (can't explain it better, sorry).
So to summarize, after many many years of learning music production, where at the beginning I could have even 10 plugins on master bus I went to having sometimes just 2: IKM Tape (that saturates and glue mix together) + brickwall limiter / maximizer*.

*it applies to my own productions. When I'm getting mixes from my friends often it requires way more processing and correction but this is another story Master Bus is the worst place to fix broken mix.

Nice. I appreciate all this. I think for me, at this point, mixing into a limiter would be justified -Juuust ever so slightly catching any of the "crazies". Some tape saturation? -Sure. Why not? -But, only if I really am feeling it. Otherwise, I'm starting to see less and less of a need to "reel things in" or "shape" or "glue" things together via anything on the master bus -This is DURING mixing that I'm speaking about here -Whatever needs to be done after the fact, by all means, get it on there. But, during mixing, it makes most sense to me to just affect the individual channels. Or, any busses that I make in the process (ex. a "toms bus" with a bunch of chorus or reverb or something).

And yeah -I'm certain it's just some simple eq curve that's making up those three different settings (Iron, nickel, steel). Also, no idea why they wouldn't make it so that you could disable them... Annoying if you ask me! Funny how I've totally changed my tune on it since I posted... That's mixing for ya!

[sobrinN]

The shadow hills compressor is really good on drum bus and master bus(using the discrete side(vca)), it is fast and adds a nice saturation overall!

[tmaworks]

The shadow hills compressor is really good on drum bus and master bus(using the discrete side(vca)), it is fast and adds a nice saturation overall!

I just wish you could turn off the center section (nickel, iron and steel part)... Seems like you're stuck with one of the three with this compressor and I'm not a super huge fan of that, since I believe it's pretty much just three different eq curves...

[beely]

I believe it's pretty much just three different eq curves...

Not according to the manual. Have a read of what it says about the I/O transformer modelling, and see whether you still think they are lying and just stuck a simple EQ in there for that feature. If so, fair enough...

[tmaworks]

I believe it's pretty much just three different eq curves...

Not according to the manual. Have a read of what it says about the I/O transformer modelling, and see whether you still think they are lying and just stuck a simple EQ in there for that feature. If so, fair enough...

Would still be cool if you could turn it off. I find it obnoxious that you can't.. Didn't say i think they're lying about anything either - Just never read the thing...

Even if it isn't simply a different eq curve, each setting is imparting a different flavor (eq), and it would be cool if you could just bypass that altogether cuz I do think it's a rather cool compressor. Being stuck in one of those three spoils it a bit for me...

[Mr Arkadin]

I'm guessing most modelled compressors model the output transformer? How many of those let you switch that off? Not many I would think. This way you get a choice of three, rather than the one of most hardware compressors that you'd be 'stuck' with.

I can't see what's to complain about.

[tmaworks]

I'm guessing most modelled compressors model the output transformer? How many of those let you switch that off? Not many I would think. This way you get a choice of three, rather than the one of most hardware compressors that you'd be 'stuck' with.

I can't see what's to complain about.

Hmm... never thought of it like that!

[jamcat]

Apparently I got the Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor for free last year, too.

I took some interest in it after seeing Abbey Road mastering room 7 has a hardware unit (and the Black Box Analog Design HG-2.) I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I already own both!