Satin analyzer + Compander

[Agility]

One for U-he guys and anyone else in the know!

When I first got Satin, I didn't think too much of the meaning of the frequency curves in the analyzer and it would be looking all V and U shaped(I was trying to get a specific sound) but a while back I realised it should actually be fairly flat..

Anyway my question is regarding the UHX(DBX) Companders/NR, when I've got a flat enough line and I put the mix to 100 for them, it goes all V shaped... is this acceptable and I should just use my ears or should I be playing about with the Input(lowering it) to get it back to a relatively flat line?

Also a few other questions, on the masterbuss, how hot would you typically be driving it?(I'm mainly using it for 80s dance music) For me it seems I'm usually in between -10db and -20db, sometimes having to lower it to get a flatter tonal balance but does the level matter or just the line? It definitely seems that gain staging seems to make a difference.. Is there an 'ideal' level to be going into tape/Satin at that will coincide with the right sound for the NR?

Any info appreciated thanks.

PS: Whens the next Satin update coming? Ticking along just fine though with the VST2 version..

[sascha]

Many question at once... but I'll try to explain a bit (need coffee any minute...):

- The companders all work frequency-dependent, and some also work level-dependent. The NR-A/B types have a threshold, the uhx don't. The latter process uses a fixed 2:1 compansion curve, hence it doesn't matter much at what level you process it. With NR-A/b, it matters, though. That's why tape deck had a Dolby (Double-D) symbol somewhere on the meters.

- The analyzer in the Satin UI measures the audio by using a dirac signal. While this ensures a precise frequency plot with no ripple, it is error-prone with distortion. This means the curve goes off in the lower frequencies the more saturation you apply. Errors can also happen in the treble region, but not that much. A better method would be using sine sweeps but at the cost of more CPU and some ripple. We already considered making that selectable, but need extra time doing so.

- As stated somewhere in the user guide (not sure atm. where exactly), the internal reference level for ~3% THD is around -18..-15dBFS, depending on tape type and speed. You might use this level for setting up general textures and eq. The higher you go, the more the sound will typically be dampened in the HF area first. NAB eq will also reveal slight distortion in the LF, as NAB boosts frequencies below 50Hz prior 'recording'. Keep in mind the analyer might not reflect that correctly in the bass region at high distortion levels. For proper NR operation, make sure you don't drive the companders too hard. The uhx types aren't that prone to distortion errors, though. But since the dynamics alteration is severe on the encoder side, any level deviation doubles on the output. That's why dbx had a bad reputation because it made drop-outs worse (apart from the background-hiss envelope / modulation noise), although its theroetical SNR was outstanding. For instance, in Satin, you can hear & watch the LF ripple & head bump literally double using uhx compansion.

- Using these reference levels, gain staging might be important for the overall sound. That's why the service panel grats access to the surrounding circuit levels (aka headroom). Turned fully clockwise only makes the tape itself distort, but - depending on the machine you'd like to mimic - this isn't very realistic. Most real-world devices have plenty of circuit distortion paired with the 'sound' of tape.

- We already got some updates ready here but untested. We also currently fiddle with the audio-dropout problem some people encountered, where (after triple-checking the code and using advanced code-analysis tools) we have an idea what it could be but need some extra work. TBA.

[Rusty Cadillac]

" We also currently fiddle with the audio-dropout problem some people encountered, where (after triple-checking the code and using advanced code-analysis tools) we have an idea what it could be but need some extra work. TBA."

That's good to hear, Sascha. I think Satin is an excellent sounding app and still hope it will one day work in my rig.

Best - Don