2013

Mastering 97
In VCA mode, the control signal is accessed at the input where it firstly executes a
controllable low-cut (which may be set up via "detector hp freq" in "Expert" mode).
The filter makes sure that deep-frequency signals have less influence on the
adjustment settings; this is a popular trick for more power, e.g., when using drums in a
sub-group.
The filtered signal then arrives at the detector. With the forward gain control,
previously set parameters apply fully and affect the adjustment settings immediately.
In contrast to this, there is a "feedback" method which provides a second compressor
mode.
Compression Parameters
Vintage Mode
In this mode, you can intuitively (by ear) use the dynamic editing features with just
three knobs. Do whatever you want, but keep in mind: less is sometimes more...
• Drive: You can use the "drive" potentiometer to control the amplification factor in
the feedback loop, i.e. the signal strength which the detection circuit calculates.
Furthermore, the internal "ratio" changes within a limit, the more "drive" there is,
the higher the compression ratio.
• Attack and release: The same basic conditions as VCA mode apply here.
However, not only do you change the actual control response time after
detection, but the "temporal window" in the detector must be adjusted as well.
Additionally, the feedback arrangement method does cause a certain amount of
unpredictability. You should expect less control over the device in this mode, but
more leniency on its part.
VCA Mode
The regular set of parameters of dynamic compressors is available in this mode: