NIOA VS-880 TIP 220-0001:

Compressor/Limiter

Hi...I've been doing a lot of track bouncing using the Limiter off the FX card. I was ecstatic with the results and can't work out why some users in this group just couldn't make friends with it. Mind you, when I first attempted to get a handle on it, I too thought it was a little on the radical side but with a bit of experimentation, I think it's excellent! I suppose it has a lot to do with what type of signal you're processing and whether or not you use the Pre-Ins or do a bounce. In my case, I was bouncing an old mono backing track. The method I was used was this: Select the Limiter patch [A67] Select Insert L/R if in stereo or Insert if in mono...go into the patch and make sure level is '0'. Have the source signal playing and bring down the threshold till you hear a noticeable difference. The rate I used was 1.5:1...the least aggressive.

Then slowly bring the threshold back up again till you hear no difference whilst toggling between Comp.On/Off. To my mind, this would be the starting point...all things being equal. If you toggle between On/Off as you bring the threshold down, you will hear how the original signal is being slightly compressed. The the lower the threshold, the smaller [compressed] the signal. Now, I found to my delight, with a small amount of compression, with Attack set to '0' and Release set to '100', the signal was cleaned up radically. If the numbers are right, you should be able to negate completely the 'pumping' of the signal.

The reason I'm recounting this experience is that a lot of users also mentioned how the Compressor seemed to change the tonality. To my ear, I could detect little or no difference in tonality change compared to the original.

Perhaps they had the Enhancer 'On'. That would do it. If they had a lot of Hi-end frequencies, it'd probably sound horrible. Default is 'On'. Which brings me to...if you very sparingly add the Enhancer, the added definition and clarity is quite outrageously excellent!! The keyword here is 'sparingly'. What I like about this Enhancer is the ability to scroll up and down the frequency range and pinpoint an area [s] you would think sounds good in the final mix. Great for leaving some voicings flat and others standing a little proud come DAT time. Using it on everything will probably make your final mix sound 'shrill!' There...that's my good deed for the day!! [For those who rubbished the card, do yourself a favour and take a second stab at it]

wiz

maud@iimage.com.au

3 Nov 1997

1997/12


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