MIXING & EFFECTS

Fruity Multiband Compressor

Fruity Multiband Compressor: Is a three band stereo compressor using ButterWorth IIR or LinearPhase FIR filters to separate the incoming signal into three bands for processing. Limiter functionality is also included.

Compression is one of THE most important effects in modern music. It is used to give kick drums 'THUMP' and make bass 'FAT'. Importantly, it can make a mix sound much louder than it is. Almost all modern CDs receive a healthy dose of compression. In particular, multiband compression is a highly useful tool for mastering applications since the complex sound (wide frequency content) of a complete track can have varying amounts and types of compression applied to different parts of the frequency spectrum.

Compression is the process of automatically scaling the output volume so that the quiet parts are louder and the loud parts don’t clip. It’s like automatically adjusting a volume knob, keeping the volume level within a set min/max range. The controls for this plugin relate to the relationship between input and output volume for (up to) 3 frequency ranges selected by the user. The Fruity Multiband Compressor is a variable-knee compressor with built-in peak limiting.

When to use: Use the Fruity Multiband Compressor in the Master Mixer Track for the final mix while mastering. If you need to compress individual Kick or Bass sounds (for example) we recommend the Fruity Compressor as it will be quicker to program to your needs.

Parameters

Multiband Compressor functions are considered moving from left to right on the plugin interface as shown above.

Input & Filtering

IN/OUT (Peak Meter) - Below the peak meter is a switch () to display either the incoming or outgoing signal strength. Hover your mouse pointer over the peak meter and look at the hint bar to read exact values.

IIR/FIR (Filter type switch) - Select either a IIR: ButterWorth IIR (24dB/oct) OR FIR: LinearPhase filter. FIR is recommended for mastering applications.

LIMITER - When this is selected (ON) the output of the Multiband Compressor will not exceed 0 dB.

SPEED - Controls the scroll-rate of the peak/filtercutoff display. When the speed slider is set to 0, far left the peak display will be turned off and only the filter cutoff graph will show

Filter cutoff knobs (4 below the SPEED slider) - From left to right: Lowpass upper limit, Midband lower limit, Midband upper limit and Highpass lower cutoff. The frequencies defined by these cutoffs as Low, Mid and High are then fed to the LOW BAND, MID BAND and HIGH BAND compressors.

Low, Mid & High Band Compressors

Each of the three bands (LOW, MID and HIGH) have identical controls, they are:

A/M/B (Switch) - Next to the LOW, MID and HIGH BAND labels is a switch to select the state from Active (): the compressor is activated, Muted (): the sound from the band is muted, Bypass (): the sound from the band is passed straight through without alteration.

Threshold - Sets the dB level at which the compressor kicks in (with a range from 0.0 to -60.0 dB). The threshold should be adjusted according to the relative input level and the type of audio material. Once the threshold level is reached, compression will start, reducing the gain of the input signal according to the current Ratio, Type, Attack and Release settings.

Ratio - From 1:1 (fully left) to &#8734:1 (fully right). Controls the amount of compression (gain reduction) that will be applied to the signal once the threshold level is reached (with a range from 0.4:1 to 30:1). Ratio denotes the difference in dB between input level and output level, i.e. how much the signal above threshold level will be compressed (or expanded, at ratios below 1:1). For example, a ratio of 4:1 means that when the input level increases by 4dB, the output level of the signal above threshold will only increase by 1dB.

KNEE Left 0% = Soft, Right 100% = Hard. While attack decides how fast a compressor acts, the compressors knee characteristics control at what rate the full amount of compression is applied. Soft means there is a gradual increase from no to full compression as the input volume increases, hard means the transition from no to full compression is instant once a predefined input level is exceeded.

Attack - 1 ms to 1000 ms, controls the time it takes to reach full compression once the threshold level has been exceeded (with a range from 0.0 to 400.0 ms). A fast attack setting means that compression will be more or less instant. Using a slower attack setting results in the compression being gradually increased, allowing for more variations in the signal than the fast setting. Attack should be adjusted according to the nature of the audio material.

Release - 10 ms to 1000 ms, the Release parameter sets the time the compressor takes to stop acting after the level has fallen below threshold (with a range from 1 to 4000 ms). Short release times will make the compression more flexible and able to adapt to the input signal, but can cause fast changes in gain that may sound displeasing. Longer release times produce a signal with a more even level and less distortion, but make it harder to maximize the overall compression because small variations in signal level will be ignored.

Gain - From -&#8734dB to 17 dB, controls the amount of make-up gain to be added or subtracted from the compressed output signal. The gain should be adjusted to normalize the signal amplitude after compression, or to control the amount of limiting. This parameter has an effect during Active and Bypass modes.

IN/OUT (Peak Meter) - Below the peak meter is a switch () to display either the incoming or outgoing signal strength.

C (Compression Meter) - The Compression meter displays the amount of gain reduction. Hover your mouse pointer over the peak meter and look at the hint bar to read exact values.

Plugin Credits:

Code: slim slow slider

Interface Design: Didier Dambrin