Handbuch alpha compressor
Contents
1. 20 50 100 200 500 1k 2k 5k 10k 20k Hz EQ Gain High Here we have the opposite scenario In this figure the EQ gain controller is turned from 0 to fully clockwise position at a center frequency of 500 kHz Contrary to the previous example the high frequencies are now boosted up to 6 dB and the lower frequencies are attenuated in a way that the most extreme setting produces a 6 dB high pass This special characteristic of the filter pro vides a broad spectrum of sound shaping possibilities ranging from very subtle to extremely obvi ous sonic changes dBr A 14 R La RAE 20 50 100 200 500 1k 2k 5k 10k 20k Hz elysia GR Limit Envelope Here a burst signal is used to demonstrate the effect of the Gain Reduction Limiter While the lowest curve represents the maximum amount of gain reduction in this example the other curves show the reduction that is influenced by different settings of the now activated limiter The effect of this function can also be observed with a look at the gain reduction LED meter The displayed value never exceeds the limit which is set with the GR Limit controller no matter how high the input level might become dBrA 20 Alp 15 10 52. 25 30 35 LOTT TTT TTT TTT HITA E PEPE EPR EEE EEE AAA RRR RSE eRe PEA EA o 100m 200m 300m 400m 500m 600m 700m 800m 900m 1 0 sec 40 GR Limit Characteristic Finally a sine wave which increases in level is used in another angle of specifying the effect of the Gain Reduction Limiter The lowest curve shows a compressed signal with a high ratio and without the limiter The other curves reveal how the output level starts to rise again after the compression phase because the maximum amount of gain reduction which is set with the GR Limit controller has already been utilized completely This effect can be used to achieve compression within a se lective range of level exclusively whereby loud signals can still keep their original dynamics dBu 20 Ap 5 20 25 EA AAA E A ESE T E i E AAA EA E i i EE A EEEE E 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 5 10 15 20 dBu W Nn Ys v 19 pan ey V a i jos e Y gt LL ool x Oo I LL U a LL c LL LL LL c Nn E te fe pad jae y gt Uv onl 08 m BA G lt lt y ou I a Lu joe joe lt x Technical Data Frequency response lt 10 Hz 33 kHz 3 0 dB THD N 0 dBu 20 Hz 22 kHz 0 04 THD N 10 dBu 20 Hz 2
3. E ms 150 Auto Fast 150 170 1 e EQFreg ne ADOS The information in this document is subject to change without further notice and shall not be deemed as an obligation or warranty of any kind by the manufacturer No warranties express or implied are made with regard to the quality suitability or ac curacy of this document The manufacturer reserves the right to change the contents of this document and or the associated products at any time without the provision of prior notice The manufacturer shall not be held liable for damages of any kind arising from the use or the in ability to use this product or its documentation The information in this document is subject to copy right All rights technical changes and errata are re served No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or for any purpose without the explicitly written permission of the copyright holders elysia and mpressor are registered trademarks of elysia GmbH Other product and brand names con tained in this document are used for identification purposes only All registered trademarks product designations or brand names used in this document are the property of their respective owners RoHS This product is manufactured accord amas Sp ing tothe 2002 95 EC directive The pur pose of this directive of the European Union is the Re striction of Hazardous Substances RoHS in electron ic equipment in order t
4. le lt N Uv ER a Nn c lt m 35 E l Lu U zZ Lu cc LLI LL W oc elysia Attack Here we see how a burst signal a sine wave which is boosted by 20 dB for a period of 400 ms in this case is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the attack controller The different curves show how fast the jump in level is reduced by 10 dB When fast settings are applied the reduction only needs a few milliseconds Longer settings on the other hand do not only need a longer period of time but also produce a smaller overall amount of decrease in level Therefore fast attacks always produce higher amounts of gain reduction than longer ones dBrA 20 Alp 15 1 o 5 25 30 35 PETIT EEE ee e Res EA AER AA AA E ARRE 0 100m 200m 300m 400m 500m 600m 700m 800m 900m 10 sec 40 Auto Fast Based on using a burst signal again this diagram shows the comparison between a normal at tack time of 200 ms darker curve and the attack characteristic with activated Auto Fast function lighter curve You can easily see how fast the circuit reacts as even the first waves of the burst are already reduced by 3 dB On top the overall amount of gain reduction happens much faster then Note This function starts working at about 3 dB because lesser amounts of gain r
5. aL ES e OS OSL S8 asegomy OS SH Lo wang 3s El py Wz LL El s est o g lt oz 14614 O yu Q wT O A ee H 09 ol Oe 00L est to e ps A Ow Osa Ova Osa Ors uep e De juar E bas ure 07 Osa A wuna e aos isa one oes e Oru Osa oy XL ZL Boynuy OL S yegoiny OSL S44 Loo wepgos 8l 8P 91 Ors DE 0 6 i ObL oL li e Aa Ss E yn On O O Oo Os Ors On ow s EO e o Os L a oney aseajay A peny A pjoys a 1 H WO eIs J9 MMM je 40d ay peojumoq
6. tage of this is that short and loud peaks e g drums have a fast release time while the remaining material is processed with a slower release time a gt Gain Reduction But if intentionally striking and creative compression as well as producing new and interesting sounds are the sought after goals es it definitely makes sense to turn the established approach upside Anti Log down For this reason you can switch the release curve of the mpressor from linear to antilogarithmic Time Compared to the logarithmic release curve the effect of the Anti Log option behaves just the other way round When the threshold point is passed and compression starts the release time is longer in the beginning However when the input signal starts to decline the release time be comes faster A special circuitry makes the process independent from the absolute amount of gain reduction No matter if the compressor reduces 10 15 or 20 dB the curve will always stay the same at the start and will only become faster at the end Consequently many exceptional compression effects can be created just by pushing a button elysia Gain Reduction Limiter A specialty of the mpressor is the Gain Reduction Limiter for the control voltage of the compressor This limiter is not placed in the audio path where you would usually find it but in the control path of the compressor When it is activated it limits the control voltage according to
7. the release time is longer when the process starts and becomes shorter in the further progress Please note that a certain amount of dynamics is needed in order to form this special curve in its complete shape The change from deceleration to acceleration does not happen until an amount of around 10 dB of gain reduction is reached and then you will start to really hear it dBrA 8 4 d Ap Epp o 100m 200m 300m 400m 500m 600m 700m 800m 900m 1 0 sec elysia Ratio The mpressor is a typical hard knee compressor which can be seen in this diagram very obviously Compression directly starts with the full adjusted ratio in the very moment the input signal passes the threshold point Compared to a soft knee characteristic this kind of compression is more on the noticeable and audible side The figure also shows the negative ratios The characteristic curve bends and returns back down The louder the input signal becomes with a setting like that the lower the output signal becomes perfect for spacy compression effects dBu 20 15 5 20 25 PPP TAPP Tee ee 10 15 20 dBu WTI eee A A A 1 10 0 5 EQ Frequency This diagram shows a variation of center frequencies with the EQ gain controlle
8. can be a difficult task no matter if you are processing single channels or complete mixes If a very short time is chosen the compressor is able to catch the short peaks but on the other hand the sustaining signal will also be processed which might result in audible distortion Lon ger attack settings reduce distortion significantly but then the compressor is too slow for fast impulses Gain Reduction This is where the Auto Fast function comes into play For example cone if you set the attack to 80 ms and then engage the Auto Fast mode the attack time will be shortened automatically on fast and loud signal impulses The compressor reduces the signal quickly and prevents it from slipping through Time Then the attack time directly and automatically returns to its original setting In Auto Fast mode the compressor can be very fast but only when it is really needed This function influences the attack parameter on short and loud impulses only in all other cases the original setting of the controller is given priority Anti Log The release parameter on the other hand has a strong influence on the character of the compres sion being obvious or unobtrusive to the ear As a general rule linear or logarithmic release curves will be employed if a discreet performance of the compressor is required It is characteristic of a logarithmic release that the time constant shortens when the gain reduction raises The advan
9. ee eee ee ee eee 24 Warranty ecaa lr riada ro Guta Ss oe aise ap che a AA a Sok Geta Ee a at eae ds 25 Recall Sheet ui ker eh ale e Aw a aw AE Sw Se ee 26 2 e pas e V l Un 7 lt aa Controls Both channels of the mpressor are absolutely identical regarding their electronic design Therefore both sides of the front panel have exactly the same controls and switches Continuative informa tion on the specific functions can be found on the pages in brackets Threshold the operating point of the compressor If the input level exceeds the value set with this controller the compression process will start p 18 SC Extern an additional input for the sidechain If this function is active a signal that is fed into the corresponding input connector controls the compression process p 9 Attack the transient response of the compressor It determines the time the mpressor needs to reach 10 dB of gain reduction p 19 Auto Fast a semi automation This function shortens the attack time automatically on fast and loud signal impulses pp 10 19 Release the return phase of the compressor It controls the period of time between when the input signal falls below the threshold and the mpressor s return to unity gain p 20 Anti Log an alternative characteristic of the release curve This function switches from a linear to an antilogarithmic progression pp 10 20 Ratio the relation between the
10. pin 2 stays as it is even if pin 3 is connected to ground If the mpressor is placed between a device with that kind of output stage and a device with unbalanced inputs with pin 3 connected to ground it is possible that the level will jump up by 6 dB when the compressor is activated As a general rule balanced input stages are always the best choice In case they are not available the first attempt to solve this problem should be to disconnect pin 3 at the XLR inputs of the mpressor and then connect it to ground This generates an unbalanced signal that should not shift levels anymore elysia Warranty Conditions and limitations The mpressor is covered by a limited warranty for a period of 2 years against defects in parts and labor from the date of purchase Natural wear is not covered by this warranty elysia will remedy problems caused by material or workmanship either by repair or replacement to restore the product to full performance without charge for parts and labor Repairs or replacements will not extend the warranty period The warranty is given to the original purchaser only and is not transferable elysia will only give warranty on products purchased through authorized elysia dealers The warranty will only be valid in the country of the original purchase unless otherwise pre authorized by elysia All warranties become void when the product has been damaged by misuse accident neglect modifica tion tampering or unauthorized alte
11. 2 kHz 0 33 Noise floor 20 Hz 20 kHz A weighted 84 0 dBu Dynamic range 20 Hz 22 kHz 109 dB Maximum input level 25 dBu Maximum output level 27 dBu Input impedance 10 kOhm Output impedance 68 Ohm Input pin assignment 1 Ground 2 Positive 3 Negative Output pin assignment 1 Ground 2 Positive 3 With 68 Ohm to Ground Power consumption 50 W max Fuse type 230 VAC 0 8 A Slo Blo 115 VAC 1 6 A Slo Blo 483 mm x 89 mm x 377 mm 19 x 3 5 2 U x 14 8 Dimensions W x H x D Weight 8 kg 18 lb Level Problems No Signal This problem can eventually be caused by balanced wiring If the signal almost drops completely when the mpressor is activated a pin of the XLR connector at the input is probably not connected As the input stages behave like transformers do both pins have to be connected The classic example for this problem is a bal anced XLR cable that is connected to an unbalanced output which only uses ground and pin 2 connecting pin 3 to ground should solve the trouble Level Jump In some audio processors the output stage is designed in a way that the level will always stay the same no matter if they are connected with a balanced or an unbalanced cable If pin 3 is connected to ground for ex ample the level at pin 2 will automatically become twice as loud as before This kind of output stage is usu ally unproblematic But there are also stages which cannot compensate that Then the level at
12. a result Depending on the settings of the EQ it is also possible to use combinations of normal compres sion and de essing This can be achieved by only boosting the frequencies of the S sounds without cutting anything else Another variant is to only lower the bass area on the external EQ so that these frequencies will not dominate the compression process so strongly anymore which will result in an increase of overall loudness Mix Buss The mpressor also proves of value when used as a high class mix buss compressor especially when it comes to the more vehement genres like rock and electronic music If you use it straight on from the beginning of a mix you will automatically adapt your mix to the sound this produces The proportions between the levels of the separate tracks will be attuned perfectly to the active compressor This kind of mixing especially makes sense if the complete basic sound is supposed to differ from the standard sound of other productions If you want a track to sound very groovy and pumping for example just mix the drums louder as usually so that they dominate the compression process All other instruments which are quieter in the mix now groove in conformity with the drums and become very vivid thereby Nn Nn 5 ca 8 c Q Nn Nn h d o a e V gt W 7 5 ej D ao rs v O lt Z Lu UV vn THD Analysis This diagram shows the FFT spectrum with a sine wave of 1 kHz a
13. complies with the following norms and directives e 2006 95 EG Low Voltage Directive formerly 73 23 EWG or 93 68 EWG e 89 336 EWG EMC Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive e DIN EN 55103 1 EMC of audio equipment Emission e DIN EN 55103 2 EMC of audio equipment Immunity This declaration becomes invalid by any unapproved modification of the device Nettetal 01 09 2007 Ruben Tilgner amp Dominik KlaBen Dear friend of audio culture First of all we would like to thank you sincerely for choosing the mpressor as your new compres sion tool We believe this is a true step forward Instead of a further copy of concepts that were invented several decades ago you now have an absolutely contemporary tool for processing dynamics at your disposal On top of the tried and tested standard features this creative compressor provides several special functions that produce fat and freaky sounds with a punchy control behavior ex treme settings and colorations full of character Please take a little time to read this manual thoroughly as it will help you to entirely understand the enormous potentials and to really push the envelope We have paid great attention to practi cal experience and fast results which is also the reason for reserving the explanation of the tech nological excesses realized in the mpressor to our website The Basics chapter contains essential information for the fundamental comprehension and quick use o
14. eduction do not include sufficient changes in dynamics dBrA 20 Alp 15 y FAA AAA a A 0 50m 100m 150m 200m 250m 300m 350m 400m 450m 500m sec q Nn LL o dat gt lt x x 1 d dat lt x I LL U a LL c LL LL LLJ x D ond lt x gt v Nn 2 a cc Lu U Lu Lu LL Lu cc Release This figure is based on a very fast attack time which produces 6 dB of gain reduction The burst lasts for 50 ms and then follows the release phase with its time parameter set to different lengths The linear characteristic of the release curve is easy to see here Arising from the circuit used for this process the attack time has to be added to the release time The advantage of this is that in combination with long attack settings you can use even the fastest release settings without gen erating unwanted artifacts dBrA 0 N 20 24 28 40 Anti Log Ap 0 100m 200m 300m 400m 500m 600m 700m 800m 900m 1 0 sec This diagram reveals the characteristics of the Anti Log function The darker curve shows the nor mal linear release progress which has a constant ratio of time per dB In Anti Log mode however
15. f the specific functions and modules After this a couple of Scenarios are introduced in order to illuminate just some of the versatile applications of your new favorite compressor If you want to go into further details please have a look at the Reference chapter which elaborates on every particular parameter If you have further questions or comments please do not hesitate to contact us we will enjoy being of your service But for now it s time to wish you lots of fun and pure audio pleasure with your mpressor Use the Force the elysians CONOS vi pk hee ERE S RES KOE ORHAN EDDA GR HG Saw ad aed A 6 Signal Flowchart 0 0 eee eee eee 7 COMMECTONS 66 2 sos ede gew a se ata we ai Re Biden Ala Bee we A die wis aw is 8 LinKkMode ae os ke Ge RSS a RASS OS we YS Oe Ge elas Ga wi OE wa ea who 9 External Sidechaihi s siure eed ea ae BY Se We ww Bide Be a GAS aia Meares WL 9 AUTO FASE sir 1 Bee Mik Se we eg Batted weet ee eh he wR ae A wh alee BPs 10 ANULOGe e oeicdoe een bd wagehde bebe bbe ebb bs eed bb eeabbeaveedi bee 10 Gain Reduction Limiter 0 ee eee eens 11 Nivea u Filters occ ec ba ete Se Set See He wile Gi ae lew SW a dm ale GU Bees GH aha Sew we 11 SCENARIOS 6 5 5 56 SER EH PEASE HES AAA A AL Standard Compression 0 0 ce ee ee ee ee een 12 Big DIUMS 233 wc ete e eee bea Se ee eR DS wae Ree Meee DEMERS EEO ERE dN eS 12 Smashed DruinSixc sro a a dl daa at be Ge wees ee eee Gh wa
16. he controllers and switches for both EQ and gain sections identically Otherwise an audible drift between the left and the right channel might occur External Sidechain Ifthe SC Extern switch is active compression will not be controlled by the signals from the regular audio inputs anymore but by different audio signals which are fed into the additional sidechain input connectors If a duplicate of the input signal is processed with an equalizer and then fed into the sidechain input for example the result will be frequency dependent compression Another example is to send the bass drum of a drum machine into the sidechain input in order to achieve nice groovy compression that is pumping in time with the music The external sidechain inputs are equipped with a high pass filter that has its cut off frequency at 80 Hz with a slew rate of 6 dB per octave This has been done in order to reduce the influence of the low frequencies on overall compression by a certain amount in order to keep the effect as balanced as possible U Y D UN T f v xx Lu a Y ES O 4 l l N U N lt co e2 e l i lt x i 12 LL e gt lt l YY Y u lt x faa Auto Fast The attack time parameter is a very crucial factor for the control behavior of a compressor There fore choosing the right setting is very important but depending on the dynamic progress of the source material this
17. he customer s own expense A new original packaging can be or dered from elysia The customer will be charged for new factory original packaging if he fails to ship the product in the original factory packaging In case that a product must be returned to the factory from a country outside Germany the customer shall adhere to specific shipping customs and commercial invoicing instructions given with the return authori zation as elysia will not be responsible for transportation costs or customs fees related to any importation or re exportation charges whatsoever After repair the product will then be returned to the customer via prepaid insured freight method and carrier to be determined by elysia elysia will not pay for express or overnight freight service or pay for ship ments to locations outside Germany All damages caused by transport are not covered by this warranty Contact data For technical support please contact elysia GmbH Am Panneschopp 18 41334 Nettetal Germany info elysia com Version 1 2 Printed in Germany gt G pan pa I 5 m Z LL Qa jae lt x S3JON 1981 jouuey 14Bly pea 9uuey Yor coreo arg LA Jaaulbuq puos a AN E DER ERA E TE ol ueg gt De ID 09 ov 607 huy EL 0 6 ze 9L O 009 oL oz ose 0 oney oseoja ot os OPPN Py ywy ost a H 9 1H O cor EL barda 0 097 007 ues ba 4 6 LL OL OL
18. he mpressor in the signal chain has an unbalanced output stage a complete mute can eventually occur when the compressor is activated If this happens please follow the advice on page 24 Brightness trimmer You can use a small screwdriver to adjust the light intensity of the front panel logo disc elysia Link Mode In link mode both channels ofthe mpressor can be coupled and operated with the controllers and switches of the left control panel Please consider the following notes Both sides of the mpressor utilize exactly identical electronic modules that could even be inter changed with each other in principle This grants a high equality of signal processing in the left and right channel which is especially important in stereo mode Another result is the excellent isolation of both channels from each other and the audio quality will not decline because there are no lossy to and fro signal routings in the circuitry Note As an effect of this design approach only the control functions of the compressor marked green in the figure are combined in link mode The left control panel becomes the master that is the settings for the left channel are transferred to the right channel therefore the settings of the particular controllers on the right side are not relevant in link mode Note At the same time this means that the audio functions of the compressor marked orange are not combined In practice you have to pay attention to set t
19. he well balanced adjustment of its parameters the mpressor is suited perfectly for many applications in everyday studio business The settings shown in the above figure provide a good starting position for normal compression jobs like vocals choirs guitars drums keyboards and so on Moderate ratios from 1 2 to 1 5 and release times around 300 ms make a good basis for further parameter variations The threshold controller can now be used to adjust the desired amount of gain reduction Depending on the source material the EQ section can be used additionally with great benefit It definitely pays off to spend some time on getting to know this interesting feature of the mpres sor and what it can do for your sound The Gain Reduction Limiters offer completely new possibili ties too and therefore should be given a try soon by all means Big Drums In this case a complete drum mix is processed with the mpressor The intensity of audible tran sients is determined by the attack time If this parameter is very short only the first milliseconds of the signal will be emphasized whereas longer settings will come closer to its original structure The release controller can now be used to adjust the loudness shorter settings produce louder signals at which longer settings will also give you an influence on the groove of a track If high ra tios are applied this effect will become more and more extreme You could also use the GR Lim
20. input level and the output level As a specialty of the mpres sor even negative ratios can be set here p 21 Gain Reduction the display for the gain reduction Shows the amount of compression mea sured in dB as an optical support for the acoustic events p 9 EQ Gain the characteristic ofthe Niveau Filter Between the mid and fully counter clockwise position bass is boosted and treble is cut vice versa in the other direction pp 11 22 On activates the Niveau Filter In the signal path this special EQ is placed after the compres sor section thus it will not influence this section s behavior p 11 elysia EQ Freq the center frequency of the Niveau Filter Around this reference point bass is boosted and treble is cut or vice versa pp 11 21 x10 shifts the frequency range of the Niveau Filter The printed values from 26 Hz to 2 2 kHz are multiplied by 10 to 260 Hz and 22 kHz pp 11 21 GR Limit margins the control voltage This innovative limiter is not placed in the audio path as usual but in the control circuit of the compressor pp 11 23 On activates the Gain Reduction Limiter Similar to the other functions this module is switched into the signal path via relay pp 11 23 Gain the make up gain In the mpressor amplification already takes place in the input stage thus the complete circuitry can be driven harder on purpose p 18 GRL indicates Gain Reduction Limiter activity In link m
21. iter additionally in order to reduce the maximum amount of reduction for very energetic drums As a result the drums become very punchy with beautiful attacks that can really shine in a mix An increased amount of ambience is generated on top of it resulting in a loud and massive sound elysia Smashed Drums If the drums are supposed to sound extremely compressed and loud this setting can be used to limit almost the entire signal so that there is nearly no dynamics remaining The Auto Fast function for the attack parameter makes sure that the mpressor works fast but undistorted and fast release times of about 50 ms are responsible for the loudness The ratio controller is set to 1 10 which makes the mpressor act like a kind of fast brickwall limiter The drums now sound as if they had been recorded with a focus on the room microphones little transients lots of ambience and long sustaining toms and cymbals If this signal is now routed to a separate fader of a console and then mixed to the unprocessed original the result will be the typical parallel compression which is very popular for this kind of application Reverse Sounds Because the mpressor also features negative ratios you can perfectly use it to create weird really way out effects Signals sound like if they were played backwards and become louder in their pro gression Very loud input signals are reduced by large amounts which creates the reverse effect The Au
22. limited and a fully parametric filter would be too much the Niveau Filter is the perfect tool ra Its main function is to change the proportions between high and A EQ Sal0 High low frequencies The principle is quite similar to a pair of scales De o pendent on the gain setting around a variable center frequency f EQ Gain Low the high frequencies are boosted whereas the low frequencies are a attenuated or vice versa By simultaneously boosting and cutting the selected frequency areas it is much easier to influ ence the character of a track bright vs ark compared to using other types of equalizers The center frequency can be shifted continuously between 26 Hz and 2 2 kHz or between 260 Hz and 22 kHz respectively when the x10 switch is activated Gain N The characteristics of the filter change in the extreme positions of the EQ Gain controller the fully counter clockwise setting will pro duce a low pass filter fully clockwise position will result in a high pass filter The overall level can drop quite noticeably then but this can be corrected with the gain controller easily Frequency be v iL 5 Y 2 zZ gt v fe P U 5 ae v a Oo l un N lt ca Nn z gt Fan m aa Nn Nn i i o z e U O Sn me u l N e cc lt Z LLJ UV Yn Standard Compression Because of t
23. o protect health and nature 2007 elysia GmbH elysia WARNING High Voltage e Risk of electric shock e Do not open chassis e Refer service to qualified service staff only e Before connecting the device to the main power supply check if the right voltage is selected e Replace fuse with the same type and value only e This device must be connected to ground e Do not use a damaged power cord e Never place containers with liquid e g beverages or a vase on the unit e Donot expose this device to rain or moisture e Donotuse this device near water e g swimming pool bathtub or wet base ment CAUTION Temperature e Surfaces of the device may become hot during operation e Do not install this device near any heat source such as radiators stoves or other heat sources e Always allow enough ventilation space around the unit for air circulation e Do not cover circulation vents CAUTION Connecting amp Mounting e Never connect the output of a power amplifier to this device e Place the unit on a rigid board or fix it to an appropriate rack e Use the device according to this manual only CAUTION Humidity e Ifthis device is moved from a cold place to a warm room condensation can occur inside the device To avoid damaging the unit please allow it to reach room temperature before switching on CE Conformity elysia GmbH Am Panneschopp 18 41334 Nettetal Germany declares with sole responsibility that this product
24. o which is processed with chorus and delay effects can benefit from this tech nique too as the chorus delay effect will become more and more prominent while the played note decreases in volume Here it is important that all effect units only send the pure effect signal 100 wet which is then mixed to the dry signal on a parallel track A fe D x 5 m 8 D E UO y gt D o Z Un O oc lt x a Lu UV n Nn or o e l A 2 v m 2 Nn 1 i ae ol z e U me Uv i e q at a l un e cc lt Z LL UV un Distorted Compression By using very fast time constants the mpressor can also be abused to create special distortion sounds To do so set the attack controller to its minimum of 0 01 ms and the release time also to its fastest value of 5 0 ms Now the compressor becomes so fast that it compresses and twists almost every single wave form separately The result sounds similar to a distortion unit but without the usual drawback that the noise floor of the input signal is amplified If the Niveau Filter is used in its low pass position in addition everything will start to sound in a wonderful LoFi style Especially bass and drums are ideal instruments for being processed in this way Delay Loops Delay and compressor in a loop does that make any sense at all Definitively yes because this combination is a truly rich source for lots of cra
25. ode the indicator LEDs of both chan nels always light up simultaneously pp 11 23 Left Right activates the respective channel of the compressor In deactivated state the in put is directly routed to the output by a hardwire bypass p 9 Link both channels can be operated in combination with the left control panel as master Note EQ sections and gain stages will not be linked in this mode p 9 Signal Flowchart The schematic shows the signal flow from the input through the specific modules to the out put External sidechain link function Gain Reduction Limiter and Niveau Filter can be optionally switched into the signal path via relays The compression stages continuously work in feed for ward mode with a hard knee characteristic Left Audio Left Audio Input Output Input Gain Transconduc Current to Audio Output Stage Stage tance Amp Voltage Filter Stage Left Sidechain Sidechain Gain Reduction Gain Reduction Input Stage Limiter Right Sidechain Sidechain Gain Reduction Gain Reduction Input Stage Limiter Input Gain Transconduc Current to Audio Output Stage Stage tance Amp Voltage Filter Stage Right Audio Right Audio Input Output pum lt U z LL Ss u I u VY lt x a Nn pe e V Uv o U VY VY lt x aa Connectors Please pay attention to operate the mpressor with the correct voltage setting for your country and the proper pin assignmen
26. r in the clockwise 4 dB position The x10 button shifts the complete frequency range by a factor of 10 Settings in the border areas of the covered frequencies make it also possible to create almost shelving filters but then the overall level likely needs to be adapted with the gain controller This filter is as effective as it is easy to use the perfect tool for applying subtle or strong sonic marks to the compressed signal in no time at all dBrA 20 50 100 200 500 1k 2k 5k 10k 20k Hz gt v 5 ej D Sh LL oO Ly a e oc l Lu U Lu oc uu ra Lu oc E ag UO Oo uw o z e Es UO Oo uw Lu 10 pa Lu c Li ma Lu c EQ Gain Low This measurement shows different settings of the EQ gain controller between middle and fully counter clockwise position at a center frequency of 1 5 kHz The diagram shows the effectiveness of the filter The lower frequencies are boosted up to 6 dB then the curve crosses zero at the center frequency The high frequencies are attenuated at the same time and in the extreme setting of the controller even a 6 dB low pass filter is available Depending on the setting of the EQ gain the overall level possibly needs to be adapted with the gain controller dBrA
27. ration by anyone other than elysia authorized service personnel The warrantor assumes no liability for property damage or any other incidental or consequential damage whatsoever which may result from failure of this product Any and all warrantees of merchantability and fit ness implied by law are limited to the duration of the expressed warranty This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state Some of the above limitations may not apply to you Registration and return To confirm your warranty please register your elysia product shortly after purchase The easiest and fastest way is to use the online form you will find in the service section of our website www elysia com If you cannot or do not want to use this option please contact us via the address you will find at the end of this warranty statement You will be provided with registration documents suitable for fax or mail use free of charge In case you notice any defect please contact elysia for technical support directly You can find the corre spondent contact data at the end of this warranty statement You will receive a return authorization which enables you to send your product to the elysia factory where it will be repaired and then sent back to you Packaging and shipping All returns to the factory must be in the original packaging accompanied by the return authorization and must be shipped via insured freight at t
28. s also set to 6 dB the signal will be boosted by 6 dB at its beginning and will then be held at 0 dB in its further course If for example an organ is processed this way it sounds firmer as its transients receive an accentua tion And no matter if a single note or a full chord is played the output level will always stay the same so that the result does not sound like typical compression Groove Ducking The external sidechain input can be used to achieve specific groovy effects Here the sidechain is triggered by a rhythmical signal like a 4 beat bass drum The audio path can carry any desired sounds which are then reduced in the rhythm of the bass drum and therefore start to groove in sync with that beat Especially the release parameter can be used to adapt the timing of the effect to the tempo of the song whereas the Anti Log mode offers interesting variations If for example a 16 beat HiHat is processed in this way it will benefit from a nice vivid groove it will now move in Bass sounds can now receive a stronger accentuation as the ducking effect creates more space in the mix and the focus is shifted more onto the 4 beat bass drum If the mpressor is inserted into the subgroup of a mixing console you will also be able to trigger an arrangement of various instruments etc via the external sidechain elysia Negative Gating An interesting variant of the groove ducking technique is negative gating that is based on fas
29. s defen es 13 Reverse Sounds 0 ene eee ee 13 Transient Enhancers seners sd oe a we Oe Sew a We Se ee de a ee ew ae 14 GrOOVE DUCKING riera aiea ii A ee ON ae Bee ee gw gh ae 14 Negative Gating 2 eee ee 15 DUCKING FX ss sae wand deat whe ew dd ane Fa a See Gen Aa eRe edd eS 15 Distorted Compression nanana aaae 16 Delay LOOPS 2 ar at ee da eE a WEEE ROR LEME a 16 Frequency Compression sores 5 wo S44 eect A A eG area ae 17 IMIDEBUSS a coria a idad ia oh alah oe ds As E 17 REFERENCE 00 as a A ARANA ANO THD Antalysises sica a aa er aa WS ae aaa GS ee eG haa ans 18 Threshold e der sens Ske Gee che eae wea ee ede Gn wes ie We aera Shake Whew Wide GAO Wea ee eaten Wee 18 PULACK Sos tees oie cos he e GO eats Stee gh Mae eee A esate ec a 19 AUTO FaSt serii eretet ertr ad dee eae a SES aS aa eee ee 19 Rele 6 5 Gok a Dek ww Rare Bad BE od wee ek Ga aH weed O Ae Bd wed 20 ANU MLO Giri ic 22 Sve ae tig ete Re ame Ge Sa he av aR SN a Heim se eee Se ee ee 20 RatlOn eee epek eee RD MRD RS RR RE a ee ee s 21 EO FrEQUENCY raii he eho A PA ee SSE eae 21 EQ Gain LOW s e s be ea ee SRR RH Kew sas HR OSHS THR TERR HSH 22 EQ GaN TION serrat ita GE GE OR REE CASES E DRE AAA RARA OOS 22 GRLEimit Envelopes mida fo eos aii da ir dad a eA 23 GR Limit Characteristic nanoa aaaea 23 APPENDIX crus 64 Sede OES nnn ets ere tena nn EOE OOS OE a ARO Technical Data rima ia bP a wed a Hack ORES ad 24 Level Problems ee
30. t 0 dBu The additionally gener ated second and third harmonics at 2 kHz and 3 kHz which make the processed signals sound richer and more interesting become very obvious here These harmonics are generated in the transconductance amplifier stages of the mpressor Their amount is dependent on the input level the higher it is the more harmonics are produced As the gain controller is placed directly in the input stage it will also influence the intensity of added harmonics dBu 20 Ap 10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 30 50 100 200 500 1k 2k 3k 5k 10k 20k Hz Threshold The next figure shows a number of different threshold points The settings of threshold and ratio should always be considered as a couple If a high ratio is applied the threshold will usually be in the lower range in order not to produce a too high amount of gain reduction If lower ratio settings are chosen though the threshold will be turned more clockwise as a general rule The complete control range covers a total of 34 dB offering the complete variety from very sensitive processing up to the most extreme effect settings dBu 20 5 30 AN 3l 2 20 15 10 5 0 5 10 15 20 dBu
31. ter release times and uses the Anti Log mode Higher ratios are also very typical for this process If now a bass drum is fed into the external sidechain input as a trigger signal for example the compressor will reduce the audio signal by a significant amount resulting in gain reduction values of 30 and 40 dB After the trigger signal has faded away the gain reduction value is kept constant by the Anti Log function for a moment after which it rebounds rapidly This special envelope makes the effect almost sound like a gate but with the difference that the signal is made quieter instead of being totally muted Ifyou want the effect to be as stable as possible please take care that the trigger signals have even attacks and levels Ducking FX Using the mpressor in combination with effect units like reverb delay or chorus will result in fasci nating results The important point in this case is that compression is applied after the signal has passed the effects processor The external sidechain input however is fed with the original dry signal that is also fed into the input of the FX unit If a drum track is processed with a reverb for example the reverberation can be compressed ex tremely strong so that it will almost vanish in very loud parts at first lt sounds different than only compressing the reverberation without using the external sidechain because now it depends on the dynamics of the original signal An electric pian
32. the setting of the controller This means No matter how high the input level might become the amount of gain reduction will never exceed the value which is set with the GR Limit controller S Gain Reduction 5 3 i dd For comparison just imagine a fader on a mixing console with your hand moving the fader to play compressor If now the fader was E limited by a piece of duct tape at 10 dB for example it could only GR Limiter reduce the signal up to this value If the input level dropped below this limit the fader would be moved up correspondingly Time However if the input signal got even louder the fader could not be moved down any further because of the duct tape limit and then the output signal would become louder again in corre spondence with the input signal gt f z y Output Loud parts in an arrangement can keep their dynamics as they will not be compressed beyond the limit of the Gain Reduction Limiter Some very nice special effects like ducking or upward compression E fat can be achieved with it easily by only reducing the quieter parts without changing the original dynamics at the same time lt Input Niveau Filter This filter is a specialist in changing the overall sonic character of a track with ease It features two controllers per channel and is capable of producing convincing results flexibly in no time at all Whenever a classic shelving filter would be too
33. to Fast function for the attack parameter is used to perform the control process fast and free from distortion The position of the release controller determines the traits the sound will get louder with The Anti Log mode should also been tried on top of that as it will even increase the intensity of the reverse effect A good balance of the threshold release and ratio parameters is very important for this applica tion Settings like these result in the amount of gain reduction exceeding the 20 dB mark quite often therefore adequate settings of the gain controller have to be made for compensation Nn z 5 YN v Nn ES 7 gt I oc gt Nn z 5 a D U Nn E Y wn 2 oc lt x Z uu UV n 5 x U m v gt le le 7 a w U c lt c Lu c 9 7 c E l 10 2 cc lt pa LL U u Transient Enhancer A special task is to emphasize the transients at the beginning of a tone chord and so on The Gain Reduction Limiter is of special importance in this scenario The chosen parameters result in a rather strong compression with quite fast release times and even negative ratios Without the limiter the signal would be compressed much too strongly 10 to 15 dB of gain re duction would occur quite regularly in this case But now the limiter comes into play by reducing maximum amount of gain reduction to 6 dB If now the gain controller i
34. ts on the XLR connectors 00 00 WARNING DO NOT OPEN RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK elysia elysia GmbH D 41334 Nettetal Germany Mains module This module combines the line cord connector the on off switch the fuse holder with in tegrated 230 115 VAC voltage selector and a line filter for providing the transformer with clean current WARNING High voltage Make sure to disconnect the line cord before replacing eventually blown fuses or changing the operating voltage of the unit In order to change the operating voltage the fuse holder has to be taken out and re inserted so that the desired voltage can be read correctly and is not standing upside down Note Some export versions have a fixed voltage of e g 100 or 115 VAC and cannot operate at 230 VAC WARNING Fuses Always make sure to use the correct fuses for the chosen voltage 230 VAC 0 8 A Slo Blo or 115 VAC 1 6 A Slo Blo Incorrect or missing fuses are dangerous safety hazards for both the unit and yourself Sidechain inputs 4 dBu Pin assignment balanced 1 ground 2 hot 3 cold Pin assignment unbalanced 231 1 ground 2 hot 3 ground Audio outputs 4 dBu Pin assignment balanced 1 ground 2 hot 3 ground Pin assignment unbalanced 132 1 ground 2 hot 3 idle Audio inputs 4 dBu Pin assignment balanced 1 ground 2 hot 3 cold Pin assignment unbalanced 231 1 ground 2 hot 3 ground Note If a device that is placed before t
35. zy sounds In this scenario the mpressor is placed before a delay which is connected to an input of a mixing console The feedback parameter of the delay has to be set to 0 because the feedback is generated with the aux send of the specific chan nel of the console If the gain controller of the compressor is now set in a way that the delay sound becomes louder with every repetition it will finally fall into a feedback loop which is kept steady by the compressor If the Niveau Filter is used in addition to bend the frequency response very noisy pumping and breathing sounds that keep changing continuously will be the result Very short delay times between 5 and 30 ms can even generate oscillating sounds that instantly remind of synthesizers Turning the Niveau Filter controllers during this process results in a shift of the frequency response with each repetition of the delay elysia Frequency Compression The external sidechain also makes it possible to apply frequency dependent compression This means that the compressor selectively reacts stronger or weaker to certain frequencies One of the most typical applications of this technique is de essing The input signal is multed to a parallel line before the mpressor and then fed into an equalizer that raises the S sounds and lowers all other frequency areas This processed signal is then send into the external sidechain input of the compressor which will only react to strong S sounds as
Download Pdf Manuals
Related Search