Dynamic Processor Controls
The ART Voice Channel™ dynamics section consists of an above threshold Compressor/Limiter with De-
esser plus a selectable Expander/Gate. The attack and release controls allow a wide range of adjustment while
the complex detector assures fast response without distortion. The De-esser is frequency tunable.
Threshold Control
This control sets the level, above which the Compressor/Limiter in the Voice Channel™ starts to act on the
input signal. As the control is turned clockwise, more input signal is required to begin reducing gain. The
compression action can be seen in the Gain Reduction LED meter.
Ratio Control
The RATIO control sets the amount of gain reduction that takes place based on how far the input signal is
over the threshold level (set by the THRESHOLD control).
When the control is fully counterclockwise, the
Compressor/Limiter is OFF.
A good starting point for vocals is 2.5:1.
To have the unit act as a limiter, set the RATIO control to 20:1.
De-esser Control
The DE-ESSER control sets how much more the gain is reduced at high frequencies when using the
Compressor/Limiter. The most common application is reducing sibilance when compressing vocals. When fully
counterclockwise, the De-esser function is OFF. As the control is turned clockwise, high frequency material is
compressed more than mid and low frequency material.
De-esser Freq. Control
This control selects which high frequencies the DE-ESSER acts upon. Turned fully counterclockwise, the
DE–ESSER acts on the upper mid-range. When set fully clockwise, only the highest frequencies are reduced
more during de-essing compression. Center the DE-ESSER FREQ. control as a starting point for vocal work.
Attack Control
The ATTACK control sets the time it takes the Compressor/Limiter to respond to increases in signal level (by
reducing gain). You can use this control to shape the “front end” of the dynamics envelope.
One example is to listen to a snare hit and adjust the attack control. A short attack makes the snare sound
“thin”. As the attacks go longer (and the knob is turned clockwise) you should hear more of the thump in the
compressed snare. The downside is that this creates an overshoot, (a large transient), the length of which is
the time set by the ATTACK control.
Overshoots less than 1 msec are very hard to hear even when they are clipped. If the attack is set too fast,
the gain may be reduced too much and thereby create a “pumping” sound
1
. One way to eliminate this is to use
the LOW CUT filter to remove plosive sounds in vocals that can make the detector overreact.
1
“Pumping” in a Compressor/Limiter sounds like the signal is muted when it shouldn’t be.
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