Stereo Tool

When using my Mac (like now), I cannot use "Stereo Tool" to process audio, unfortunately.

But, that doesn't mean I don't miss every bit of it!

One thing I know is available on many professional processors, but not on "Stereo Tool" is a "Hold Time" setting. What "Hold Time" allows you to do, is specify a delay after a compression event until the compression ratio is reduced (until it gets back down to 1:1).

Thus, you take the following scenario:

Attack time: 10ms
Hold time: 50ms
Release time: 100ms

If a signal is to be "attacked", it will be "held" for 50ms until the compression is released, and "decompression" then occurs over 100ms.

0--10--20--30--40--50--60--70--80--90--100--110--120--130--140--150--160--170--180--190--200 ms

If 0ms is a "problem signal" where compression is required, and "C" means "Just Compressed", "W" means "Waiting", "D" means "decompressing", and "N" means "normal", then with the above settings, the timeline applies:

0CC10WW20WW30WW40WW50WW60DD70DD80DD90DD100DD110DD120DD130DD140DD150DD160NN170NN180NN190NN200 ms
So, 0ms triggers a compression event, between 0ms and 10ms a signal is at fault where, compression is triggered.
10ms to 60ms is a 50ms span (the hold time) where compression is still occurring, no "decompression" is happening yet; nothing is being released.
60ms to 160ms is a 100ms span (the release time) where decompression occurs; the signal approaches the point of no attenuation.
160ms onward, nothing is occurring (audio is "normal", and the compression level is 1:1), and the signal is left as-is until the signal level passes the threshold and compression must occur again.

Does this make sense? Implementing something like this can GREATLY reduce pumping. This is how many professional processors are set up, and this is an element (after thinking about it) that I feel is missing.

Hi SuperH,

Currently the compression in Stereo Tool works in a very different way. I have tried setups like the one you describe in the past, and in fact I got a lot more pumping.

Note: If you are hearing pumping, are you using the Loudness filter for extra loudness? If so, that is probably the main cause of pumping. In the latest version (3.40ß) the Loudness filter has been completely rewritten and sounds a lot better (and also a lot louder), and introduces far less pumping (although it is still not completely removed - I don't think that that is possible without introducing distortion).

If you still think any pumping is caused by the multiband compressor, here's how it works now:

- At "C", the volume is dropped
- From that moment on, the volume is increased using an asymptote: The lower the volume is at any moment in time, the higher the speed with which the volume is increased. But:
- This increment is limited by a "break" that is set when "C" occurs. The break is not released immediately (as you describe), but slowly.

Say volume '100' means that no compression is taking place. Then at a peak the following happens:

"C" -> volume drops to 20

Then you get something like this:

20 21 22 24 27 30 35 42 (here the break ends, now the asymptote shape is followed) 50 60 68 75 81 85 88 92 94 96 97 98 98 99 99 99 100

The break release speed is currently determined by "up speed", which means that the shape that is used is always the same, but its steepness is controlled by "up speed". I could add sliders for the breaks, but I don't expect large differences/improvements if I do that (the values have now been tweaked manually to reduce pumping).

[Note: The reason that Stereo Tool works differently than others is that I have never looked at how other compressors work. I just aimed at getting the sound that I wanted, and kept on tweaking until I reached my goal. That also explains why many terms in Stereo Tool differ from what others use - I really never looked at any others...]

hmmm...i hope this is good for me too...

_________________
lit armoire
Location voilier Corse
cross selling

Dear Frends .there is another problem , The compression is not that big problem. The volume must have constant level without any compression, witch is not presented yet thanks to the prelimiter algorithm . prelimiter is wrong!!!!! attack and release time are only for the multiband ! Not for the prelimiter