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Simulating fast compressor curves


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In the longs existing pursuit of winning some loudness battles there's probably since always been the matter of fast responding compressors in the audio path.

 

I've been working on a complicated DSP setup where the subject is of interest, too, but from another perspective.

 

My point is, little is understood about why fast compression settings do not work great in the digital domain, under normal circumstances. It has to do with two main things:

 

* knowledge of the audio signal between samples

* realistic "capturing" of the right compressor curve by the sampling plugin or DSP block

 

The main issue with fast settings is that higher frequencies in the audio signal will trigger the digital equivalent of the analogue sidechain signal path, and the digital simulation of the amplitude detector (RMS or peak, usually) has just a few samples to decide on either the peak values of subsequent audio peaks or the accurate average. This combines with the problem that it's hard to accurately know the audio signal between the samples, where statistically speaking most likely the "peaks" reside.

 

There's science involved, but if you don't run at at least 96kHz for instance, the resultant of the fast compressor envelope changing the volume quickly and the high frequency components in the audio signal will easily cause serious aliasing distortion.

 

In essence the comparison between analog fast compressor and a digital one with the same compression settings is very unfavorable for the digital one.

 

Theo V.

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Something that a lot of people don't realize is that if you try to change the level too fast, it will violate Nyquist's law and create a level change, even though momentary, that has a period exceeding half the sample rate. If it occurs before A/D conversion, like with an analog compressor between the source and the converter input, it should get filtered down to something that the converter can handle. But once it's digital, it's possible to create aliasing by trying to jerk the samples around too fast.

 

I'm not sure this is what's happening in your setup, but it's something to think about. Algorithms that create harmonics, like "Toob Saturation" or "Distortion," need to be sure to not generate harmonics that are above the Nyquest frequency. By avoiding generating harmonics that would come out as some other frequency than a multiple of the input frequency, they can make the generated harmonics sound like they're supposed to sound.

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There are hard to understand issues with the sampling problem, and just like electronics with non-linear and time-varying characteristics, they can be hard to "cover: theoretically, even by experts. It's possible, though, but that wasn't my point here.

 

Digital simulations simply are far off the ideas that people have about "the perfect compressor", and honestly for experts it's predictable how they will tend to sound, in many dimensions.

 

To me that sound is usually unbearably ugly, unfortunately for so many attempts ar "perfect" digital productions!

 

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Something that a lot of people don't realize is that if you try to change the level too fast, it will violate Nyquist's law and create a level change, even though momentary, that has a period exceeding half the sample rate. If it occurs before A/D conversion, like with an analog compressor between the source and the converter input, it should get filtered down to something that the converter can handle. But once it's digital, it's possible to create aliasing by trying to jerk the samples around too fast.

 

Aha! That explains something I've always wondered about. I've often mentioned how running at high sample rates can make amp sims and virtual instruments sound better. I knew that could also make limiters sound better, but never knew why. Now I do. Thanks!

 

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The lookahead (small) delay gives you some more time to analyse the signal, but to properly compute the accurate in-between samples maxima, theory dictates a small delay wouldn't be enough for all cases...

 

Also, you'd still have to chose how to resolve the problem that the side chain frequency range combined with the full audio range will lead to aliasing.

 

T

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What about destructive? I.e. Processing a whole track rather than real time?

Dan

 

Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth.

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