Vocal Compressor

The first step in the signal chain; the Peaks compressor removes amplitude spikes from the signal to make it sound smoother. It aggressively clamps down on the rogue dynamics of your vocal, preparing the signal for the next stage. You’ll only need to push down the threshold by a few dB to hear the effect in action and at it’s transparent best.

BALANCE

This is a parallel compressor that leaves loud transients intact whilst making the softer parts of your audio louder. This results in a reduction of overall dynamic range to make the vocal sit better in the mix. Use the Mix and Makeup dials to set the balance between the lightly compressed Peaks output and the heavily compressed Balance processing of the same signal. Don’t hold back on the gain reduction as this compressor needs a threshold of around 20dB to work. Keep pushing that threshold down until things sound good. 

This compressor has an integrated tape saturation curve to add harmonics, grit and flavour to the audio. Start subtly and then adjust the threshold until you can hear the bite of your vocal, so it clearly rides over the top of your track.

GATE & COLOUR

Remove unwanted and distracting pops, clicks and noise with the Gate dial. With the Colour slider, dial in a frequency curve that’s specifically tailored to vocal processing, making your vocal performance sound as professional as possible.

BYPASS, OUTPUT & MASTER MIX

The bypass control is smoothed to be as click and pop free as possible for unhindered A/B testing when combined with the Output dial. Choose to mix the compressed signal with your original raw audio via the central Master Mix ratio control, allowing you to dial down the compression ratio for parallel effects.

The live visuals of the interface meters show exactly what’s happening to the signal as it travels through each compressor in real time. This allows for accurate monitoring at every step of the chain.

PRESETS

With many included presets, it’s easy to find the perfect starting point for your own compression adventures. Categorised into distinct themes, these presets can be used on all sorts of audio, not just vocals. They include everything from subtle shaping to more full-on saturated compression effects.