Adaptive Compression
Each band has an independent adaptive parallel compressor. The compressor is paired with the phaser for a specific reason: as the phaser sweeps, it reshapes the spectral balance of each band, causing level fluctuations. The adaptive compressor keeps each band’s level stable through these sweeps — without fighting the modulation.
The compressor uses crest-factor analysis to continuously evaluate the dynamic character of the incoming signal and adjusts its timing behavior accordingly — no static attack/release values applied blindly to all material.
Program-Dependent Timing
The compressor measures the crest factor (peak-to-RMS ratio) of each band’s signal in real time and uses it to bias the attack and release behavior:
| Signal Character | Crest Factor | Attack Bias | Release Bias |
|---|
| Dynamic / transient-heavy | High | Slower | Faster |
| Compressed / sustained | Low | Faster | Slower |
NY-Style Parallel Compression
The Comp Mix control blends the dry (uncompressed) signal with the heavily compressed signal in parallel — the classic New York compression technique. At 0.0, only the dry signal passes. At 1.0, only the compressed signal passes. Values between produce the characteristic parallel compression effect: the dry signal preserves transient detail and natural dynamics while the compressed signal lifts low-level detail and adds body.
Parameters
Per-band compression controls. Parameter IDs use the bandN_ prefix (e.g., band1_compThreshold, band5_compRatio).
| Parameter | ID Suffix | Range | Default | Description |
|---|
| Threshold | compThreshold | -60—0 dB | -20 dB | Level above which compression engages |
| Ratio | compRatio | 1:1—20:1 | 4:1 | Compression ratio — higher values produce more aggressive gain reduction |
| Attack | compAttack | 0.1—100 ms | 10 ms | Base attack time (modulated by crest-factor analysis) |
| Release | compRelease | 10—1000 ms | 100 ms | Base release time (modulated by crest-factor analysis) |
| Comp Mix | compMix | 0.0—1.0 | 0.5 | Parallel blend — dry signal vs compressed signal |
Additional Features
Soft Knee
The compressor uses a fixed 6 dB soft knee. Rather than an abrupt transition at the threshold, gain reduction begins gradually 3 dB below the threshold and reaches the full ratio 3 dB above it. This eliminates the audible “grab” that hard-knee compression can produce on tonal material.
Auto Makeup Gain
An optional auto makeup gain compensates for the level reduction caused by compression. When enabled, the output is boosted by an amount derived from the threshold and ratio settings, keeping perceived loudness roughly consistent as you adjust compression depth.
Gain Reduction Metering
Each band displays a dedicated gain reduction meter showing how much compression is being applied in real time. The meter is visible in the band control panel whenever that band is selected, providing immediate visual feedback on compressor activity.
Attack and Release values are center points, not fixed times. The crest-factor analysis continuously adjusts the effective timing around these values. If you need strict, predictable timing, set the signal to a consistent level before the compressor — the adaptive behavior converges toward your knob settings when the crest factor is stable.
