TL Audio 5050 - Manual (Page 13)

controlled automatically, allowing the engineer to get on with more productive
jobs!
Many instruments and voices have a very wide dynamic range that need to be
controlled. A singer, for instance, may be projecting quietly one moment and
very loudly the next, and unless compression is applied the vocal won’t “sit”
correctly in the mix, in addition to the problems of distortion on loud passages
and noise on quiet ones. Compressors effectively turn down the loud bits and
turn up the quiet bits, to achieve a more even and controllable level.
Compressors are often judged by their ability to control the dynamics without
creating noticeable audible side effects. Heavy compression can cause the
signal to pump or breathe with the onset and release of the compression.
Some compressor designs can dull the signal and lose the top end of the
signal. The 5050 compressor design, as with other TL Audio compressors,
uses a technology based around a transconductance amplifier rather than a
VCA design. This transconductance amplifier design is known for being able to
retain the full frequency range and natural character of the audio signal, even
when compressing the signal quite heavily. The 5050 is also capable of more
severe compression based around the optional Hard Knee mode if this is
desired.
There are other benefits of compression as well as just controlling the peaks
and raising the quiet parts. Applied properly, it can add punch and excitement
to music, as well as fattening up sounds and creating a more professional
sounding recording. With the 5050, you have the added benefit of valve stages
in the signal path, which create a warmth and presence just not obtainable
with solid state or digital products.
4.10 Why Valve Compression?
Valve compression yields a particularly special sound which has become very
sought after, particularly with the widespread use of digital products. The
reason valve equipment sounds special is due to two things: harmonic
distortion and natural compression. When the signal through a valve is
increased, it tends to generate a particular type of subtle and desirable
distortion, called “second harmonic” distortion. This has the effect of thickening
and warming the sound, and the more the level you feed to the valve stages,
the more of this harmonic distortion will be produced. You should be able to
hear this effect as you increase the input gain on the 5050.
Secondly, valves will tend to naturally compress an audio signal, again
particularly as the signal level is increased. This itself also contributes to the
warmth produced by the 5050.
4.11 Overview of Compressor Operation.