Using compression timing functions, 9 using compression timing functions – Sonnox Oxford Dynamics User Manual
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4.9 Using Compression Timing Functions
4 COMPRESSOR
4.9 Using Compression Timing Functions
The setting of timing functions can drastically affect the sonic character of compression,
and there are many different approaches to compression timing, often in pursuit of
ever-changing fashion! There is, therefore, no right or wrong approach to this task.
However, to successfully build up your own portfolio of artistic sounds using a variable
parameter compressor such as the Oxford plug-in, a basic grounding in the sonic effects
produced by timing will be useful.
The following section sets out to describe the basics of timing settings and the range of
sonic effects available from the Oxford plug-in. By changing time constants, many effects
can be generated such as:
• Attack times can accentuate and bring percussion instruments to the foreground if
slow, and push them into the background if fast.
• Attack times can re-model the sound of a percussion instrument by creating gain
overshoots if relatively slow, ie. make a soft event produce a harder sound, or a fast
attack can soften a hard sound by attenuating its peaks.
• Fast attack with fast release can generate pleasing harmonic distortion and ‘warmth’
that is focussed on the lower frequencies of a signal, by modulating the gain during
the period of the musical waveform.
• Fast release times can significantly increase the relative loudness of programme by
filling in the programme with accentuated ‘quiet passages’. A slow release will do
the opposite.
• Moderate to fast release times can lengthen apparent reverb time.
• Moderate release times can accentuate the musical timing of piece if set to recover
during the natural rhythm of the music.
There are many approaches to programme level control, which are largely decided by
whether one is trying to get maximum loudness and excitement, enhancing reproducibility
at low reproduction levels or just trying to control overloads. In mastering situations,
either or all of these may be appropriate, along with many other subtleties such as
matching impressions between tracks destined for an album release.