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[Csnd] compress2: general relations between parameters and usual compressor settings

Date2024-12-18 14:39
From"Jeanette C."
Subject[Csnd] compress2: general relations between parameters and usual compressor settings
Hey hey,
I've been working with compress2 lately, but I have difficulties understanding 
the relationship between its parameters and typical compressors.

The attack, release and look-ahead times and the ratio are clear enough. But 
how about the low and high knee and threshhold?

The average compressor plugin has the knee hidden inside it and offers a 
threshhold, which is apparently not the same as compress2's threshhold, but 
rather more related to the knee values. I think.

Coming from Linux, I think of the Invada studio compressor, which offers
the following:
tight/sloppy: which is of no interest
Attack: kAtt in compress2
Release: kRel in compress2
Threshhold in dB: ?
Ratio: kRatio im compress2
Gain dB: a makeup gain, applied afterwards
Soft clip: of no interest here
Other compressor plugins offer similar controls, some adding a knee
radius or one value knee setting, others can set a look-ahead time.

Can someone give me a little guidance? An article that explains the 
relationships between these settings would be good enough.

Best wishes and thanks,

Jeanette

-- 
  * Website: http://juliencoder.de - for summer is a state of sound
  * Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMS4rfGrTwz8W7jhC1Jnv7g
  * Audiobombs: https://www.audiobombs.com/users/jeanette_c
  * GitHub: https://github.com/jeanette-c

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Date2024-12-18 16:53
FromIain McCurdy
SubjectRe: [Csnd] compress2: general relations between parameters and usual compressor settings
Hi Jeanette,

Your assumptions about threshold, low-knee and high-knee are correct.

Threshold in compress2 is not how it would be understood in a generic compressor; it is the threshold of a separate noise gate. The threshold, as it would be understood in a generic compressor, is the mid point between low-knee and high-knee. Therefore, if low-knee is -40 dB and high-knee is -30 dB, the compressor threshold is -35 dB. Some implementations offer a control over knee size, which in this example would be 10 dB.

I hope this is correct!
Iain


From: A discussion list for users of Csound <CSOUND@LISTSERV.HEANET.IE> on behalf of Jeanette C. <julien@MAIL.UPB.DE>
Sent: 18 December 2024 14:39
To: CSOUND@LISTSERV.HEANET.IE <CSOUND@LISTSERV.HEANET.IE>
Subject: [Csnd] compress2: general relations between parameters and usual compressor settings
 
Hey hey,
I've been working with compress2 lately, but I have difficulties understanding
the relationship between its parameters and typical compressors.

The attack, release and look-ahead times and the ratio are clear enough. But
how about the low and high knee and threshhold?

The average compressor plugin has the knee hidden inside it and offers a
threshhold, which is apparently not the same as compress2's threshhold, but
rather more related to the knee values. I think.

Coming from Linux, I think of the Invada studio compressor, which offers
the following:
tight/sloppy: which is of no interest
Attack: kAtt in compress2
Release: kRel in compress2
Threshhold in dB: ?
Ratio: kRatio im compress2
Gain dB: a makeup gain, applied afterwards
Soft clip: of no interest here
Other compressor plugins offer similar controls, some adding a knee
radius or one value knee setting, others can set a look-ahead time.

Can someone give me a little guidance? An article that explains the
relationships between these settings would be good enough.

Best wishes and thanks,

Jeanette

--
  * Website: http://juliencoder.de - for summer is a state of sound
  * Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMS4rfGrTwz8W7jhC1Jnv7g
  * Audiobombs: https://www.audiobombs.com/users/jeanette_c
  * GitHub: https://github.com/jeanette-c

Cinderella's got to go <3
(Britney Spears)

Csound mailing list
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https://listserv.heanet.ie/cgi-bin/wa?A0=CSOUND
Send bugs reports to
        https://github.com/csound/csound/issues
Discussions of bugs and features can be posted here

Date2024-12-18 17:31
From"Jeanette C."
SubjectRe: [Csnd] compress2: general relations between parameters and usual compressor settings
Hi Iain,
many thanks! This makes sense and would be very easy to work with.

Best wishes,

Jeanette

Dec 18 2024, Iain McCurdy has written:

> Hi Jeanette,
>
> Your assumptions about threshold, low-knee and high-knee are correct.
>
> Threshold in compress2 is not how it would be understood in a generic compressor; it is the threshold of a separate noise gate. The threshold, as it would be understood in a generic compressor, is the mid point between low-knee and high-knee. Therefore, if low-knee is -40 dB and high-knee is -30 dB, the compressor threshold is -35 dB. Some implementations offer a control over knee size, which in this example would be 10 dB.
>
> I hope this is correct!
> Iain
>
> ________________________________
> From: A discussion list for users of Csound  on behalf of Jeanette C. 
> Sent: 18 December 2024 14:39
> To: CSOUND@LISTSERV.HEANET.IE 
> Subject: [Csnd] compress2: general relations between parameters and usual compressor settings
>
> Hey hey,
> I've been working with compress2 lately, but I have difficulties understanding
> the relationship between its parameters and typical compressors.
>
> The attack, release and look-ahead times and the ratio are clear enough. But
> how about the low and high knee and threshhold?
>
> The average compressor plugin has the knee hidden inside it and offers a
> threshhold, which is apparently not the same as compress2's threshhold, but
> rather more related to the knee values. I think.
>
> Coming from Linux, I think of the Invada studio compressor, which offers
> the following:
> tight/sloppy: which is of no interest
> Attack: kAtt in compress2
> Release: kRel in compress2
> Threshhold in dB: ?
> Ratio: kRatio im compress2
> Gain dB: a makeup gain, applied afterwards
> Soft clip: of no interest here
> Other compressor plugins offer similar controls, some adding a knee
> radius or one value knee setting, others can set a look-ahead time.
>
> Can someone give me a little guidance? An article that explains the
> relationships between these settings would be good enough.
>
> Best wishes and thanks,
>
> Jeanette
>
> --
>  * Website: http://juliencoder.de - for summer is a state of sound
>  * Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMS4rfGrTwz8W7jhC1Jnv7g
>  * Audiobombs: https://www.audiobombs.com/users/jeanette_c
>  * GitHub: https://github.com/jeanette-c
>
> Cinderella's got to go <3
> (Britney Spears)
>
> Csound mailing list
> Csound@listserv.heanet.ie
> https://listserv.heanet.ie/cgi-bin/wa?A0=CSOUND
> Send bugs reports to
>        https://github.com/csound/csound/issues
> Discussions of bugs and features can be posted here
>
> Csound mailing list
> Csound@listserv.heanet.ie
> https://listserv.heanet.ie/cgi-bin/wa?A0=CSOUND
> Send bugs reports to
>        https://github.com/csound/csound/issues
> Discussions of bugs and features can be posted here
>

-- 
  * Website: http://juliencoder.de - for summer is a state of sound
  * Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMS4rfGrTwz8W7jhC1Jnv7g
  * Audiobombs: https://www.audiobombs.com/users/jeanette_c
  * GitHub: https://github.com/jeanette-c

Loneliness up ahead, emptiness behind <3
(Britney Spears)

Csound mailing list
Csound@listserv.heanet.ie
https://listserv.heanet.ie/cgi-bin/wa?A0=CSOUND
Send bugs reports to
        https://github.com/csound/csound/issues
Discussions of bugs and features can be posted here