Ratio; Attack; Release; Detect - Alesis CLX440 Reference Manual

-10dB and the Ratio is set for 4:1. When the third peak of the
input signal crosses the Threshold, the CLX-440 starts to reduce
the signal level, as shown in the figure (b). Figure (c) shows the
output signal level, with the original signal shown with a dotted
line.

Ratio

The
RATIO
happen once the input signal crosses the
described above. Ratio controls how much the input signal will
be reduced as a ratio of the input signal level. For example, if the
compression ratio is set for 6:1, the input signal will have to cross
the threshold by 6 dB for the output level to increase by 1dB.
The tick marks around the Ratio control show several ratio
settings for reference. These are, in clockwise order: 1:1, 2:1, 4:1,
8:1, 10:1, and ∞:1. The far right setting, ∞:1 (Infinity to 1), is used
for Limiting. This means that the input signal won't go above the
threshold at all.

Attack

The
ATTACK
input crosses the threshold and when compression begins. The
range of this control is 0.02 milliseconds to 1 second. Longer
attacks are useful for percussive sounds, where shorter attacks
are good for melodic parts like vocals and strings. The Attack
control is also useful for keeping the transients on percussive
drum or bass sounds. Experiment with different short attack
times on snare drums to get more or less of the "stick" attack.

Release

The
RELEASE
takes to stop compressing as the signal crosses under the
threshold. The range of this control is 1 ms to 2 seconds. Short
release times are good for percussive, punchy sounds, where
longer release times can make compression less obvious on
vocals. Adjusting the release time may be necessary when using
extreme compression and "pumping" or "breathing" is audible,
or if lower level signals after peaks are getting lost.

Detect

The
DETECT
and RMS. When set all the way to
looking for peaks in the input level. For example, if your tape
CLX-440 Reference Manual
knob controls the amount of compression that will
knob controls the amount of time between when the
knob controls the amount of time the compressor
knob varies the compressor's detection between Peak
chapter 3 • basics of compression
PEAK
THRESHOLD
, the compressor is
level,
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