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USER’S GUIDE
Stereo and Mono
Sidechain Compressor
plug-ins
For Tracktion 2
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Stereo and Mono Sidechain Compressors for Tracktion Mackie Software License sions of this License. Upon termination you must Please read this license carefully before using the destroy the Software and related documentation accompanying Software. By downloading and us- and all copies thereof. ing the Software, you are agreeing to be bound 5. Export Law Assurances. You agree and certify by the terms of this license. Software as used that neither the Software nor any other technical herein
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Stereo and Mono Sidechain Compressors for Tracktion YOU SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS, AND YOU MAY 9. Limitation of Liability. UNDER NO CIRCUM- ALSO HAVE OTHER RIGHTS, WHICH VARY STANCES INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE, SHALL FROM STATE TO STATE AND FROM COUNTRY LOUD TECHNOLOGIES BE LIABLE FOR ANY TO COUNTRY. INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, 8. Disclaimer of Warranty on Software. You LOST PROFITS OR EARNINGS, DAMAGE TO expressly acknowledge and agree that use of
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Stereo and Mono Sidechain Compressors for Tracktion Iconography This icon will lead you to some further explanations of features and practical tips. This icon marks information that is very important, so please make sure you have a read. This icon does not appear in this guide. Well except here of course. Note: Visit our website at www.mackie.com to obtain the latest manuals and downloads for all your Mackie products. “Mackie” and the “Running Man” fi gure are trademarks or registered tradema
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Stereo and Mono Sidechain Compressors for Tracktion Contents Mackie Software License-------------------------2 Examples -------------------------------------------21 Expansion--------------------------------------------21 Introduction ----------------------------------------6 Leveling ----------------------------------------------21 Main Features -------------------------------------- 6 Limiting ----------------------------------------------21 A brief word about Compressors--------------- 7 Hard
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Stereo and Mono Sidechain Compressors for Tracktion Introduction Thank you for choosing Mackie software prod- Main Features ucts for your computer-based audio recording Stereo and mono compressor plug-in for system. Tracktion The Stereo and Mono Sidechain Compressor Key Input plug-ins come with Tracktion, our easy-to-use Key Solo engage/disengage music production software application. When Full stereo (or mono) operation you install Tracktion, the plug-ins are automati- Rather fet
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Stereo and Mono Sidechain Compressors for Tracktion A brief word about Compressors Standard vs. Sidechain Compressors As an example of how to use a A standard compressor detects the level of the Loud compressor, supposing you have a input signals from the main (host) track, and track with a wide dynamic range. applies the math to this track to produce the This may have some exquisitely processed output signals. detailed and quiet passages, played Wide LEVEL DETECTOR before breaking into t
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Stereo and Mono Sidechain Compressors for Tracktion Adding the Sidechain Compressor in Tracktion The fi rst thing to do is to open up Tracktion and Setting up a new Rack Filter open your project. The Sidechain Compressors have an extra input (the Key Input), and you must use the Rack Tracktion uses the term “fi lter” to refer to a Filters feature of Tracktion to make this work. plug-in, be it native to Tracktion, or a 3rd party This is really exciting and wonderful, so we plug-in such as a
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Stereo and Mono Sidechain Compressors for Tracktion Example 1: Compressor triggering from another track Suppose you want to use the Sidechain Compressor as a "ducker," i.e., to reduce a music program when you make an announcement. We can set up the Sidechain Compressor to take its Key Input from a vocal track, and its main inputs from a music track. Setting up the Key Input 1. Set up the Rack Filter on track 1 (for example), as shown on the previous page. 2. Click on the fi lter icon at the r
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Stereo and Mono Sidechain Compressors for Tracktion Setting up the Main Input 6. Add a new fi lter to track 5 (for example), but do not choose the Sidechain Compressor. Instead, choose the Rack Filter you just set up in step 1. Note: the Rack Filter is the same unit for both track 1 and track 5, and not two separate units. 7. Click on its icon, to bring up the rack fi lter details at the bottom of the screen. 8. In the rack fi lter details area, set the input destinations of track 5 to be the l
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Stereo and Mono Sidechain Compressors for Tracktion Adding an EQ to the Key Input (an optional and fun thing to do) 13. Add a new fi lter inside the rack fi lter (instead of to the right of the tracks), and choose an EQ. 14. Then click on the Key Input connecting line and use the mouse to hook the EQ in-line. Use the EQ graph to adjust its parameters to suit your delicate audio sensibilities. Select the Key Solo but- ton to audition the Key Input. 11 User’s Guide
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Stereo and Mono Sidechain Compressors for Tracktion Example 2: Compressor triggering from the same track Tracktion's wonderful rack fi lter system lets you make the key input the same as your main input. One application for this, is to make a De-Esser to get rid of high "Ssss" sounds on vocal tracks. Dedicated De-Essers have more fi ne features and controls, but this will give you a basic functioning model. Setting up the Key Input to be the same as the main input, but with an EQ 1. Set up the
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Stereo and Mono Sidechain Compressors for Tracktion 4. Connect the left and right outputs of the EQ to the Key Input of the compressor. 5. Adjust the EQ to boost the higher frequencies where the "S" sounds lurk. A bit like this (although this is a more extreme example): 6. And now, here we are. The Key Input is a copy of the main vocal, only with the EQ section actu- ally boosting the S frequencies we don't want. Hmmm... that might seem a bit odd, but there is a method to the madness. The Ke
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Stereo and Mono Sidechain Compressors for Tracktion Using the EQ to drop off the lows There is another useful and common application for a Sidechain Compressor: If you have a Guitar track, and you do not want the low frequencies compressed, you can place an EQ in the Key Input to roll off the lows. The EQ passes only the mids and highs into the Key Input, and therefore the compressor will only apply compression for these frequencies. It will not compress during the dynamic low-frequency mangl
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Stereo and Mono Sidechain Compressors for Tracktion Sidechain Compressor Features Global Controls Contour Edit Screen Compressor Controls The Main Screen is made up of two sections: Global Controls Compressor Controls and Contour Edit Screen The Global Controls section includes the Lock and Hide buttons, Preset up/down buttons, Pre- set title window, Active, Menu, and Mem A/B buttons. The Compressor Controls section includes most of the controls and readouts. You can use your mouse to m
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Stereo and Mono Sidechain Compressors for Tracktion Global Controls Lock Save User Preset As...: Saves a Preset to the If this is pressed, the compressor's interface hard drive with a new fi le name. (For example, will not disappear when you select other items use this after making slight changes to a preset, or areas in Tracktion. and saving it as a variation) Save User Preset: Saves changes to the current Hide preset to the hard drive. This hides the compressor interface from view, Rese
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Stereo and Mono Sidechain Compressors for Tracktion Threshold The Contour Edit Screen The level at which the compressor starts work- 0 ing is called the threshold. The compressor will reduce the level of signals above the threshold -6 volume level and not affect lower-level signals. You can adjust the threshold by grabbing the T -12 node on the graph, or by adjusting the slider. -18 -24 -30 The threshold has been set here to –30 dB, so -36 any input levels lower than –30 dB are not af- fecte
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Stereo and Mono Sidechain Compressors for Tracktion When AUTO MAKEUP is IN, the compressor au- Compression Ratio tomatically chooses an appropriate makeup gain The compression ratio compares the change for you. This is based on your dynamics contour. in input level with the change in output level. You can still use the ‘manual’ gain makeup con- From the graph on the previous page, the input trol in this case. It merely adds to the makeup range from 0 dB to the threshold is –30 dB. gain au
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Stereo and Mono Sidechain Compressors for Tracktion Soft Clip On and Threshold The Soft Clip switch activates a soft-clip limiter circuit. There is also a threshold slider. When the output level goes above this threshold, the soft-clip circuit kicks in. This circuit starts add- ing analog-style distortion, which rounds off transient peaks, and avoids the harsher sound of a straight digital clip. The lower the thresh- old, the more analog-style distortion is added. If the threshold is set t
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Stereo and Mono Sidechain Compressors for Tracktion Reduction Meter Input and Output OL LEDs The small boxes at the right of the input and output meters are the overload LEDs. They light if the signal goes above 0 dB, and this should be avoided. Most little red lights which come on should be avoided, like that one in the car which says "Oil." You can generally get rid of clipping by backing off the makeup gain slider slightly, or by engag- ing the Soft Clip switch (see the previous page).
