Consisting of Compressor, Expander and Auto Level, the dynamics section of TotalMix FX
offers a very comprehensive toolset for advanced sound sculpting.
Add more punch and attack to drums, control the dynamics of incoming and outgoing
signals or completely alter the sound - all possible
with the TotalMix FX Dynamics.
First, click on “Dynamics” for activation.
The Compressor and expander can be adjusted independenty from each other.
With the threshold knob we can determine when the compressor
or expander start to work.
A compressor reduces the Level of a signal above a certain threshold while the ratio
determines the attenuation.
Because this will lower the loudness, we can achieve unity gain by using the gain
control to compensate for the compression.
The expander works the other way around: while signals above the threshold will be amplified,
signals below the threshold are decreased in volume to a certain degree, depending on
the ratio settings, thus making loud signals louder
and low signals quieter.
For shaping the dynamics more precisely two further parameters are available: attack and release.
Attack defines how long it takes for the compressor or expander to work after the threshold is reached.
Release, on the other hand, sets the time for the compressor and expander to stop after
the signal falls below the threshold.
For a better understanding of the dynamics section, the amplitude display gives a precise
overview of the level changes caused by the current settings of the Compressor and Expander.
The white dot shows the level of the input signal and, therefore displaying whether the
signal is within the processing range or not.
The small light blue lines in the level meter show the currently
active gain reduction.
While the Compressor is mainly used to reduce signal levels above a certain threshold, Auto Level
is a combination of limiter and signal amplifier,
affecting levels around a certain threshold.
The headroom setting sets the threshold from -3
dBFS down to -12 dBFS, which then also reduces the output level accordingly.
The amount of amplification and the 'rise time' are also adjustable.
The 'attack time' for lowering amplification when high level signals occur is a few ms.
Auto Level works pre-fader, so any loss in volume can
be compensated by rasing the fader above 0 dB.
With only three simple controls Auto Level can be used as a maximum volume limiter at
the hardware outputs, to add some digital style,
fast compression with and without the Compressor, or to operate more traditionally as fast or
slow averaging leveler.
Note that Auto Level both reduces and increases gain.
The channel's level meter in combination with the gain reduction
meter gives an easy to understand display of how the function changes the signal.
We hope this video gave you a better understanding of the dynamics section.
Please don’t hesitate to ask us for support in the comment
section below the Video.