Mid Range attack times

[stace]

On the 8500 you have what appears to be two controls to adjust the attack times for band 3. There is a function allowing you to set a specific attack time. Then a percentage of maximum.

What is the difference in the functionality of these to parameters.

 

[rorban]

On the 8500 you have what appears to be two controls to adjust the attack times for band 3. There is a function allowing you to set a specific attack time. Then a percentage of maximum.

What is the difference in the functionality of these to parameters.

The mtuliband processing in the 8500 combines "compressor" and "limiter" functions. The multiband gain reduction meters display the sum of the compressor and limiter gain reductions. You can see the fast limiter gain reduction riding on top of the slower compressor gain reduction.

The compressor and limiter are coupled so that each is "aware" of what the other is doing. The Band 3 Attack Time control is a master attack time control that affects both the compressor and limiter. The Band 3 Limiter Attack Time control allows you to set the limiter attack alone anywhere from 0 to 100% of normal. Setting this control to 0% defeats the limiter, while 100% causes the maximum available amount of limiter action.

Because the limiter and compressor characteristics interact, you will usually get best audible results when you set the Limiter Attack control in the range of 70% to 100%. Below 70%, you will probably hear pumping because the compressor function is trying to create some of the gain reduction that the faster limiting function would have otherwise achieved. If you hear pumping in a band and you still wish to adjust the limiter attack to a low setting, you can sometimes ameliorate or eliminate the pumping by slowing down the compressor attack time in that band.