One of most powerful modules in Alloy is the Dynamics section. You can use this module to shape the dynamics of your mix with up to three bands of ‘Digital’ or analog-modeled ‘Vintage’ compression. Alloy’s dynamics section is extremely versatile and can handle smooth vocal compression and gating, extreme drum buss compression, and anything in between. Two independent dynamics modules can be used in series or parallel, giving you many creative possibilities for shaping your audio.
Key Features:
• Apply dynamics processors selectively to different frequency ranges.
• Auto Gain automatically adds make-up gain to adjust for the dynamics process.
• Digital mode provides precise, linear compression
• Vintage mode emulates the program-dependant compression and non-linear release characteristics of classic analog compressors
• Real-time visualization of the dynamics within each band with gain reduction and dynamics transfer metering
Alloy Dynamics
Each Dynamics module is capable of two types of dynamics processing: compression, and gating/expansion.
Compressor – The compressor allows you to reduce the dynamic range of a recording, make it more consistent in volume, and increase its average level. When the audio input level is greater than its threshold setting, gain will be reduced by an amount controlled by the ratio parameter.
Expander/Gate – The expander/gate can be thought of as performing the opposite task as the compressor. It takes program material below the threshold and reduces it by a factor determined by the ratio. Depending on the Ratio setting, the Expander/Gate can function as a noise gate (silencing quiet sections) or an upward compressor (boosting quiet sections).
This allows you, for example, to apply compression to high level signals, and/or boost/cut (expand/gate) the level of soft signals. The combination is such that you can tighten the dynamic range by compressing "from the top" or by expanding or gating "from the bottom" or a combination of both.
Alloy includes two independent Dynamics modules in order to further shape your sound and provide the necessary tools for any type of incoming audio.
Often times it is desirable to use Dynamics 1 to first provide heavier quicker compression with a higher ration, faster attack and release times, in order to tame very transient material. Dynamics 2 can then be used to provide very soft compression with lower ration and slower attack and release times, in order to gel the incoming audio into your mix. By default, Dynamics 1 comes before Dynamics 2 in series, however this can be changed in Alloy’s Filter ‘Graph’.
Both Dynamics module’s 1 and 2 load in single band operation by default, however both can be switched into full multiband operation. Each band therefore has its own set of controls for controlling the dynamics.
Dynamics 1 and 2 can also have separate compression modes providing for interesting combinations of dynamics shaping. Each individual band however, cannot have its own unique compression mode. There are a maximum of three possible bands, as shown by the sections in the multiband section at the top.
To select a band, click on its corresponding section in the multiband spectrum. The controls and dynamics meters will be updated to display the currently selected band.
Threshold: Set the point where the dynamics processing takes place.
Note: Please also see Sidechain operation in order to trigger Dynamics modules 1 and 2 from an alternate audio source.
Ratio: Sets the ratio for the dynamics process. Higher ratios will result in more extreme compression or expansion/gating.
In the Compressor, the Ratio determines how much gain reduction happens when audio levels pass the threshold. For example, with a 4:1 ratio, for every 4 decibels the input signal increases, the output will only increase 1 decibel.
The expander can have a ratio greater or less than 1.0. When the ratio is greater than 1, it is operating as a gate and any signals below the threshold will be decreased in volume. With a high positive ratio it can act as an effective multiband noise gate, as shown below.
With ratios less than 1 the expander or compressor can act as an "upward compressor" by boosting the low level signals. This is an effective technique for adding fullness to a mix as you can bring up the lower levels without compressing or limiting the upper levels.
Attack: This is the amount of time in milliseconds that Alloy will wait after the incoming signal has passed the defined threshold value, to apply the specified ratio and compression algorithm, Shorter attack times will result in much quicker compression and a clamping down on incoming peaks in your audio, while longer attack times can result in much more subtle compression/gating/expansion.
Release: The release time is the amount of time in milliseconds that it takes for Alloy to reduce its gain reduction back to zero once the signal has fallen below the threshold. Shorter release times can tend to unnaturally pump on certain audio material, where longer release times have a more subtle gradual feel to them.
Note: Auto-smoothing, available in the options menu, causes Alloy to intelligently make small changes in its attack and release times to reduce the amount of distortion generated by the dynamics.
Mode: This button allows you to change each Dynamics module’s compression algorithm
• Vintage – This mode emulates the program-dependant compression and non-linear release characteristics of classic analog compressors.
• Digital – This compression mode is built upon modern compression techniques and is designed to provide very clear, precise, and linear compression to give a great sounding but minimally colored sound.
Knee: Controls the shape of the bend in the compressor’s response curve. The bend in the dynamics response curve is created by the specified ratio with respect to the unprocessed signal and occurs at the threshold value. Changing the knee provides a method of dynamically altering the Ratio parameter in order to provide different compression characteristics.
• Soft – As the signal passes the threshold, the ratio will gradually increase until it reaches the value specified in the Ratio parameter. This therefore provides a gradual bend from the unprocessed signal to the specified ratio value, making this transition less noticeable and giving more transparent results.
• Hard – As the signal passes the threshold, the compression ratio is immediately imposed upon the signal, effectively eliminating all bend in the knee. This transition can therefore become more noticeable, however also provide for quicker more firm compression depending on the desired effect.
Make-Up Gain (manual): Adjusts the output gain of either the band or the entire module. This is useful for making up the decrease in volume caused by compressing audio.
Auto Gain: When selected, Auto Gain calculates RMS levels of both the input and output signals of the compressor for each crossover band and applies the appropriate gain to the output signal to compensate for the difference. This allows you to not worry about manually applying make-up gain as you set the compressor.
Auto Gain is also a useful tool for A/B'ing the compressed signal against your original audio. If you compare your original audio to the audio being processed by Alloy’s Dynamics section by hitting the module’s Bypass switch, having Auto Gain enabled will ensure you’re really hearing the effect of the compression and expansion, not just a change in volume.
RMS detection: When this option is enabled, Alloy acts as an RMS compressor/gate/expander. This means that instead of looking at the peak level of the incoming signal, Alloy looks at the average signal level.
By default, this is Off and Alloy’s Dynamics will be triggered by incoming signal peaks. In general, peak detection is useful when you're trying to even out sudden peaks in your music. RMS detection is useful when you're trying to increase the overall volume level without changing the character of the sound.
Parallel Processing: Instead of Alloy’s Dynamics 1 and 2 modules running in series, one right after the other, with parallel processing enabled, the incoming audio will be split into two identical audio streams, each running independently into Dynamics 1 and Dynamics 2. What this allows for is to have two different compressors acting upon the incoming audio at the same time.
To turn Parallel Dynamics processing ON, simply open the Graph and click and drag one Dynamics module up and over the other. The Dynamics modules will then jump into a closed box circuit shown below, indicating both Dynamics 1 and 2 running in parallel mode.
Because of this, Dynamics 1 and 2 must both operate in either single band or multiband modes. If both are in multiband mode, each module must have the same crossover frequencies. This is done to maintain phase and high audio quality when working with this internal routing.
The benefits of parallel processing are such that, one Dynamics module can have very severe pumping settings, in order to create the effect of heavy compression and expansion, while the other module only has very light settings. This will therefore give your audio the sound of heavy dynamics processing without sacrificing your dynamic range entirely.