What mix bus processing should entail can mean different things to different engineers. We take a listen to one that not only offers three processors, but also offers command over all of them of them with just one control…
Why Process The Mix Anyway?
Despite the control offered by access to individual tracks, frequently the engineer will employ universal processing across the entire mix. Employing ‘big picture’ processing in this way is different to processing constituent tracks to the same end. Certainly, the homogenised sound that can result is for many the sound of a record where the unprocessed alternative might fail to inspire.
Compression, Saturation, Limiting, And Glue
A great example of this is mix bus compression. Differing from track or submix compression, a unifying aesthetic develops within complex audio when compressed. This is in part thanks to the dynamics of all elements moving in concert as gain reduction takes place. Compression that only catches the peaks is common in this role, and for this reason, some mixers also turn to subtle harmonic distortion as well, thanks to its gentle compression effects among other things. Both of these effects are sometimes referred to as mix ‘glue’.
In the digital era, limiting is frequently viewed as a purely technical process to protect against overs. Nonetheless, soft digital limiters can also be employed to bring a more ‘cushion-like’ stop to peaks, with the resulting sound having more in common with analogue signal chains. The digital hard limiter can then sit downstream of this for quantitative level control.
Three Processes, One Control
Billed as a bus compressor and enhancer, Newfangled Audio’s recently announced Invigorate bus processor brings compression, limiting, and overdrive into one place. What is perhaps most notable about it is that basic blending between them and the amount of each can be done using a single, draggable breakpoint. Allowing the engineer to morph between the three basic functions, this lives in a large, easy to read wedge-shaped window that Newfangled Audio call the Radar.
Explaining the ethos behind Invigorate, Newfangled Audio elaborate:
Invigorate is based on the insight that compression, limiting, and expansion are all the same fundamental process, so we took the best parts of all three and built one effect that that allows you to morph between them. The radar display allows you to DRIVE into the processor by moving the ball up, and MORPH between compression, limiting, and overdrive by moving the ball side to side. Then you can use the phase compensated MIX control to dial in the perfect amount of energy. Finally, the COMPENSATE GAIN button will make sure you’re always listening at the same level, and the INPUT and OUTPUT TONE CONTROLS allow you to tailor the wet signal while keeping everything in phase.
Watch in the video as we use Invigorate’s Radar to slide between compression, limiting, and overdrive to bring density to an alt rock mix. We then explore some of its other features that allow finer control that goes beyond simple More or Less. We then refine the mix’s spectral signature using Invigorate’s 3-band tone shaping controls.
More on Newfangled Audio Invigorate:
Unique Radar control allows you to dial in gain while morphing from compression, through limiting, to distortion.
Prominent MIX knob allows you to dial in the amount of character.
Adjustable gain curve for all three effects.
SHAPE, SQUASH, and GATE controls for the gain curve give the perfect amount of control over your tone.
An aggressive level detector makes the compression pump and breathe when desired.
Innovative gain compensation algorithm allows you to dial in the perfect sound without tricking yourself that "louder is better."
Input and output TONE controls allow you to tailor the sound of the wet signal before mixing.
Oversampling and Anti-aliasing assure clean sonics with no digital aliasing.
Who Needs Dials Anyway?
Using the Radar, Mix, and Tone controls will get many users a good way towards the desired sound, and the layout of Invigorate seems especially suited to newer engineers whose preconceptions of how a tool should be operated have yet to become entrenched.
For those who have seen it all before, using it is an interesting experience, doing away with perhaps the most ubiquitous audio control element after the fader; the knob. The Radar’s draggable ‘puck’ makes it easy to instantly understand how the three processes are being controlled, with a simple two-axis mode of operation. Everything else encourages the user to look and listen, but never to expect, as often would be the case when turning a photo-realistic control. With an apparent aversion to all things rotary, its remaining controls are either slidable, typeable, or square!
Mixer photo background by Luke Southern on Unsplash