Universal Audio SHADOW HILLS MASTERING COMPRESSOR - Manual (Page 2)

The Mastering Compressor
p. 2
OVERVIEW
The
Shadow
Hills
Mastering
Compressor
Plugin
is
a
faithful
1:1
model
of
the
corresponding
hardware
version,
offering
all
its
non-­‐linear
behavior
and
analog
sound
quality
in
the
digital
domain.
As
is
standard
in
all
equipment
deployed
by
Shadow
Hills,
the
Mastering
Compressor
boasts
discrete
op-­‐amp
technology,
custom-­‐designed
transformers,
and
a
signal
path
devoid
of
any
IC's.
The
unit
houses
two
linkable
channels
of
two
separate
compressors,
which
can
be
operated
independently,
or
in
a
chain.
The
first
compressor
in
the
circuit
is
the
Optical
Section.
Utilizing
electroluminescent
optical
attenuator,
the
circuit
provides
gain
reduction
with
a
very
musical
two-­‐stage
recovery.
The
second
compressor
in
the
circuit
is
the
Discrete
Section,
which
is
powered
by
our
discrete
voltage-­‐controlled
amplifier
in
a
feed-­‐forward
mode.
By
the
versatility
of
its
features
and
the
precision
of
its
controls,
the
Discrete
Section
capably
finishes
the
job
started
by
the
Optical
Section.
However,
the
coup
de
grace
lies
in
the
final
processing
stage
of
the
Shadow
Hills
Mastering
Compressor.
Each
channel
is
equipped
with
three
distinctive
output
transformers,
which
can
be
toggled
via
the
Transformer
Select
Switch,
effectively
changing
the
frequency
response
and
distortion
characteristics
of
the
entire
unit.
HARDWIRE BYPASS
The
operation
of
the
Shadow
Hills
Mastering
Compressor
is
controlled
by
a
series
of
toggle
switches.
When
flipped
to
“IN”,
the
“Hardwire
Bypass”
switch
engages
the
line
amp
and
output
transformer
circuitry.
When
flipped
to
“OUT”,
the
inputs
are
directly
connected
to
the
outputs
with
no
processing.
The
Optical,
Discrete,
and
Side
Chain
switches
function
in
an
identical
manner
–
“IN”
engages
the
corresponding
circuit,
and
“OUT”
bypasses
it.
In
order
for
the
compressors
to
operate,
the
hardwire
bypass
must
be
“IN”,
however
the
hardwire
bypass
can
be
engaged
with
the
compressors
“OUT”.
This
allows
audio
to
be
colored
by
our
discrete
op-­‐amp
and
custom
transformer
technology
at
unity
gain,
even
when
no
compression
is
desired,
turning
the
Mastering
Compressor
into
an
effective
tone
shaping
tool.
STEREO OPERATION
The
Shadow
Hills
Mastering
Compressor
can
operate
in
Dual
Mono
or
Stereo.
While
in
Dual
Mono,
each
side
has
independent
operation
and
all
of
the
controls
on
both
sides
are
active.
In
Stereo,
the
left-­‐hand
controls
operate
all
of
the
Mastering
Compressor’s
features
with
the
right-­‐hand
controls
not
having
any
effect
and
the
green
light
bulbs
reflecting
the
left-­‐hand
settings.
The
only
exception
is
the
Meter
Select
Switch,
which
remains
independent
on
both
channels.
This
facilitates
viewing
a
combination
of
gain
reduction
and
output,
or
the
two
different
stages
of
compression
simultaneously
while
in
Stereo.