JOEMEEK COMPRESSOR SC2
LIMITING AND COMPRESSION
Why is the JOEMEEK different to a modern high tech. compressor limiter? It
was designed as a stereo effects compressor rather than a 'leveling amplifier'
as the early compressors was called.
These are the basic definitions:
. A LIMITER is a device which stops the output of a signal path going
above a predetermined level.
. A COMPRESSOR is a device which reduces the dynamic range of
programmed material.
A 'perfect' compressor is an amplifier where the input/output ratio is constant:
So using a 2:1 compressor, increasing the input by 2dB gives a corresponding
1dB increase in the output.
Early compressors which used variable mu thermionic tubes or photoelectric
devices only approximated true compression over a limited range. They had a
soft 'threshold' where compression started and held to a predictable ratio up to
a certain level, and then they returned to a more linear amplification allowing
transients through. This is in stark contrast to modern VCA
compressor/limiters where designers thought it 'sensible' to combine the
functions of compressor and limiter and to 'stonewall' any and all signals
above a certain level.
The musical effect is that (I know I'm over simplifying) VCA compressors
sound muddy and flat, while old compressors sound lively and retain sparkle.
ITS HORSES FOR COURSES, a good VCA compressor limiter will do a good
job making medium wave radio sound a bit louder and protecting a radio
transmitter from exploding, but it is a poor tool for making a voice track stand
out.
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