EVENTIDE OMNI PRESSOR COMPRESSOR PLUG IN User Guide
- June 5, 2024
- Eventide
Table of Contents
User Guide
Welcome
part 1
1.1 About This Product
Thank you for your purchase of the Eventide Omnipressor® plug-in. The product
recreated in this plug-in was among the first introduced by Eventide – and
among the world’s
first commercially available professional recording products. For over 40
years, innovative products like these have made Eventide an industry leader,
and we are extremely proud that they continue to be in demand today. We’ll get
into more depth on the product soon but, before you forget, please take a few
minutes to register online. This helps
us keep you informed of any important software updates and any special offers
that may only be available to registered users.
Omnipressor
part 2
Production Dates: 1971 – 1984
Originally described as a ”professional-quality dynamic modifier”, the
Omnipressor® rapidly became a very popular studio dynamics piece. Its unique
Function knob allowed
the engineer to move from Noise Gate effects through dynamic reversal – an
effect that reverses a sound’s envelope making loud sounds quiet, and quiet
sounds louder. This control, combined with unique gain and attenuation
controls, lets you produce extremely aggressive dynamics with a very little
tweaking. A cymbal, for example, can be made to sound ”reversed” by setting a
fast Attack and setting Function near its clockwise limit. The diagram below
illustrates the wide-ranging Function control.
The controls are divided into three main sections: Main Panel, Expansion Panel, and the Preset Bar.
2.1 Main Panel
Input Threshold| Sets the gain crossover point. For example, when the
system is in Compression mode, an input signal below the threshold will have
its amplitude increased and signals above the threshold will have their
amplitude reduced.
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Line In/Out| Bypasses the processing on the Omnipressor®. The meters
will continue to operate as normal but the signal will not be altered.
Attack Time| Determines the time in which the system responds to a
change in input level. Assuming a 10 dB step increment in input level, the
attack time is numerically equal to the time required for the level detector
to reach its final state with respect to the new input level.
Bass Cut/Norm| Determines the frequency response of the level detector
circuit. Set to NORMAL to match the frequency response to the gain control
section. Set to BASS CUT to attenuate bass signals and reduce their effect on
the overall compression/expansion operations.
Release Time| Determines the time in which the system responds to a
decrease in input level. Assuming a 10 dB step increment in input level, the
attack time is numerically equal to the time required for the level detector
to reach its final state with respect to the new input level.
Meter Function| Allows you to select meter monitoring of Input, relative
Gain, or Output. These functions control only the meter display – they have no
effect on signal processing. All level readings are in dBfs.
Function| This is the main Omnipressor® control. When set fully
counterclockwise, gain varies sharply from full attenuation to maximum gain as
the input threshold is exceeded. As the control is rotated clockwise, this
action becomes less sharp until the gain varies only a few dB from no input to
full input.
At the knob’s center point, the gain is constant, regardless of the input
level. As the knob is turned clockwise, gain begins decreasing with increasing
input level. More rotation produces substantial compression until the point of
infinite compression is reached and the gain decreases 1 dB for each dB of
signal increase, thus keeping the output level constant regardless of input.
Rotation past this point produces dynamic reversal, in which a high-level
input produces a lower output than does a low-level input. Full clockwise
rotation results in full output attenuation
above the Input Threshold.
Two LEDs alert you to the gain state of the Omnipressor®. A green Atten Led
illuminates to indicate that the Omnipressor is in gain reduction mode. A red
Gain Led illuminates in gain increase mode. The relative brightness of the
LEDs indicates the amount of gain reduction or increase. Operation of these
LEDs is instantaneous, so that peak limiting is indicated even when the meter
has insufficient time to respond.
Output/Cal| These switches allow you to increase the output level of the
Omnipressor® without affecting compression ratios or other operating
parameters. This is useful, for example, when the unit is being used in
extreme modes of compression or dynamic reversal, and the input signal is
large enough to cause large amounts of consistent gain reduction. In such
cases, you can select to increase the gain of the output stage by selecting
+10dB,
+20 dB, or both for 30 dB of gain. This control does not alter the gain of the
dry signal. 1
1Older versions of the plugin featured Input Calibration switches as well. These switches allowed the user to attenuate the input signal by 0, -10, -20, or -30 dB. The functionality of these switches has been superseded by the Input Gain control, which allows a continuous range of values from -48 dB to +12 dB, but the old controls will continue to function as before to ensure backward compatibility. They remain accessible via automation or generic plug- in views.
Atten Limit| Limits the maximum attenuation of the Omnipressor® from 30
dB to approximately 1 dB. This control overrides the action of Function.
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Gain Limit| Limits the maximum gain of the Omnipressor® from 30 dB to
approximately 1 dB. This control overrides the action of Function.
2.2 Expansion Panel
Input Gain| Adjusts the gain of the incoming signal to the Omnipressor®.
This control does not alter the gain of the dry signal.
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Sidechain Input| Allows the Omnipressor®’s level detect to be driven by
another audio source.
Mix| Adjusts the dry-wet mix. At 100%, the output will only be the
processed signal. Use values of less than 100% for parallel compression.
Output Gain| Adjusts the output gain of the processed signal. Like Input
Gain, this control does not alter the gain of the dry signal.
2.3 Preset Bar
Located at the top of the Omnipressor® Plug-In, the Preset Bar lets you load
and save presets, along with several other features.
When Omnipressor® is installed, a library of settings is placed into the **
Load and Save| The Load button allows you to load a .tide preset that is
stored anywhere on your computer. Save allows you to save a new preset to
anywhere on your computer, but it is recommended that you place it somewhere
in the
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Compare| The Compare button allows you to toggle between the current
settings and the last saved or loaded preset. This allows you to save or load
settings that you like, tweak as you please, and return to the original
settings for comparison.
Mix Lock| Enables a global mix value that will be the same on every
preset that is loaded. This is especially useful on an effect return track
where the mix should always be set to 100.
Info| Opens this User Guide, for quick access from the plug-in.
Settings| Click this button to edit user interface settings for all
instances of the plugin.
When “Always show slider values” is checked, slider values will not
automatically hide when the mouse is not over them.
Conclusion
part 3
We hope you enjoy the Omnipressor® plug-in and put it to good use in all of
your mixes.
Please be sure to check over Eventide’s other Native Plug-In offerings for
more unique and interesting effects.
Copyright 2021, Eventide Inc.
P/N: 141215, Rev 8
Eventide is a registered trademark of Eventide Inc.
AAX and Pro Tools are trademarks of Avid Technology. Names and logos are used
with permission.
Audio Units and macOS are trademarks of Apple, Inc.
VST is a trademark of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH.
All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective
owners.
Eventide Inc.
One Alsan Way
Little Ferry, NJ 07643
201-641-1200
www.eventide.com
References
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Read User Manual Online (PDF format) >>