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Key Features
Product Ref: 117960
XPRESSOR offers a range of powerful dynamic shaping tools including onboard parallel compression, sidechain filtering and external sidechain ability, as well as auto fast mode. Parallel compression controls on the front panel allow you to easily blend the processed signal with the unprocessed whilst stabilising the dynamics. With this being in the box, it provides you with much better signal quality, and allows you to use extreme settings without ruining a track. The Auto Fast function provides semi automation, or perfect attack on the basis of the value set by the user. It's a great way to glue parts of a mix together. Usually, if a very short attack time is used, the compressor will catch short peaks, but will also process the sustaining signal which can result in audible distortion. The longer settings will reduce distortion but then it will be too slow for catching fast impulses. In Auto Fast mode, the compressor is lightning fast only when it’s needed and adapts to the currently right setting automatically.
XPRESSOR also features a sidechain filter and external sidechain input for creative control. The sidechain filter is a selective frequency compression. It features a tunable low-cut filter in the sidechain which avoids overcompression and pumping when you can have a large amount of low-end energy in your mix. If you were to use the usual approach of full range compression you would maybe end up overcompressing the whole mix because everything is reduced too much, the mix can start to move with the beat of the kick. Ideal for electronic music definitely, but for others not so. The sidechain filter reduces the effect that the low frequencies have on the overall compression. XPRESSOR also features external sidechain that allows you to accent the compressor with groove and pump. This allows the compressor's signals to not be triggered from the regular audio inputs, but instead by different signals which are fed into the additional sidechain input connectors. This lets you use compression exactly on time or out of time, which can then be varied on-the-fly, making static material sound much more interesting and full of energy.
On top of all these dynamic shaping features that allow you to produce a clean, open, transparent and punchy mix and master, the XPRESSOR also features a number of not-so-usual features you'd see on a compressor. The XPRESSOR features a warm mode that lets you switch up the sound flavour by altering its frequency spectrum, harmonics and transient response. Fast transients are slowed down making them appear rounder and glued. By having this function, the XPRESSOR offers both powerful transparency of the class-A circuitry and a saturated richness of warm mode. XPRESSOR has a unique feature that changes the characteristic of the release curve, switching it from a linear progress to a logarithmic course. By having a logarithmic release, the time constant shortens when the amount of gain reduction increases, therefore giving short and loud peaks quick release times, while the rest of the material is smoothly processed with a slower release. This makes the XPRESSOR ideal for mastering and stereo buss compression.
The XPRESSOR features negative ratios, which is great for creating cool groovy 'pumping', backwards sounds, expansion effects, gating effects and more. At a negative ratio, the curve bends and returns back down after crossing the threshold, meaning the louder the input, the quieter the output. Finally, the XPRESSOR also features a gain reduction limiter that is unusually placed in the control path of the compressor, limiting the control voltage according to the setting of the GR Limit controller. With this, loud parts of your track will keep their dynamics and not be compressed beyond the limit of the Gain Reduction Limiter. This can be ideal for ducking or upward compression.