AutomaticDynamic

Parallel mid-side compression with transparent automatic gain staging.

AutomaticDynamic is a compressor plugin that handles its own gain-staging. The threshold and make-up gain are continuously updated by an algorithm, freeing the user to focus on more-musical decisions such as how much compression is desired, and what attack and release times sound best.
Instead of a traditional threshold control, the plugin has a Compression dial that controls how much gain reduction occurs by adjusting how far the automatic threshold rides below the peaks in your signal. Meanwhile the device tries to keep the output LUFS as close as possible to that of the input, without creating audible gain changes.

Why would you want this? Perhaps sometimes you wouldn’t. If you’re mixing a live show and trying to control an unruly vocalist, you may prefer a compressor with a fixed threshold setting. But what if you’re trying to inject movement into a track that sounds flat, and you want this effect to work on both the quiet and loud sections without needing to automate any controls? That’s where AutomaticDynamic shines. Because the threshold rides up and down with the music, you can imprint a consistent dynamic signature across the whole track. And if you make upstream changes to the signal that alter its loudness, AutomaticDynamic will keep working the same without needing to be recalibrated.

The approach that this device brings to automatic make-up gain also makes parallel compression much easier. Because the plugin works hard to keep the wet signal just as loud as the dry (i.e. input) signal, you can turn the dry/wet mix knob without noticeable changes in perceived loudness. The plugin also tries to accommodate movements in other key parameters, such as the Compression, Ratio, Attack, Release and Gating dials, without obviously raising or lowering loudness. A fundamental psychoacoustic challenge for music producers and engineers is Loudness Bias, which is the phenomenon that louder music usually sounds better. Paradoxically, traditional compressors tend to change the loudness of a signal as their controls are adjusted, making it difficult for the user to judge whether the underlying sound got better or worse.

In addition to facilitating painless parallel processing, the Reflex approach to automatic gain-staging also makes mid-side compression and saturation much easier, as these effects no longer require the user to specify a distinct threshold and drive setting for the mid and (usually quieter) side channels—both mid and side are controlled with a single dial.

Beyond the above points about workflow and bias-free listening, the main reason to use this plugin is that it sounds great. It has sophisticated gain-reduction dynamics, including a transfer function that moves in response to the signal, and non-linear ballistic behavior designed to preserve transients. The device has a subtle box tone implemented as a parellel saturation circuit that automatically stays in the sweet spot without you having to calibrate a drive control. AutomaticDynamic is designed to already sound good on your music before you've even adjusted a dial.

Features

• Automatic compression threshold—use the "Compression" dial to control how far the threshold rides below the peaks in your signal
• Adjustable compression ratio (1–6x) and attack/release times
  
• Internal sidechain detector filters (no external sidechain—see AutomaticLite for sidechain ducking capability)
• Simple automatic gate with adjustable range up to 6dB
• Subtle box-tone saturation with automatic gain-staging (linear-phase oversampling if project sample rate is below 160kHz)
• Parallel processing via gain-matched dry/wet mix control for compressor and gate (does not affect box tone)
• Automatic make-up gain targeting neutral LUFS impact
• Mid-side processing (100% unlinked)

How to use

• Use AutomaticDynamic on your master bus or on individual audio tracks
• Set the release time to where it best complements the groove of your material
  
• Click the gain reduction display for instant A/B test (bypass mode continues to use CPU in order to keep the plugin calibrated to the incoming signal)
• Click "M" or "S" within the display to toggle Mid or Side processing on/off
  
• Double-click a dial to reset it to its default value, or hold <CTRL>/<CMD> to fine-tune
  

Technical notes

• Available in VST3 format for PC, and VST3 & AU formats for Mac. AAX support coming soon
• Requires a compatible Digital Audio Workstation or other plugin host
• ~1ms latency
• Plugin is designed for common audio signals such as music and voice; may not react meaningfully to artificial test signals such as chirps, impulses and bursts

Please download and evaluate the free demo version of AutomaticDynamic before purchasing, as we don’t yet offer refunds. Demo version here.

See here for information about versions and changes.

Note that we also offer a free, simplified version of AutomaticDynamic called AutomaticLite.