Antares TA-1VP Manuale Utente

The models employed by the TA-1VP are not derived 

from theoretical considerations. They are generated by 

a proprietary analysis process that is applied to each 

physical mic modeled. Not only the sonic characteristics, 

but the behavior of other parameters such as low-cut 

filters or proximity effects accurately reflect the specific 

performance of each microphone modeled.
Another advantage of this model-based approach is that 

there is essentially no processing delay apart from the 

natural phase effects of the microphones being modeled.
Finally, the quality and signal-to-noise characteristics 

of the processing are pristine. Because of Antare's 

commitment to model-based processing, there are none 

of the limitations or distortions characteristic of FFT-based 

algorithms. The quality of the output is limited only by the 

quality of the input.

While there is a lot of fairly complicated stuff going on 

under the hood, the essential functionality of the TA-1VP's 

Mic Modeling module is really quite simple. Basically, 

audio originally recorded by a microphone is input to 

the TA-1VP where it is first processed by a “Source Model” 

which serves to neutralize the known characteristics of 

the input mic. The audio is then processed by a second 

“Modeled Mic” model which imposes the characteristics 

of the modeled mic onto the previously neutralized signal. 

Finally, the audio is passed through a model of a high-

quality tube preamp offering the option of classic tube 

saturation distortion.

Compression is probably the most widely used (and 

potentially confusing) signal process used in today’s 

studios. Simply put, compression reduces the dynamic 

range of a signal. That is, it reduces the difference in 

loudness between the loudest and quietest parts of a 

piece of music. Another way to think about this is that the 

compressor is acting as an automatic fader which fades 

down when the signal gets loud and fades back up when 

the signal gets soft.
Why reduce the dynamic range? Consider the problem 

of mixing the vocal in a contemporary rock or pop song. 

Typically, pop music has a relatively consistent level of 

loudness. If an uncompressed vocal track is added to a 

typical pop mix, loudly sung words or syllables would 

jump out of the mix, while quieter phrases would be 

buried beneath the instrumental texture. This is because 

the difference between the loudest and softest sounds 

in the vocal - its dynamic range - is very large. This same 

problem occurs for any instrument which has a dynamic 

range larger than the music bed into which it is being 

mixed. (For that reason, most instruments, not just vocals, 

undergo some compression in the typical mix.)

By using a compressor to decrease the dynamic range of 

the vocal, the softer sounds are increased in loudness and 

the loudest sounds are reduced in loudness, tending to 

even out the overall level of the track. The overall level of 

the compressed track can then be increased (using what 

is referred to as “make-up gain”), making the vocal track 

louder and more consistent in level, and therefore easier 

to hear in the mix.

How is compression measured? What is a little 

compression and what is a lot of compression?
The effect a compressor has on a track is determined by 

the settings of its threshold and ratio. The threshold is the 

level above which the signal is attenuated. The ratio is the 

measure of how much the dynamic range is compressed.
The graph shown below shows the relationship between 

the input level of a signal and the output level of the 

signal after compression. Notice that signals that are 

louder than the threshold are compressed (reduced 

in level) while those softer than the threshold are 

unchanged.
As the input signal exceeds the threshold, gain reduction 

(reduction in loudness) is applied. The amount of gain 

reduction that is applied depends on the compression 

ratio. The higher the compression ratio, the more gain 

reduction is applied to the signal.
The graph shows the relationship between compression 

ratio and gain reduction. Examine the 2 to 1 ratio curve. 

For signals above the threshold, this setting transforms a 

range of loudness 2 units large into a range of loudness 

one unit large (i.e., if the input signal gets “x” units louder, 

the compressed signal increases by only “x/2” units).

OUTPUT

LEVEL

INPUT LEVEL

LOUDER

LOUDER

THRESHOLD

I/O CURVE

1 TO 1 RATIO

2 TO 1 RATIO

4 TO 1 RATIO

8 TO 1 RATIO

99 TO 1 RATIO