The Inflator is a unique process that can provide an increase
in the apparent loudness of almost any programme, without
obvious loss of quality or audible reduction of dynamic range,
yet avoiding damaging increases in the peak level of the signal.
The inflator process can also bring power, presence and warmth
to programme material and even provide headroom overload margin
above digital maximum with a subtlety and musical character
reminiscent of tube systems.
Use the
Inflator to produce louder mixes than you thought possible
without overloads or compression pumping, or use it to add
natural warmth and character to acoustic or jazz mixes.
Features
Increases the loudness of almost any programme material.
Creates warmth, character and dynamic excitement, similar to that of analogue systems.
Provides virtual headroom above digital maximum to allow percussive peaks to pass without causing signal overload.
Creates artistic effects ranging from subtle tube-like harmonic
characteristics for warmth, presence and 'in your face' fatness, to
outright saturation distortion modelling.
Features
two modes of operation - direct and band split - for maximum
flexibility and artistic creativity. These two modes also ensure
optimal DSP usage.
Platforms Supported
Pro Tools HD (TDM), Pro Tools LE (RTAS), M-Powered (RTAS), PowerCore, AU, VST
General
No matter how limited and crushed programme material
already is, the Inflator will provide even more loudness. It will even
add apparent volume to a full scale white noise signal, or add
musciality to previously clipped signals.
The Inflator was developed in response to requests from mixing and
mastering engineers who are required to compete on the basis of the
overall apparent loudness of their final results. Its capable of
producing much louder mixes without without overloads or compression
pumping. Since it is truly a real-time process, there are no time
constants involved, as would be the case with limiters and compressors.
For the same reason, there is absolutely no chance of losing presence
or the flattening of percussive attack.
Used more subtly, it can add natural warmth and character to acoustic
or jazz mixes. Use it on single instruments to add presence, softness
and depth, or use it on percussion and drum tracks to produce amazing
dynamic presence, tightness and volume. The full dynamics of the
programme is largely preserved but with an increase in the average
modulation density.
A further aspect of enhancement provided by the Inflator involves the
creation of warmth reminiscent of good 'tube' or 'electronic valve'
systems. Significant 'musical overdrive' can be achieved working
especially well on individual tracks.
Input Section
The input section can be used in two ways.
If the CLIP 0dBr
button is selected, then the input clips at 0dB, in the same manner as
any normal input. As soon as the signal reaches levels of 0dB or
greater, overloads will be indicated by the meters.
If the CLIP 0dBr button is off, the Inflator is able to process signals beyond the equivalent of the normal digital maximum. The INPUT
fader has up to 12dB of gain for additional input level in order to
help the creation of saturation effects, where the Inflator can absorb
levels up to 6dB greater than normal digital maximum, as indicated by
the input meters.
Effect & Curve
The
CURVE
fader sets the characteristic of the Inflator effect. 0.0 is a good
starting point, when the fader is set in the middle of its travel.
Settings above 0.0 give more saturated sounds, whereas settings below
0.0 give cleaner, more sublte results.
The EFFECT fader sets the
amount of Inflator effect applied, where 0.0% leaves the signal
unaffected and 100% is maximum effect. The effect meter indicates the
amount of effect in action.
Band Split
Selecting
BAND SPLIT
causes the signal to be split into three separate bands which are
processed individually. (Active on RTAS and Band Split TDM plug-ins
only.)
Output Section
Meter indicates the
OUTPUT
level from the Inflator, which can be fine-tuned using the fader. The
fader can be left at maximum in most cases using the non-bandsplit
mode, as the Inflator does not increase the signal peak level.
System Requirements
Pro Tools
Pro Tools 6.0 or above
Approved Pro Tools CPU, OS and hardware configuration. More details: www.digidesign.com
Mac OSX 10.3 or later
(Leopard supported see Digidesign for details)
Windows XP
/ Vista32RAM 1GB minimum
iLok key with latest drivers
Audio Units
Audio Units compatible application (Logic, Digital Performer etc.)
Mac OSX 10.4 or later
(including Leopard)
RAM 1GB minimum
iLok key with latest drivers
VST
VST compatible application (Cubase, Nuendo, Acid etc.)
Mac OSX 10.4 or later
(including Leopard)
Windows XP
/ Vista32
RAM 1GB minimum
iLok key with latest drivers
PowerCore
TC PowerCore hardware
PowerCore version 3 drivers
AU or VST host application
Mac OSX 10.4 or later (including Leopard)
Windows XP / Vista32
RAM 1GB minimum
iLok key with latest drivers |
General
The Inflator plug-in
is primarily designed to address the current preference to produce the
maximum apparent loudness from popular music mixes. Many processes are
already in use, which are variously reliant on compression and limiting
to produce maximum modulation and engender an impression of excitement
to the sound of the programme. The Inflator plug-in goes further than
these methods and can increase the loudness of almost any programme
material, regardless of the levels of prior compression or remaining
dynamic range. It will even make full level white noise sound louder!
The Inflator plug-in can also be used to create much of the warmth,
character and dynamic excitement of analogue systems within the digital
domain.
The Inflator process functions by changing the relative probability of
the samples in the programme such that there is a greater predominance
and likelihood of larger values than the original signal. Because the
Inflator does not employ signal compression there is no ‘pumping',
dynamic level changes, loss of presence or flattening of percussive
attacks. The full dynamic information of the music is largely preserved
despite the increase in average modulation density.
In addition to loudness enhancement, the Inflator process can create a
harmonic profile in the signal spectrum that not only increases the
apparent dynamic impact of instruments and performances, but also
provides 'warmth' to the programme, reminiscent of good tube systems.
When used this way, the Inflator process even has the ability of good
tube systems in producing great sounding programme when significantly
overdriven and can therefore be used as an artistic enhancement tool on
single performances within a mix.
Input Modes
The Inflator process develops internally (and can process), signal
levels that are notionally greater than digital maximum. For instance,
with the
EFFECT fader at maximum and the
CLIP 0dBr
off, signal peaks above notional digital maximum can be accommodated
and much of their harmonic information can be included into the output
signal, even though the peak output level will not rise above digital
maximum. The presence of this extra signal range is displayed on the
upper sections of the input level meter and represents a range of up to
+6dBr of useable overdrive before hard clipping occurs. The
CLIP 0dBr
function suppresses this extra range and restricts the Inflator process
to the normal digital maximum range. Therefore it will be noted that
with the
CLIP 0dBr selected, the input level meter
will not rise above the 0dB level however much input gain is used.
Because the potential applications of the process are so varied, the
user is encouraged to experiment with the Clip 0dBr on and off to
obtain the best results depending on intention. The following are some
general guidelines:
Generally it is better to start by selecting
CLIP 0dBr on (default
) for
most loudness enhancement purposes including direct mode (non-band
split) since the control of peak levels, settings and sound character
is more readily achieved when a maximum reference level is imposed on
signals before the Inflator process.
In certain cases
better results may be obtained by de-selecting input limiting. In
particular the extra useable range can then be used to accommodate
short term overshoot sounds produced by compression functions, where
they are generated to enhance attack and presence. Since these peaks
are mostly short duration, they can often be accommodated effectively
in the overdrive ranges without excessive reduction of sound quality or
loss of average modulation. Please note that in this case it is
important to ensure that the peaks from prior compression are not
clipped between plug-ins, by making sure that the output signal from
the compressor does not quite hit peak levels before applying it to the
Inflator plug-in.
When using Band split modes for loudness enhancement, using the Inflator with
CLIP 0dBr off
may produce a reduction in unwanted intermodulation side effects when
pushing for absolute maximum loudness regardless of possible output
clipping etc.
When using direct mode (without band
splitting) for distortion generation the results will be quite
different with or without input clipping, and may produce useful
artistic effects in either circumstance. The Inflator is able to soften
clips that occur, either because of the Clip 0dBr setting, or even
those that happen before its own processing in prior plug-ins.
Therefore overdriving the Inflator with the Clip 0dBr function both on
and off, or even applying the Inflator to the output of other plug-ins
driven into overdrive can produce a vast range of artistic effects. To
explore the full range of possibilities, the importance of
experimentation cannot be over stressed.
Direct & Band-Split Modes
The Inflator application can run in either direct or band splitting modes, set using the
BAND SPLIT button.
In normal operation the whole frequency range of the programme is
processed simultaneously. This is usually the best position to run the
process under most conditions. One significant advantage of using this
mode is that the output relative peak level will not get larger than
peak level, however much Effect is applied. Therefore more overall
enhancement is possible before clipping the output and louder more
powerful results are possible. Also when used for distortion generation
the relative phase of the distortion harmonics are better preserved
when band splitting is not used, so accurate clip rounding is possible
producing a much more pleasing effect.
The band splitting function is offered as an additional mode that may
be useful under some specific conditions. When band splitting is
selected the processing is split into three frequency bands to avoid
intermodulation distortion between parts of the programme signal
spectrum. This mode is occasionally advantageous when going for maximum
loudness enhancement where there is a significant predominance of
specific frequency ranges in the programme content. However it should
be noted that, depending on programme and settings, operation in this
mode produces output levels that are beyond the relative input peak
level. This means that the signal is more likely to clip at the output,
which may produce an increased harshness to the sound. If this becomes
obtrusive, reducing the input or output levels to avoid clipping will
obviously somewhat negate the purpose of the exercise.
Basic Loudness Enhancement
For basic loudness enhancement the procedure is to get the programme up
to maximum normalised level at the input (0dBr) in order to fully
benefit from the Inflator process, apply the Inflator processing to get
the desired effect and adjust the output level to maintain desired
maximum modulation.
Start with the CLIP 0dBr function selected to limit the range of the Inflator to normal digital maximum.
Using the INPUT fader
and input meter, set the level such that the red 0db over indicator
flashes occasionally to indicate the presence of max peak sample
values.
Set the OUTPUT fader to maximum initially, so that the input and output meters read similarly when the material is played.
Set the CURVE fader to its mid position initially (default), and set the BAND SPLIT to off.
Start with the EFFECT fader at 100% to obtain maximum increase in perceived volume without extra peak output level.
The object of the exercise is to get the input level as high as
possible without excessive distortion or deterioration in the sound.
The type of programme material and taste will determine the extent of
the enhancement that can be achieved. If it is found that the programme
material is not significantly degraded at normal peak input levels,
further gain in loudness may be achieved by de-selecting
CLIP 0dBr and pushing the input level into the Inflator overload region.
It
is important to note that output overloads are entirely avoided only
when the Effect level control is set to maximum position (100%). In
general the best results are most likely to be obtained by operating
the Inflator effect level at maximum and adjusting the input level and
curve controls to produce the best sonic compromise.
Further user modifications to the Inflator process can be invoked to
either gain greater loudness or different characteristics in sonic
detail, as described below.
Metering & Overload Indication
For most workstation applications, the metering overload warning
indicator is intended to correspond to digital maximum modulation.
Different software host applications (and different versions of those
applications) may present varying interpretations of what this actually
represents numerically. Because the Inflator requires a very accurate
and independent internal representation of numerical maximum,
differences in overload indication may arise between the Inflator and
host applications. However since the Inflator overload indication is
set to respond to full level samples very precisely, it will produce
legal programme if overloads are not being recorded on the plug-in GUI,
even if overload indications are being triggered within the host mixer
application.
Further user modifications to the Inflator process can be invoked to
either gain greater loudness or different characteristics in sonic
detail, as described below.
Curve Modification
The curve modification control subtly affects the characteristic of the
Inflator process to affect both the perceived loudness and tonal
character of the signal.
With the
CURVE fader
set at minimum position (-50.0), the Inflator produces the most subtle
changes to the sound. Overall loudness enhancement is minimal but
significant harmonic content is added to produce a richer overall sonic
character. When applied to composite mixes, the predominantly loud
parts of the mix will apparently be accentuated over the background and
reverberant parts of the programme, producing the effect of dynamic
expansion (without a time constant). This setting is particularly
useful when treating drums and percussion instruments, when the
impression of dynamic presence needs to be enhanced, or the
contribution to the mix needs to be ‘tightened up' somewhat. This kind
of setting is also useful when used on single instruments (such as
acoustic guitars) where a softening of percussive aspects or ‘highs' of
the sound is needed without loss of apparent dynamic range.
Settings of the
CURVE
between -50.0 and 0.0 have varying degrees of this behaviour and style
of overall impression, but with increasing ‘fatness' and volume as the
CURVE fader is moved upwards.
The
CURVE
fader at mid position (default 0.0) produces a special behaviour, which
in many respects may give the best results in most situations. The
overall loudness of the signal is considerably enhanced whilst
retaining good dynamic balance between loud and soft portions of the
programme, with a minimum of intermodulation effect. The sonic
character has a much enhanced warmth and harmonic detail, adding
presence and texture to instruments, especially in the low frequency
register. The highs and peaks in the programme are softened in
character without loss of apparent presence, attack or ‘bite'.
Occasional peak programme overloads are softened and become less
intrusive and can therefore be tolerated more readily. With the curve
control in this position the Inflator process produces a gentle and
forgiving behaviour, which has many aspects in common with the
character of good tube amplification systems, including a natural
tolerance to overload conditions. For instance, when used in direct
mode (
BAND SPLIT de-selected) with
CLIP 0dBr selected and
EFFECT
set to 100%, even clipped programme signals can be rendered musical in
nature. This can be used to produce artistic distortion effects on
single instruments within a mix or produce dynamic ‘breaking up'
effects, much like that possible with tube amplifiers. Or it may be
used just to obtain an overall tube-like character and warmth to the
sound.
At positions between 0.0 and +50.0 the
CURVE fader
provides increasing ‘fatness' and volume enhancement at the partial
expense of dynamic precision, producing the loudest and most exciting
effects at +50.0. In this position the sound becomes most powerful with
a harmonic profile reminiscent of systems under great stress and
running to their very limits. The music will take on ‘in your face'
quality, creating the maximum excitement, yet fine detail and
subtleties within the mix will be retained. Despite rendering the
signal significantly louder, the impression of considerable dynamic
range is retained even though the output peak level range is largely
unchanged. The low level and background parts of the mix will become
enhanced and more audible, and extreme LF contributions from
instruments such as Bass parts will stand out more readily on smaller
reproduction systems. Programme treated with this process will produce
louder sounds on all reproduction equipment and in particular it will
produce unsuspected volume and power from small domestic and portable
systems.
Mixing with the Inflator
The inflator process can bring added benefit to the mixing process if
the Inflator is active on the main output buss throughout the mixing
session. In this case it is possible to use the valve-like harmonic
characteristics and the extra overload area to greater advantage
because these form part of the sound of the mix as it is built up. In
some respects this process is reminiscent of analogue mixing where
line-up operating levels may be breached by transients without actual
signal clipping and the sonic character of the signal chain is to some
degree dependent on balance and instrument contribution levels.
It is suggested that in this case, the best initial settings are with the Inflator set to direct mode (i.e. not
BAND SPLIT) with the
CURVE set to the neutral mid position (0.0) with
CLIP 0dBr
de-selected. The input gain should be set somewhat above unity (+6dB)
to allow the mixer to operate without clipping overshoots prior to the
Inflator and the
OUTPUT fader should be set to max
(0db) to provide full output modulation. These settings will establish
a virtual operating level at –6dBr within the mixing environment with a
possible overload area provided by the Inflator process for short-term
level peaks to be accommodated without clipping. The Inflator input and
output meters can then be used as main output buss level reference
monitors during the mix session.
Distortion Generation
For distortion generation it is best to proceed initially with the
EFFECT fader set to maximum so that the nature of any distortion can be assessed. The idea is to increase the
INPUT level with the Inflator fully operational and the
OUTPUT
fader reduced to avoid output clipping, whilst listening to the results
with various degrees of deliberate and significant signal overdrive.
The
CURVE and
CLIP 0dBr selector
will both affect the sound of the results depending on programme type
being processed. However, the best results are most likely to be
obtained with the
CURVE set to mid position (0.0) ,
as this produces the least higher order harmonic levels and most
resembles the dynamics behaviour of tube systems. In general it is best
to avoid
BAND SPLIT mode if aiming
for natural warmth and tube overdrive sounds. Input clipping will
dramatically change the nature of the distortion in overdrive
situations, and the user is encouraged to experiment with the
CLIP 0dBr both on and off, along with changing the order of plug-ins in the signal path.
