Ultimately, anywhere between 4-6 dB on the gain setting worked well for me. I experimented with different input levels, but I was definitely trying to find a sweet spot so I would be able to back off the bus a bit and get a little more headroom in front of the limiter.Īfter some use, because I was monitoring through the limiter and hearing the reduced dynamics, I indeed worked the individual tracks and overall buss compression much less. I immediately spun up the gain knob on the FG Level until I began to hear it really break up and then backed it off. I was really interested to see if the FG-X could carry some of the load that would otherwise be delegated to individual track compression as well as buss compression. I tend to lean to the more aggressive side of mixing, trying to deliver big sounds whether spatial or not, so I’m usually pushing things. I jumped right in using the FG-X at the start of a mix by throwing it across the bus on an aux track that fed my print track. A new algorithm was formed, and the process was named ‘Intelligent Transient Preservation,’ or ITP.”

New advanced algorithms were created to execute the extremely complex communication system that would be needed to properly perform the new dynamic operations. What they found, was that in order to transparently add level to a mix, a dynamic and intelligent transient saturation system would have to be developed. After several months of study and hundreds of listening tests, they made some fascinating discoveries. They started by researching saturation curves and their effect on various types of transient material. “Two years ago Steven Slate and expert algorithm engineer Fabrice Gabriel started working out the concept for a digital audio process that could increase the level of a mix without altering the punch and dynamic feel, or make the mix sound squashed and lifeless. Here is what Slate is willing to say about how the plugin works: But the FG-X is something different it’s not your usual peak limiting plugin hell-bent on mushing up your sound and sucking out your low end, while giving just enough upper midrange distortion to annoy your listeners. Over the last year-and-a-half I had been hearing about the Slate FG-X Mastering Plugin, but had mostly tuned it out because of my aforementioned aversion to limiter plugins on the bus.

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