SideBand Remix vs SimplComp

SideBand Remix is an AUv3 plugin for final mixing and mastering. It separates the phantom center from sideband (L/R) content which is what give a stereo track its width, and lets you remix it. This is ideal for adjusting the level of centrally panned vocals without affecting everything else. SideBand Remix is great for post-production engineers who want to reposition, isolate, and even eliminate elements of their mix. Audio can be additionally split into 3 channels, LOW, MID and HIGH frequency bands which are all processed separately and eventually re-combined after processing. This allows you to control the bass and treble portions of your mix separately from the mids where the vocals naturally sit. Being able to push content from the center of the mix opens up room for a vocal to sit comfortably. The punch knob can be used to boost low and high band content or presence, while the shelf filter are there to make sure they never get out of control. As if that wasn't enough you can enable the harmonic exciter to inject top end sparkle into the mix or enhance low end frequencies. This is a versatile little tool that can be used on drums as well as vocals. Remove reverb from those snares and give your drum beat that punch it deserves. Checkout the preview of this and other 4Pockets apps on the Paul the MusicMan YouTube channel.

Introduction SimpleComp is very simple general purpose compressor that’s easy to use and very light on CPU. Sometimes you just need some basic dynamics processing that doesn’t add “character”, or that relies on sophisticated techniques or performance expensive DSP. SimplComp was designed for those times! SimpleComp is an AUv3 effects plugin that can run standalone, or in any AUv3 compatible host such as Logic Pro, GarageBand or AUM. SimpleComp currently runs on iPadOS / iOS (iPad & iPhone) and macOS (Intel & Silicon) and is available as a Universal Purchase from the Apple App Store. If you’re planning on using SimpleComp on Mac / desktop, please ensure that your favourite DAW / host supports AUv3 (not just AU). Parameters ACTIVE - toggles the effect on or off. IN - sets the level of the incoming signal. Typically you would leave this as 0dB, i.e unity gain. The meters to the left of the panel show the level of the incoming signal. COMP - sets the compression threshold. Note that unlike many compressor plugins, the threshold is reduced as you turn up the control, so as you turn it up, you get more compression effect. The bar meter below this control will give an indication of how much over the threshold the input signal is. RATIO - sets the compression ratio. A higher ratio results in a more noticeable “squashing” effect on the signal. OUT - sets the level of the output signal. You may need to adjust this is you wish to manually make up the gain lost by the compression effect, e.g. when AUTO is off (see below). ATK - sets the attack time of the compressor. REL - sets the release time of the compressor. AUTO - toggles automatic makes gain. When switched on, SimplComp will automatically adjust the gain to compensate for the gain reduction that occurs when compression is applied. This is calculated using the compression threshold and ratio. MIX - sets the balance between the compressed and original / dry signal. This allows SimplComp to be used for parallel compression. Factory Presets There are a few factory presets included to get you going. The overall compression will be dependent on the level of the input signal so you will need to select an appropriate factory preset as a starting point, then adjust the COMP parameter up or down for more or less compression indicated by the bar meter below the control.