The Curve by Selig AudioIf you’ve read Hugh Robjohns’ article on parallel compression in February, this new product will be of special interest. The Curve is a Rack Extension for Reason and it claims to use upwards compression to “target your compression to a specific part of the dynamic spectrum, while leaving all others untouched.” Selig Audio, makers of The Curve, say it offers one of the “simplest, most accurate, and transparent solutions to vocal leveling.” The Curve is currently available on offer for $55 but the regular price is $69.
Here’s more from Selig:
Press Release: The Curve introduces a novel approach to dynamics, allowing you to compress certain parts of the signal while leaving other parts alone.
One common application of The Curve is vocal leveling. By targeting only the dynamic range between the loudest and the softest words, The Curve can smoothly level a vocal performance while not raising the loudest word or increasing the background noise. By combining upwards compression with an instantaneous attack time, The Curve avoids typical compression artifacts like "pumping" and "breathing". Amazing results can be achieved by adjusting a hand full of controls in an easy to follow process. This makes The Curve one of the simplest, most accurate, and transparent solutions to vocal leveling, available today on any platform.
Another application of The Curve is to increase loudness on individual instrument tracks without increasing the peak level. This means you can add RMS level ("loudness") to individual tracks while not adding much peak energy to your mix, helping to avoid clipping.
The Curve makes an excellent parallel drum processor. Once calibrated, The Curve won't increase the peak level no matter where you set the controls. This uniquely allows you to use a single fader to increase or decrease the RMS level independent of the peak level. This means that you can now more easily hear how you are actually affecting your audio signal, without the concern of being fooled by simply “turning it up”. The Curve’s unique ability to give you independent control over the peak vs the RMS level of your audio signals allows you to sculpt the transient shape of your drum tracks like never before.
The Curve has a place in your mastering setup as well. Although mastering applications were not the original intended use of The Curve, there are many mixes that can benefit from it’s unique approach. When mastering with The Curve, you will find you can use much less Blend, slower Recovery times, and lower Curve settings and still achieve dramatic and dynamic results. The included Combinators, specifically the Multi-Curve, Mid-Side Curve and Side-Chain Curve, demonstrate additional and unique advanced mastering applications.
From individual tracks to the entire mix, The Curve gives you a totally new, and simple way, to take precise control over the complex dynamics of your audio tracks!
