In audio engineering, compression is a fundamental tool for shaping your dynamics. When talking about compression, people are usually referring to “downward compression”, which is used to tame peaks and loud parts of audio signals. However, nestled within the array of dynamic processing techniques lies a lesser-known gem: upward compression. This technique operates reversely, selectively amplifying quieter sounds while leaving louder elements relatively untouched. In this article, we delve into the world of upward compression, uncovering its applications, benefits, and how the Techivation M-Compressor plugin operates to give you upward and downward compression (with a spectral twist)!

Before we start talking about upwards compression, let’s have a refresher on compression in general. Compression aims to reduce the dynamic range of a signal, meaning the difference between the quietest and loudest parts of the signal gets smaller, enabling you to control the level of the signal and smooth out any sudden changes in sound to put it in simple terms.

In “regular” compression, or downward compression, you set a threshold level above which a signal will be reduced by a certain amount, defined by the ratio. The speed at which the compressor springs in and out of action once the threshold is met is defined by the attack and release controls. These allow you to get creative with compression and shape the dynamics as you wish.

The purpose of downward compression is to bring down the output level when the signal goes above the threshold, thereby reducing the loudest peaks of your audio. In contrast, the purpose of upward compression is to bring up the output level when the signal goes below the threshold, bringing out the quieter details of the signal.

Upward compression results in some interesting characteristics you can’t achieve with downward compression. By bringing up the level of the quieter parts of a signal while leaving the louder parts untouched, you can play with the decay and sustain of a signal, bringing out sustained notes or any quieter ambiences in the sound.

By bringing up the quieter sounds, you can give more of a sense of intimacy to your mix, such as with an acoustic guitar or softer ghost notes of drums. As with any dynamics processing, you can also go overboard and get some creative effects! While upward compression can subtly bring out all the lovely delicate parts of your audio, it can also bring out all the imperfections and the noise floor of your signal in general, which can be used to add some grunge to your mix!

Let's listen to a couple of upward compression examples using the Techivation M-Compressor. While these examples are quite extreme to show what upward compression does, it should hopefully get some ideas going in terms of how you might be able to use it within the context of a mix:

With upward compression on this guitar track, you can hear how it brings out the sustain and ambience of the recording, almost creating a swelling texture before the next chord comes in. The more subtle sounds of the guitar such as the fretboard noise and also accentuated (something you might not want depending on your preference - so something to watch out for!)

This is another more aggressive and creative example where the upward compressor is driving up the ambience of the different elements of the drum break, creating almost a reversed snare kind of effect in places, and overall making the whole thing sound a lot closer and a bit more in your face.

The Techivation M-Compressor plugin offers both downward and upward compression simultaneously, and with simple controls, so it’s incredibly easy to shape your dynamic range as you see fit. While there are other features we will discuss, the downward and upward compressor modes are simply controlled by two thresholds, two ratios, and joint attack and release times.

The main difference between M-Compressor and other compressors is its use of spectral processing. Regular compressors will adjust the overall signal level based on the threshold value, however with M-Compressor, it works using the signal’s frequency spectrum. Individual frequencies are compressed based on their levels relative to the spectral threshold curve. The shape of the spectral threshold is dynamically changed by the spectral contour of the input signal, ensuring that compression is balanced across the spectrum without over-compressing the lows, and under-compressing the highs as is common for regular compressors.

The implementation of spectral processing also ensures that the tonal balance of the source is unchanged. However, if you do want to change it up, you can make use of the Tilt Control to shift the balance up or down in frequency. There are also a few other controls that can help you further craft your sound such as the Character controls, Intensity and Punch. Intensity controls how hard or soft the compression character is, while Punch controls transient emphasis, with lower values softening the attack of the transient, and higher values emphasising the attacks.

Upward Compression is a lesser-known technique you can use to craft your mixes and is one you should definitely experiment with. It’s perfect for bringing out the softer details, nuances and ambiences of your audio, but can also give some creative and aggressive results. With M-Compressor, you can take control of your upward compression in an incredibly easy-to-use plugin, while also getting the benefits of spectral processing, something a regular compressor won’t do!

If you want to try M-Compressor out for yourself, you can download a <a href="/m-compressor/">free 14-day trial</a> here.

In this article, we delve into the world of upward compression, uncovering its applications, and benefits.

In this article, we delve into the world of upward compression, uncovering its applications, and benefits. Discover the power of M-Compressor upward compression.

What is Upward Compression - Techivation Blog

What is Upward Compression and why you need to try it

We’ve all had those moments in a mix where things start to feel dull and unclear after a point. Instead of reaching for the high shelf EQ to try and bring some sparkle back into your mix, you first need to take a look lower down the frequency range. In this article, we will discuss muddy and boxy mixes, how you can identify them, and how to fix them. Spoiler alert…it’s really easy to fix all these issues with our Techivation M-Clarity plugin, but we will get to that.

Have you ever had someone call your mix “muddy” or “boxy”? Well, it doesn’t feel great, not that anyone has ever said that to me… Anyway, as you build a track, muddiness and boxiness can be quite a common issue. These words are very subjective, but it’s generally agreed that muddiness can be found around 200Hz and causes a murky, dull and indistinct sound in your mix, whereas boxiness can be described as imparting a hollow, confined or “boxy” quality to your sound, found in the 200-500Hz frequency range.

You might find individual elements have the same unclear and muffled quality, and if you have enough of those elements with these issues, that is one of the quickest ways to a muddy mix. Here is an isolated example of a boxy sound, hear how the frequencies are building up in the lower mids, and preventing you from hearing the details in the track.

There are a few reasons for muddy and boxy tracks. A big culprit is poor recording quality, whether microphone choice, microphone placement or the acoustics of the room. This is why it is key to train your critical listening and try to capture everything correctly at source, it’ll save you the headache down the line!

Another cause of muddiness and boxiness can be to do with your mixing workflow, by overusing certain plugins you can add phase issues as well as cluttering the mix with reverbs and time-based effects.

It could also be simply having too much going on in that area of your mix, which is a difficult one, because a lot of the important elements of a track can be found in the 200-500Hz frequency range, such as kick, snare, bass guitar, vocals etc. So short of re-arranging the entire track how do we fix that?

So we’ve already established that the cause is down to the frequencies in the audio, so naturally the solution would be to EQ it, right? That is one way of doing it, reducing the presence of the problematic frequencies on the tracks that are causing issues. This, however, is not hugely accurate, as changes in the notes (something that tends to happen in music…) will result in the EQ curve not attenuating the correct frequencies anymore unless you have a very wide band.


Alternatively, you could use Dynamic EQs or multiband compressors. These tools will give you higher levels of accuracy, by only reducing the frequencies when they are present in the signal. However, these plugins can often be a bit of a pain to configure, with unhelpfully complicated windows and tons of settings that all need to be dialled in correctly to have even a hope of improving your sound. These plugins could even degrade your sound quality by creating phasing issues. If only there was something better…

This is where the Techivation M-Clarity plugin comes in! This plugin has been specifically designed to suppress any sound's unwanted muddy, boxy, and harsh frequencies and resonances. It uses a unique spectral shaping algorithm to accurately detect and remove the troublesome frequencies, much better than relying on wideband EQ, and it’s incredibly simple to use, so much better than a multiband compressor or dynamic EQ.

Listen to how the guitar example sounds after having M-Clarity put on it, targeting the low mid frequencies. You can hear how it removes the resonance and (as the name suggests) boosts clarity overall in the sound, and to top it all off, the resulting sound is artefact-free due to the spectral processing.

By first selecting the frequency range you’d like for M-Clarity to tackle, you then simply need to adjust the Suppression control to adjust how much the targeted frequencies are reduced, along with the intensity and focus controls which affect how hard or gentle M-Clarity goes after any resonant peaks in your signal.

Here is an example of an element causing issues in the context of a mix. Here we have a hip-hop beat, piano and cello, and already the mix is sounding a bit muddy. The piano seems to be the culprit with some resonances in the low mids, however, if we apply an M-Clarity plugin across the mix bus, dialling in the problematic frequencies, you can hear how those frequencies are cleaned up, and overall everything becomes clearer. So you can see that M-Clarity works on individual elements as well as groups if applied over an aux bus.

Muddiness and boxiness can be a big source of headaches when mixing, and while every effort should be given to solve the issue at the source, sometimes you need to “fix it in the mix”. Going down that route, why not make it easy on yourself? Give M-Clarity a go and spend the time you would have spent dialling in EQ and multiband settings being creative with your mixes.

If you want to hear more examples of M-Clarity at work then head to the product page. You can also try it out for 14 days for free, so go and give it a go and say goodbye to muddy and boxy mixes!

Discover how easy it is to fix boxiness and muddiness issues using Techivation M-Clarity.

How to eliminate boxiness and muddiness in your mixes using M-Clarity

In 2021, Techivation was born with the release of the <a href="/t-de-esser/">T-De-Esser</a> free plug-in, which quickly became the go-to de-esser plug-in for many sound engineers. Following that success, premium Techivation plug-ins emerged, including the T-De-Esser Pro. This advanced version of the T-De-Esser free plug-in offers new features such as lookahead, oversampling, and mid-side processing.

Throughout 2021 and 2022, we worked hard to develop more effective and innovative audio processing tools. During this time, we released several additional T series plug-ins, including <a href="/t-exciter/">T-Exciter</a>, <a href="/t-warmer/">T-Warmer</a>, <a href="/t-compressor/">T-Compressor</a>, and more.

Techivation team is deeply committed to technology and innovation, constantly brainstorming new solutions and improvements. Following the release of several T series plug-ins throughout 2021 and 2022, we received valuable user feedback that guided us in shaping a new series of plug-ins, setting higher standards and aiming for greater objectives.

That's when we decided to introduce the Techivation M series product line. The 'M' in the M series stands for 'Mastering,' although these plug-ins are designed for use across all audio mixing, editing, and mastering processes. The 'Mastering' standards in the name reflect our commitment to ensuring quality and accuracy in all aspects of audio production.

The technology and DSP algorithms in M series plug-ins have been significantly upgraded and refined compared to the T series. Thanks to valuable feedback and the new experiences gained from providing users with innovative tools, we have achieved a higher level of plug-in development with the M series

Some of the Techivation M series plug-ins can be categorized similarly to certain T series plug-ins, like M-De-Esser compared to T-De-Esser or M-Compressor compared to T-Compressor. However, the M series also introduces new types of processors that belong to distinct categories, such as <a href="/m-loudener/">M-Loudener</a> and <a href="/m-blender/">M-Blender</a>.

M-Loudener: The M-Loudener is the first developed M series plug-in. It is a Dynamic Range Enhancer, and what we describe as “The ultimate tool for increasing loudness while preserving dynamic range and clarity”.

While there is no similar audio processor found in the T series, users quickly noticed the difference in accuracy and sound quality when using the M-Loudener compared to the T series.

Now, don’t get us wrong, we believe that the T series plug-ins still set the standard for audio quality in the market today. However, why not push the boundaries even further if we have the opportunity?

M-Blender: The M-Blender is another audio plug-in that belongs to a distinct category compared to any T series plug-ins. It's an innovative tool designed to create space in a mix by resolving clashing frequencies between tracks. Developed with even higher standards and cutting-edge technologies than the T series plug-ins, especially when combined with our unique true spectral processing algorithm, it offers a completely new experience in opening up space between tracks in a mix.

<a href="/m-blender/">Try it out</a> yourself!

We've enhanced our attention to detail in creating the M series plug-ins, utilizing new technologies and developing more advanced audio processing algorithms to achieve higher sound quality.

So when it comes to making a comparison between the T-De-Esser Pro and the M-De-Esser, we assure you, that the M-De-Esser is at a whole new level.

By adding extra accuracy, we mean to make the plug-ins more adaptable to type of the sound you’re using the plug-ins for. For example, if you want to apply de-essing to a drum snare hit, there’s a chance that you end up with not the perfect result you’re after, due to several reasons, which could be room acoustic treatment issues, your ears being tired after working long hours, the studio monitors and headphones problems, and so on. So with our accurate spectral processing algorithm in M-De-Esser for instance, the plug-in helps to operate accurately to only transparently eliminate the harsh, and sibilance sounds from the track you’re working on, giving you the result that you actually want.

This also saves time and opens extra room for creativity. Many audio processing tools are solutions for problems, and de-esser is one of those. So you don’t want to spend long hours just to fix a harshness problem in a sound, rather you wanna get it sorted quickly and move into your next unique idea for your mix, and the M series plug-ins make it easy for that by quickly giving you the result you’re after, due to their high accuracy.

In some cases, we've intentionally reduced the number of features in our M series plug-ins. Take, for example, the T-De-Esser Pro, which appears to offer more controls and features compared to the M-De-Esser. Despite this, we maintain that the M-De-Esser is of a higher calibre, thanks to the implementation of newer technologies. One such advancement is the true spectral shaping algorithm found in the M-De-Esser. While the T-De-Esser Pro boasts oversampling up to 16X, the M-De-Esser achieves superb sound quality without the need for oversampling.

Its algorithm is designed to deliver higher sound quality than 16X oversampling, while not requiring to oversample its processing at all. Or there is no ‘Lookahead’ feature available in the M-De-Esser, whereas you see it in the T-De-Esser Pro. That is because the spectral processing algorithm responds to inputs with precise timing and has no need for a ‘Lookahead’ feature.

Think of it like the cockpits of airplanes in the 1960s and 1970s, which used to have numerous buttons and knobs, sometimes even requiring a flight engineer to manage certain tasks. Today, there are fewer controls as many functions have become automated and are managed by the airplane’s computer system, resulting in greater accuracy.

<h3>A better user experience, and look</h3>

After releasing more T series plug-ins we learned from our users what they like about them and what they don’t. We tried to focus on what they liked more and improve them in the M series.

In the M series plug-ins, we revamped the GUI (graphic user interface) style and design to enhance the user experience. This involved simplifying the interface and reducing distractions, with only essential controls placed strategically for easy access.

Furthermore, we improved the stability of the GUI functionalities and ensured a flawless registration system. Additionally, we optimized the CPU usage of the GUIs significantly and introduced more GUI sizes to accommodate different monitor sizes.

We will continue to closely monitor our users' perspectives and develop additional products aimed at enhancing and streamlining their work processes. In summary, users now express greater confidence in our M series plug-ins, and we are delighted about this outcome.

Feel free to activate a 14-day free trial for any of our plug-ins today, and you are always welcome to contact us with your valuable feedback.

Written by Amin Asbaghipour
- Techivation Founder

Discover what makes the M series plug-ins superior.

The Differences Between the Techivation T Series and M Series Plug-ins

It could be argued that vocals are the most important element of any song. After all, the song’s meaning and the emotion behind the lyrics come out through the vocal performance. A poorly produced vocal can break a song, so in this article, we will explore one aspect of vocal production that can cause a distraction if not carefully controlled, and that is sibilance!

Sibilance refers to the high-pitched, hissing sounds produced when pronouncing certain consonants like “s”', “sh”, and “ch”. While sibilance is a natural aspect of speech and language, excessive sibilance in vocal recordings can cause a very harsh, piercing sound and become a distraction. These harsh-sounding frequencies live between around 4KHz - 10KHz and can change in frequency and volume depending on the singer, and the way the vocals are recorded.

Here is an example of a fairly sibilant vocal, listen out for the harshness in the word “Lovers” at the end. It gives a short and sharp “s” sound that sticks out from the rest of the vocal.

In an ideal situation, you would want to prevent the harsh sibilances from being picked up in the first place, which can be achieved by altering the microphone placement in front of the singer. The aim is to prevent the bursts of high-frequency content from directly hitting the microphone capsule. By moving the mic off to the side of the singer, or even hanging it slightly above them, pointing towards their mouth, you can help reduce the harshness of sibilances (it can also go a long way to prevent plosives - explosive bursts of air when singing “p”s and “b”s). Sometimes, however, the damage has already been done, and for whatever reason, you are stuck with a sibilant recording, so what now?

The first thing that might come to mind is using a graphic or parametric EQ to reduce the harsh-sounding frequencies. However, this can make your track sound dull and even affect vocal intelligibility (which we want to avoid at all costs!). Hear how in the following example the “s” of “lovers” has been tamed, but now the whole top end of the vocal sounds dull and lifeless.

Here is where the de-esser comes in! De-essers work by detecting and attenuating specific frequencies associated with sibilance in vocal recordings. They typically use a combination of filtering and dynamic processing techniques to achieve this.

First, you need to select the frequencies that correspond to sibilance, this is usually done using a band-pass filter, typically between 3 kHz and 10 kHz. Once the sibilant frequencies are selected, the de-esser applies dynamic processing to reduce their level when they exceed a certain threshold. This is often accomplished using a compressor or multiband compressor that is triggered by the sibilant frequencies.

Regular De-essers work fine, but how about something a bit newer and innovative?

Move over regular de-essers… The M-De-esser uses an intelligent detection algorithm that allows it to accurately identify and target sibilant frequencies in vocal recordings. This advanced algorithm enhances the effectiveness of the de-esser by ensuring that only the problematic elements are addressed while preserving the natural character of your audio, reducing the risk of unwanted artefacts or affecting the overall tone of the vocals. 

Let’s hear how M-De-Esser handles the current example:

As you can hear, it takes the harshness out of the “s” while retaining the overall quality and tone of the voice. We will hear how it performs against a regular De-Esser in a more extreme example later.

Sensitivity: The main control is labelled Sensitivity, which adjusts the threshold of spectral compression. This setting is independent of the input level, ensuring consistent performance throughout a track.

Strength: Sensitivity is accompanied by the Strength control, which adjusts the ratio and maximum gain reduction for spectral compression, enabling you to find the perfect balance between reducing harshness and preserving the natural qualities of your audio.

Softness: The Softness control allows you to set the perfect balance between precision and subtlety by controlling the amount of spectral smoothing and the soft knee width of spectral compression.

These are the three main settings to control your de-essing, but there are loads more parameters to further shape your sounds, such as an Air boost control, speed control modes, and a frequency range slider to name a few.

Like many areas of mixing, it’s very easy to go overboard with de-essing. If you focus too hard on reducing the harshness, without taking a step back and listening to the vocal or mix as a whole, you can end up producing some very unnatural-sounding vocals and lots of strange audio artefacts. That being said, if you are using M-De-Esser, you will find it much harder to get it to the point where your audio starts deteriorating due to its spectral shaping technology and accuracy, which means you can really go after difficult sibilance and still retain the overall audio quality!

This example shows more aggressive de-essing, you can hear how with the regular de-esser, you are starting to get some strange-sounding phasing or level changes in moments of sibilance which almost sounds more distracting than the sibilance! Whereas the overall audio quality in the M-De-Esser example is still intact, with the plugin only going after the sibilance.

It’s important to remember that sibilance is a normal part of singing and speech, so we don’t want to remove it completely. If you find yourself going back and forth and struggling to figure out the perfect amount of de-essing, perhaps take a bit of time away from the mix, give your ears a rest, and come back fresh! At the same time, it’s not a bad idea to have some reference material of vocal production you like that you can keep comparing against.

De-essers are an incredibly powerful tool to help prevent harsh sibilances from distracting your listeners, but with its intelligent detection algorithm, we think the Techivation M-De-esser is a cut above the rest. Along with fixing your vocals, M-De-esser is also a brilliant tool for other areas of your work, whether you need to control the high frequencies in a hi-hat, sound effect, dialogue, or anything with high-frequency content.

<a href="/m-de-esser/">Try it</a> now and transform your sound with precision and ease!

A guide to control sibilance in vocal production to avoid distraction.

How to Fix Sibilance in Vocals: A Guide to De-essing

The Techivation M-Puncher plugin is an easy way to deliver, you guessed it, punchiness to your mixes. While M-Puncher is very intuitive and quick to dial in your sound, there is more to this plugin than might initially meet the eye. In this article, we go through a few tips and tricks in order for you to get the most out of this comprehensive transient shaping plugin.

M-Puncher and transient shaping in general works by adjusting the level of the attack portion of the audio relative to the rest of it in order to have the transient punch through. Alongside this, you may want to use EQ to help the element cut through from a frequency standpoint as well.

By using an EQ plugin, you end up adjusting the tonal balance of the entire track, which might throw off the parts you don’t want to add punch to. By using the Thump control, you can apply a bass boost to just the attack portion of your audio, leaving the rest of the track completely unchanged, and helping to keep your mix clean and uncluttered.

Make sure to experiment with the different envelope modes, as these shape the attack portions of your audio and will greatly impact the overall sound from the M-Puncher. If you are looking for a short, snappy attack then you probably want to go with Tight, but for a longer, open-sounding attack, you’ll want Loose.

To strike a balance between focused punch and openness of the attacks, you can’t go wrong with Normal. If you want to really hear what it’s doing, try turning punchiness all the way up and then adjusting the envelope mode.

Add punch to specific elements in a sample

You don’t have to settle with what you're given when working with full drum kit samples. By using the Detection Range setting, you can dial in M-Puncher to add punch to specific elements like the kick or snare. Enable the Sidechain button to listen to just the selected frequency range, then dial it in until you can only hear the element of the kit to which you want to apply the punch.

Now M-Puncher is only triggered when that element is hit! It’s worth noting that this controls the detection of the attack and sustains portions of the audio, but the processing is applied to the whole signal. This ensures that the impact of the attack is never compromised by splitting the audio into multiple bands.

M-Puncher is incredible at adding punch, but believe it or not, M-Puncher is also great at getting rid of punch. By bringing the Punchiness control down below 0, you can really take the edge off harsh and overly punchy sounds in your mix to help them sit better without needing to spend ages fiddling with compressors and EQ plugins.

All the controls that you would normally use to craft your punch can be used in the same way to soften. For example, the envelope mode works in the same way, with Tight creating a focussed softening of the attack and Loose carving out a greater proportion for an even softer sound.

It’s also a harmonic saturation plugin?!

So M-Puncher makes things hard, makes them soft, and it can also make them warm! The limiting parameter not only helps tame the attack level but also increases the harmonic richness of your attacks as well. This even works when you are using M-Puncher to soften attacks as well, so you can use high-limiting settings to apply subtle saturation to your softened attacks.

The Auto Gain feature as part of the Make Up Gain control can be incredibly useful when adjusting M-Puncher’s parameters and listening in isolation or as part of your mix. When enabled, it continuously and automatically applies the appropriate amount of make-up gain to ensure the track’s level is the same as it was before.

This makes it much easier to really hear what the plugin is doing to shape your sound, without any overall level changes throwing off your judgement. Just make sure you turn it off once you are done adjusting parameters to fix the make-up gain value.

A potentially overlooked tool is the Sustain control. Other than the Punchiness control, this is probably the next control that can have the most impact on shaping your sound. While the Punchiness control affects the level of the attack portion of your audio, sustain controls the rest!

So by reducing the sustain, the audio will decay faster to give a much shorter and focussed sound, perfect to really emphasise the punch. By increasing the sustain, however, you can start playing with the ambience of the audio, bringing out the tail end of snare hits for example.

As a bonus tip to getting some really creative results, why not try automating some of the M-Puncher parameters to give more of a unique sound to your tracks. Perhaps increase the Punchiness over the course of a pre-chorus to lift the energy going into the Chorus. Or why not try automating the sustain of your snare to dramatically bring up the ambience on key beats. Think outside the box and come up with some creative ways of giving your track some unique flair using M-Puncher!

As you can see, M-Puncher is a powerful tool, capable of so much more than just “adding punch” to your mix. If you want to try <a href="/m-puncher/">M-Puncher</a> for yourself, you can grab a 14-day free trial from the M-Puncher product page. Hurry over there now and give it a go!

In this article, we go through a few tips and tricks for you to get the most out of M-Puncher, the comprehensive transient shaping plugin.

M-Puncher Cheat Sheet #1 - Techivation Blog

M-Puncher Cheat Sheet #1

One of the ongoing challenges that we all face when mixing is the clash of frequencies between tracks. Have you ever been hours deep in a mix, desperately fighting against a muddy and unclear sound with little to no progress? This article explores how the Techivation M-Blender plugin can come to your rescue, significantly enhancing the clarity and detail of your mixes while streamlining your workflow and preserving your creative flow.

So why do you even need a plugin to clean up frequencies? In a mix, each instrument or element takes up a range of the frequency spectrum, for example, bass guitars hold a lot of energy in the lower frequencies, whereas cymbals almost exclusively operate in the higher frequencies. All good so far, but add more elements, and things can get messy! Perhaps you want to bring out that kick drum punch, but no matter what you do, that perfect bass synth you spent hours crafting just blocks it from coming through clearly. This is an example of what’s known as Frequency Masking, when certain frequencies overpower or overshadow others, causing elements to compete rather than complement each other.

This frequency clash can result in a murky, indistinct sound, making it difficult for the individual parts to be heard clearly and affecting the overall quality of the mix. Engineers use techniques like “frequency carving” with EQ, sidechain compression, or simple panning to try and reduce the effects of frequency masking, however, these solutions can be time-consuming, and fall short at times.

M-Blender is one of a handful of plugins that can automatically help create space in your mix by “cleaning” any clashing frequencies. Other plugins of this nature tend to work by analyzing a side chain signal and applying a reverse EQ to try and create space in the mix, some even use multiband dynamic processors (with the added impact of some undesirable phase issues). M-Blender on the other hand is equipped with a true spectral processing algorithm which dynamically carves out space for the side chain signal, without sacrificing audio quality or causing phasing issues.

To truly appreciate the power of M-Blender, let's dive into some sound examples. These snippets illustrate how M-Blender addresses frequency clashes, bringing clarity and definition to the mix - make sure you listen on some headphones or speakers if you can.

Who doesn’t love a ton of reverb on a vocal? What if instead of drowning your vocals in a luscious reverb, you could have it float gracefully on top? By applying M-Blender to a vocal reverb, you can crank the reverb without worrying about overpowering the vocals, M-Blender will keep the reverb out of the way, ensuring your vocals cut through at all times!

Getting your kick to cut through the mix, especially when surrounded by energetic basslines and synths can be tough, but shove M-Blender on your bass track and straight away you can hear the kick cut through, and as a bonus, you did it without losing the energy of your basslines.

So you’ve decided that one melody on the piano just isn’t enough! On their own the melodies sound great, but together they just sound unclear and lost. Using M-Blender in this scenario carves out dedicated frequencies for each, making it much clearer when both are played at the same time.

Keep in mind that these examples only show the impact of M-Blender between two different instruments. Imagine what it could do throughout an entire mix as things really start to get busy, whether working on individual parts or even on buses with multiple parts at once!

So by now we should be in agreement that it sounds pretty awesome, but surely something like this will come with a steep learning curve? In fact, it couldn’t be simpler!

The core functionality of M-Blender can be controlled with just a few parameters. It’s as simple as placing the M-Blender plugin on one track, and then sending a second track to the sidechain. The track with the M-Blender plugin will now have frequencies suppressed through the spectral processing, carving space for the side-chain signal.

The amount of spectral suppression is controlled with the Sensitivity control, so a higher sensitivity value will result in more space being carved out for your sidechain signal. As well as hearing it, you can see the spectral adjustments being applied in real-time using the Spectral Analyser. To accompany the Sensitivity control is Softness, which controls the spectral suppression smoothing and Make Up Gain to bring the processed signal back to the unprocessed level. As an optional bonus, you can set the Frequency Range, enabling you to restrict the processing to a specified frequency range.

On top of these M-Blender-specific features, you still have access to all the tried and tested Techivation plugin parameters such as Dry/Wet Mix, LR or MS modes, delta listening, presets and much more.

So there you have it, the secret weapon against the frustrations of frequency masking. The M-Blender plugin has been designed to solve a complex and, let’s be honest, boring task in a matter of minutes, enabling you to spend less time fixing, and more time creating.

With its true spectral processing, delicately and dynamically carving out room for each instrument to breathe, it removes frequency clashes without compromising your audio quality.

If you want to try it out for yourself, you can grab a 14-day free trial of <a href="/m-blender/">M-Blender</a> today, you won’t regret it!

M-Blender is one of a handful of plugins that can automatically help create space in your mix through “cleaning” any clashing frequencies...

What makes M-Blender a Game Changer - Techivation

What makes M-Blender a Game Changer

The M-Compressor is an innovative plug-in that represents a new approach to dynamic processing. Therefore, it is important to know some tips for using it to your advantage. Consider these tips for using M-Compressor more efficiently to achieve the best results for your tracks.

1. Wait a couple of seconds for 'Auto-gain' to operate accurately

Auto-gain is a common feature in compressor plug-ins that simplifies matching output and input levels. There are multiple ways this feature can be implemented, each with its own pros and cons.

M-Compressor opts for a measurement-based auto-gain, ensuring that levels are always accurately matched. This is achieved by continuously measuring input and output levels and applying an appropriate amount of make-up gain to match the difference. Because of this, you might need to wait for a few seconds for auto-gain to adjust after turning it on or making dramatic changes to the plug-in settings.

2. Turn 'Auto-gain' off after making adjustments

Since auto-gain is continuously adjusting the make-up gain, we recommend keeping it on only while you are tweaking the M-Compressor settings.

Once you are satisfied with the compressor parameters, you can turn auto-gain off. The make-up gain will be automatically set to the last value measured by the auto-gain feature. It is also recommended to keep auto-gain off while exporting your track if you want to make sure that the make-up gain remains the same all the way through.

3. Both upward and downward compression reduce dynamic range, so the upward function cannot be an expander in the M-Compressor

Some users may mistakenly think that upward compression in the M-Compressor is an expander when it is not. Upward compression is a rare feature in audio compressors, and the M-Compressor is the only plug-in that offers spectral upward compression.

With upward compression, the signal level is boosted when it falls below the threshold. Use this feature to your advantage to bring out the ambience in the signal or achieve a more aggressive sounding compression.

4. 'Tilt' the thresholds to create a nice tonal balance

Notice the 'Tilt' and 'Tilt Centre' controls on the plug-in UI, inside the spectrum analyzer. It's essential to understand that the 'Tilt' feature in this plugin is not an EQ applied to the sidechain. 'Tilt' allows you to affect the shape of the spectral thresholds and tilt them around a centre frequency. It is applied to the thresholds, not the signal itself.

Tilting the thresholds allows you to apply more compression to a part of the spectrum while compressing the rest less. This is a significant advantage for improving tonal balance in sounds. For example, if you have a vocal track and want more dynamic processing applied to its higher frequencies for a brighter and crisper vocal sound, use 'Tilt' to apply more compression to its low frequencies and less compression to its high frequencies.

Audio Example: M-Compressor Tilt on Vocals

5. Take advantage of 'Ext. sidechain' to sidechain your kick and bass

Side-chaining elements like the kick and bass using compressors is a popular technique for avoiding clutter in the mix. With the M-Compressor, you can achieve this more transparently due to spectral processing. This allows the kick to cut through more nicely compared to regular compressors.

Fast attack times usually work best when using the external sidechain input to drive the compression. If you want to get creative with sidechain compression, try enabling the "diff" output mode. This will make the signal level follow the sidechain input, resulting in an interesting rhythmic effect.

6. Use the Sidechain HP for more control over your side-chaining process

You can use the sidechain highpass filter for greater control over the compressor response to low frequencies. By raising the 'Sidechain HP' control, you reduce the impact of the frequencies below the cutoff on the spectral thresholds. You can listen to the effect of the filter by enabling the 'sidechain' output mode. This feature is especially useful when you feel that the low end of your track is triggering too much compression.

Consider these tips for using M-Compressor more efficiently to achieve the best results for your tracks.

The M-Compressor is an innovative plug-in that represents a new approach to dynamic processing. Consider these tips for using M-Compressor more efficiently to achieve the best results for your tracks.


M-Compressor Cheat Sheet #1 - Techivation Blog

M-Compressor Cheat Sheet #1

Brightness, airiness, clarity, harshness, and crispiness – these adjectives are frequently used by mixing engineers to describe the auditory qualities of certain tracks. While these descriptors can be applied to various audio sources, they are most often used to characterize vocals.

As humans, we are inherently sensitive to the nuances of vocal recordings. This is understandable given that we encounter human voices every day from the moment we are born. It's no surprise, then, that many engineers consider vocals to be the keystone of any song.

Vocal processing stands as a fundamental aspect of audio production. Among the tools utilized in this process, de-essers play a vital role. Whether it's singing, voiceovers, or dialogues in film and TV, de-essing finds its application across multiple formats.

For those unfamiliar, de-essing is the technique of managing sounds such as "s," "sh," "ch," or any other sibilant sounds that tend to carry harsh and unpleasant characteristics. While de-essing is often associated with vocals, it also finds utility in addressing high-frequency elements like cymbals, hi-hats, and even reverb effects.

In the years spanning from the 1950s to roughly the 1980s, engineers grappled with limited tools to control sibilance. This era demanded labour-intensive efforts and an astute ear to achieve natural-sounding results.

As technology advanced, new tools, including hardware units, emerged to streamline the process. These tools predominantly relied on compression-based techniques triggered by specific frequency ranges prone to sibilance. This approach offered more precise control in contrast to manually equalizing sibilant frequencies.

With the transition to digital audio, the development of advanced de-essing plugins gained momentum. These plugins empowered engineers to fine-tune parameters such as detection frequency range, compression ratio, and attack/release times, ultimately yielding more accurate and customizable de-essing solutions.

However, despite these advancements, many engineers still preferred to manually edit sibilant sounds in vocal recordings or use automation to lower the volume of sibilant sounds in vocal recordings.

And now Techivation has leveraged the latest advancements in digital signal processing to create a tool like no other – the M-De-Esser. It’s not just a de-esser; this is a shaping tool that can go far beyond de-essing and help you make your tracks sound more balanced, clearer, and without any harshness.

Watch the Techivation M-De-Esser Walkthrough video

Techivation M-De-Esser Walkthrough

So, let’s take a look at 10 ways you can use the M-De-Esser to significantly improve your mixes.

Vocals are the heart of any song, and ensuring their clarity and smoothness is essential. A regular de-esser can make a vocalist sound like they have a lisp, but with the unique spectral shaping from M-De-Esser, even more extreme settings sound smooth.

Let’s shift to a world of cinematic special effects. The great advantage of the M-De-Esser compared to traditional de-essers is that its algorithms allow for more creative sound shaping and control of certain frequencies. In this example, the M-De-Esser was used to control and shape high mid-range frequencies of the mid-channel in mid-side mode, bringing the sides forward and creating more depth.

Now let’s take a look at drums. Quite often, especially with virtual drums, hi-hats or overheads can sound very harsh, masking other elements of the mix. Employing the spectral processing of the M-De-Esser, we'll try to alleviate some of this unwanted sharpness.

Amplified guitars awash in distortion can swiftly transform into a source of harshness, leading to listener fatigue. Regular equalization can prove inadequate in taming this harshness. Tools like the M-De-Esser can work wonders in such cases, where you need to remove harshness without making guitars sound hollow.

Even with well-balanced vocals, you might find yourself in a situation where sending them to a reverb can introduce harsh sibilance to the overall sound. In cases like that, you might want to apply de-essing to the reverb itself, rather than the vocal track.

Electronic drum samples can frequently generate sibilant frequencies that exhibit harshness. And in cases like these, even attenuation with a high shelf might not remove the harshness. Dynamic spectral shaping of M-De-Esser once again becomes the ally, creating smooth, analogue-like tones.

Spectral de-essing works wonders on instrument groups. Rather than trying to smooth out each track one by one, you can efficiently apply it to a group track channel (or aux, or however it is called in your DAW of choice). Let’s take a listen to the M-De-Esser on a drum group in mid-side mode, focusing more on the sides.

Synthesizers are often imbued with a piercing quality due to intricate harmonic content. The M-De-Esser can work its magic, transforming these sharp synth sounds into much more ear-pleasing timbres, without compromising clarity and adding warmth to digital sounds.

When experimenting with creative distortion applications, such as parallel channels for drums, bass, or vocals, harshness can emerge swiftly with digital distortion. Integrating the M-De-Esser into these parallel channels can mitigate distortion's harsh impact and make it sound more analogue-like.

10. Control of Harshness in Woodwinds, Strings, etc.

Another area where de-essers are used quite often is controlling the harshness of instruments like strings, woodwinds, and brass. Here we have an example with a flute, where the M-De-Esser controlled annoying frequencies in the range of 1.4 kHz-6.6 kHz, creating a more balanced sound.

We hope you enjoyed these 10 tips on how to use the M-De-Esser to elevate your mixes, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. In future articles, we will explore more ways of using the M-De-Esser, so stay tuned for that!

We are really proud of the M-De-Esser and truly believe that it can become the ultimate tool, offering you unparalleled control over sibilant and harsh frequencies while preserving the integrity of your audio, without introducing unpleasant artifacts. Embark on your journey with the <a href="/m-de-esser/">M-De-Esser</a> today by downloading our <a href="/app/register/?type=m-de-esser-trial">14-day free trial</a>.

Written By Gleb Karpovich
- Mixing Engineer

Techivation has leveraged the latest advancements in digital signal processing to create a tool like no other – the M-De-Esser.

10 Essential Uses of M-De-Esser

M-De-Esser Walkthrough | Techivation

Watch the Techivation M-De-Esser's walkthrough:The end of the search for the perfect de-esser. Now available!

In recent years, we have seen the release of numerous advanced plugins designed to help mixing engineers in solving complex audio issues. These plugins are powered by sophisticated algorithms that dynamically react to audio signals, offering capabilities that were once unimaginable.

Regardless of where you stand on the analogue versus digital debate, it is clear that both approaches have the potential to deliver outstanding results while offering distinct characteristics.

This fact has been proven by top engineers who have transitioned to a fully in-the-box mixing workflow, using digital tools that combine emulations of revered analogue gear, pristine digital plugins, and innovative processors.

Before delving into the remarkable capabilities of M-Clarity and what it can do, let us take a moment to explore the analogue world. By gaining insights into its functioning, we can better appreciate how tools like M-Clarity effectively solve some of the challenges traditionally addressed by analogue gear.

If you have ever had the opportunity to mix on an analogue console, you may have noticed the ability to apply a 10dB boost at 6K to electric guitars without encountering harshness. While analogue emulations can sometimes introduce unwanted harshness in similar scenarios.

Analogue gear's intricate electrical interactions often result in what we can refer to as "additional free processing."In a classic analogue environment, comprising a console, outboard gear, and tape machines, audio signals go through multiple circuits, where various parameters are altered, including phase, frequency response, harmonic distortion, and noise.

For instance, a tape machine can significantly affect the phase, while harmonic distortion can emphasize specific frequencies. Even just passing a signal through a piece of gear can yield a pleasing effect, particularly when using transformer-based gear.

Consider the impact of harmonic distortion in analogue gear. Observe its frequency response and the notches that often correspond to frequencies perceived as harsh or unpleasant. You might even notice a resemblance to Fletcher-Munson curves.

If you are unfamiliar with Fletcher-Munson curves, they are a set of experimentally determined graphs that illustrate the loudness, measured in dB SPL, required for sounds at different frequencies to be perceived as equally loud. In essence, they reveal how loud a frequency must be compared to another frequency to achieve a perceived equal loudness. It is a fascinating concept to explore how the non-linear behaviour of analogue gear can fix issues like harshness or muddiness.

Moreover, analogue gear has dynamic qualities that adapt to audio signal levels. Sometimes, we obtain unexpected improvements in audio quality through analogue gear that are byproducts of its operation. However, it is important to note that high-quality analogue gear comes at a considerable cost, so such improvements are far from being truly "free."

The Techivation team has developed advanced digital tools that address issues such as muddiness, harshness, and unpleasant resonances.

So, how can we achieve the same level of sweetness in our digital mixes? What processing tool can unlock the full potential of our tracks?

The answer lies in M-Clarity—a revolutionary spectral processor. Imagine the thrilling effect of running your audio sources through high-quality Class A analogue gear, transforming the character of your tracks, and infusing them with excitement. M-Clarity achieves a similar outcome by eliminating unpleasant resonances and revealing the true character of your tracks, all without introducing unwanted artefacts.

You may wonder why spectral shaping is a crucial consideration. Can't a regular notch filter suffice in removing unwanted resonances? Or dynamic EQs and multiband compressors?

While regular EQ can indeed address such issues, it has certain limitations. Even dynamic EQs fail to dynamically track resonances. While you can configure a dynamic EQ band to respond to specific frequencies, the frequency choice remains fixed. Moreover, the adjustments made by regular EQs tend to be broad and lack the precision and complexity offered by spectral shaping.

This is where M-Clarity excels. It dynamically shapes audio sources, making intricate adjustments across the entire frequency spectrum. Such precision is nearly impossible to achieve manually using conventional tools like dynamic EQ or a multiband compressor. With M-Clarity, you gain precise control over its behaviour, enabling you to focus on specific frequency ranges and define how it treats your audio signals.

Let us delve into one of my favourite use cases for M-Clarity:muddy vocals. Consider a scenario where you encounter a boomy vocal plagued by irritating resonances in the low end. While you could try to address these issues with a regular EQ or a multiband compressor, often the problem extends beyond simply removing a few troublesome frequencies. In such cases, you need a tool that can dynamically shape the sound, addressing the fundamental issues at hand.

Now let’s do a similar test, but this time with male vocals and see what M-Clarity can do with it.

In these examples, we deliberately used more extreme settings to accentuate their impact, enabling us to observe the full extent of M-Clarity's capabilities. However, in actual mixing scenarios, a more subtle approach would be preferred, and M-Clarity shines even then—retaining its pristine performance without introducing any undesirable artefacts. This is where many processors often falter—struggling to maintain quality under extreme settings. But with M-Clarity, you can trust in its reliability, no matter the intensity of your adjustments.

M-Clarity embodies the essence of the finest analogue gear—its ability to dynamically respond to audio sources, transforming them into something more pleasing to our ears. While M-Clarity does not emulate analogue gear, it captures the essence of analogue warmth and smoothness, shaping audio in a manner that evokes the finest analogue processing.

In addition to its impressive capabilities, M-Clarity features a user-friendly GUI. It has been thoughtfully designed to meet the needs of modern producers working on computers equipped with screens, keyboards, and mice. Its intuitive interface ensures that harnessing the power of M-Clarity becomes a seamless and enjoyable experience.

With M-Clarity, every element is strategically positioned to promote speed and efficiency in audio processing. The interface embraces a sleek and modern design, featuring a clean layout that allows for quick navigation and seamless workflow.

But don't just take our word for it—experience M-Clarity firsthand. <a href="/app/login/?type=m-clarity-trial">Download a 14-day free trial</a> and embark on a journey of audio refinement. Discover how M-Clarity swiftly becomes an indispensable tool in your sonic arsenal.

Unleashing Spectral Brilliance. Discover the power of M-Clarity.

Unleashing Spectral Brilliance. Discover the power of M-Clarity:Read the blog.

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