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audio engineering on the Linux platform.">
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<meta name="keywords" content="TAP-plugins TAP Reverb Editor
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Reverberator Equalizer EQ Vibrato Tremolo Echo Tom Szilagyi LADSPA
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JACK Plugin Linux Audio">
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<meta name="author" content="Tom Szilagyi">
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<font size="+2" color=#004060><b>TAP</b>-plugins</font><br>
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<font color=#004060>Tom's Audio Processing plugins</font><br>
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<font size="-1" color=#004060><i>for audio engineering on the Linux
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<a href="../index.html">[ Home ]</a>
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<a href="../ladspa.html">[ LADSPA plugins ]</a>
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<a href="../reverbed.html">[ TAP Reverb Editor ]</a>
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<a href="releases.html">[ Releases ]</a>
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<a href="general.html">[ General Info ]</a>
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<a href="manuals.html">[ Plugin Manuals ]</a>
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<a href="autopan.html">[ TAP AutoPanner ]</a>
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<a href="chorusflanger.html">[ TAP Chorus/Flanger ]</a>
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<a href="deesser.html">[ TAP DeEsser ]</a>
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<a href="dynamics.html">[ TAP Dynamics (Mono & Stereo) ]</a>
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<a href="eq.html">[ TAP Equalizer and TAP Equalizer/BW ]</a>
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<a href="doubler.html">[ TAP Fractal Doubler ]</a>
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<a href="pinknoise.html">[ TAP Pink/Fractal Noise ]</a>
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<a href="pitch.html">[ TAP Pitch Shifter ]</a>
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<a href="reflector.html">[ TAP Reflector ]</a>
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<a href="reverb.html">[ TAP Reverberator ]</a>
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<a href="rotspeak.html">[ TAP Rotary Speaker ]</a>
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<a href="limiter.html">[ TAP Scaling Limiter ]</a>
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<a href="sigmoid.html">[ TAP Sigmoid Booster ]</a>
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<a href="echo.html">[ TAP Stereo Echo ]</a>
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<a href="tremolo.html">[ TAP Tremolo ]</a>
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<a href="tubewarmth.html">[ TAP TubeWarmth ]</a>
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<a href="vibrato.html">[ TAP Vibrato ]</a>
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<h2>TAP Dynamics (Mono & Stereo)</h2>
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<img src="tap_dynamics_m.png" alt="[TAP Dynamics (M) GUI as shown in Ardour]">
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<img src="tap_dynamics_st.png" alt="[TAP Dynamics (St) GUI as shown in Ardour]">
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<b>TAP Dynamics</b> is a versatile tool for changing the dynamic
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content of your tracks. Currently it supports 15 dynamics transfer
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functions, among which there are compressors, limiters, expanders and
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noise gates. However, the plugin itself supports arbitrary dynamics
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transfer functions, so you may add your own functions as well, without
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any actual programming.
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The plugin comes in two versions: Mono (M) and Stereo (St). This is
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needed because independent processing of two channels is not always
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desirable in the case of stereo material. The stereo version has an
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additional control to set the appropriate mode for stereo processing
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(you may still choose to process the two channels independently,
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although the same effect is achieved by using the mono version).
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<h3>General information</h3>
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<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" border="1">
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<tr><th align="left">Unique ID</th><td>2152 (Mono), 2153 (Stereo)</td>
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<tr><th align="left">I/O ports</th><td>1 input / 1 output (Mono), 2 inputs / 2 outputs (Stereo)</td>
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<tr><th align="left">CPU usage (44.1 kHz)</th><td>1.9% [1]</td>
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<tr><th align="left">CPU usage (96 kHz)</th><td>3.9% [1]</td>
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<tr><th align="left">Hard RT Capable</th><td>No (see Notes)</td></tr>
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<tr><th align="left">In-place operation</th><td>Supported</td>
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<tr><th align="left">run_adding() function</th><td>Provided</td>
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[1] When placed on a stereo track with equal settings, the difference
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between the results of the mono and stereo version is not significant.
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The Attack and Release controls set the parameters for the envelope
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computation code. By setting smaller values, the envelope level will
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follow the actual momentary volume level more accurately; by setting
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larger values, envelopes will be more sluggish. As a rule of thumb,
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the release time should be about 2-4 times as much as the attack time,
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but this rule is very weak: don't hesitate to set anything else if
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that is what you need.
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Setting small attack/release times means that the plugin will spring
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into action on every beat. Setting relatively long attack/release
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times (above 200-300 ms) yield an effect that tends to compensate for
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volume changes in a track, and lets shorter changes (beats) get
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The envelope level determines the amount of gain applied to the input
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signal, with respect to the dynamics function set. There will be times
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when you need to modify the threshold/limit levels of a function to
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get the best results. The Offset Gain control is provided for this
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reason. By setting this control, you specify the gain with which the
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whole dynamics function is shifted horizontally, in the negative
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direction. To put it another way, you may think of this control like a
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gain control applied to the input signal just before it reaches the
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envelope stage; however, note that this gain will not show up in the
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indicated envelope levels. Let's take an example: if you set the
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Function to, say, "Hard limiter at -12 dB", and set an Offset Gain of
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+6 dB, the result will be a hard limiter at -18 dB. Use this control
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to adjust the chosen function to the actual level of your track.
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The Stereo version has an additional control: Stereo Mode. It has
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three values: Independent, Average and Peak. This setting controls how
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the envelope levels are used to determine the needed gain adjustment.
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When in Independent mode, the two envelope levels control the two
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channel's gains independently. In Average mode, the average of the two
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envelope levels is computed and the gain determined by this average
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level is applied to both input channels. Peak mode is the same as
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Average mode, but the greater envelope level is taken instead of the
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average of the two envelope levels.
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Generally, you will want to use Average or Peak mode on a stereo mix
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in order to retain stereo balance. Independent mode tends to cancel
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out larger volume differences between the two channels; of course,
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this may be just what you want.
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<h3>Dynamics transfer functions</h3>
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The plots of the dynamics functions are shown below. The identity
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function (which always yields zero gain modification) is plot as a
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yellow line. The actual function's plot is red. At any input level,
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the gain modification is the vertical distance between the yellow and
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<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" border="1">
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<tr><th>No. </th><th>Dynamics function</th></tr>
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<tr><td valign="top">0</td><td>
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<img src="tap_dynamics_00.png" alt="Dynamics function no. 0">
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<tr><td valign="top">1</td><td>
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<img src="tap_dynamics_01.png" alt="Dynamics function no. 1">
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<tr><td valign="top">2</td><td>
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<img src="tap_dynamics_02.png" alt="Dynamics function no. 2">
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<tr><td valign="top">3</td><td>
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<img src="tap_dynamics_03.png" alt="Dynamics function no. 3">
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<tr><td valign="top">4</td><td>
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<img src="tap_dynamics_04.png" alt="Dynamics function no. 4">
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<tr><td valign="top">5</td><td>
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<img src="tap_dynamics_05.png" alt="Dynamics function no. 5">
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<tr><td valign="top">6</td><td>
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<img src="tap_dynamics_06.png" alt="Dynamics function no. 6">
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<tr><td valign="top">7</td><td>
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<img src="tap_dynamics_07.png" alt="Dynamics function no. 7">
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<tr><td valign="top">8</td><td>
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<img src="tap_dynamics_08.png" alt="Dynamics function no. 8">
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<tr><td valign="top">9</td><td>
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<img src="tap_dynamics_09.png" alt="Dynamics function no. 9">
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<tr><td valign="top">10</td><td>
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<img src="tap_dynamics_10.png" alt="Dynamics function no. 10">
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<tr><td valign="top">11</td><td>
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<img src="tap_dynamics_11.png" alt="Dynamics function no. 11">
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<tr><td valign="top">12</td><td>
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<img src="tap_dynamics_12.png" alt="Dynamics function no. 12">
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<tr><td valign="top">13</td><td>
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<img src="tap_dynamics_13.png" alt="Dynamics function no. 13">
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<tr><td valign="top">14</td><td>
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<img src="tap_dynamics_14.png" alt="Dynamics function no. 14">
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<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" border"1" bgcolor="#f0f0f0">
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<h3>How to add a new dynamics function</h3>
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If you want to add a new function, here is how to do it. If you are
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not interested in creating your own functions, you can safely skip
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You have to specify the following parameters in order to describe a
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dynamics transfer function.
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<i>(a)</i> The number of breakpoints on the input/output plane (the
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maximum number is 20).
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<i>(b)</i> For each breakpoint, the input (X) and output (Y) values
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are needed. Input coordinates must be greater or equal to -80 dB,
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output coordinates may be arbitrary.
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Function data is described in the file
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<code>tap_dynamics_presets.h</code> in a structure written in C
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syntax. But don't be scared, you don't have to be a C programmer to be
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able to add a new function. Just follow the instructions.
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First of all, at the top of the file you find this:<br><br>
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<code>/* Number of dynamics presets */<br>
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#define NUM_MODES 15</code><br><br>
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It is important that this number always equals to the functions
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described in the file. For this reason, you have to increase this
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value if you add a new preset.
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Below is an existing function, as it looks in the file. Note that
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fractional numbers are given in C float format. This means that a
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decimal dot is found in every number ( <code>.0</code> is appended if
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it happens to be an integer) and it is ended with the letter
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{ /* Compressor/Gate */<br>
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{-80.0f, -105.0f},<br>
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{-62.0f, -80.0f},<br>
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{-15.4f, -15.4f},<br>
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This function consists of 5 breakpoints <i>(a)</i>. Each breakpoint
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has two coordinates, the first value is the input, the second is the
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When you have designed a new function, all you have to do is append it
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in a form shown above, to the end of
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<code>tap_dynamics_presets.h</code>, but before the last closing
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<code>};</code> brace. After re-compiling the plugin, your new
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dynamics function should be available. (Don't forget to increment the
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<code>NUM_MODES</code> constant at the top of the file, as shown
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above, or your new function will not show up.)
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If you have developed a new preset that you think is useful, please
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mail it with your name and e-mail address to the author so it can be
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included in the next release. You will be given due credit, of course.
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<h3>Summary of user controls</h3>
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<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" border="1">
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<tr><th>name</th><th>min. value</th><th>default value</th><th>max. value</th></tr>
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<tr align="center"><td>Attack [ms]</td>
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<tr align="center"><td>Release [ms]</td>
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<tr align="center"><td>Offset Gain [dB]</td>
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<tr align="center"><td>Makeup Gain [dB]</td>
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<tr align="center"><td>Stereo Mode [2]</td>
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<tr align="center"><td>Function</td>
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[2] This control appears only in the Stereo version.
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The plugin consumes varying amounts of CPU power, depending on the
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exact function used. The plugin is by definition not hard RT capable,
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although CPU usage tends to be fairly constant. CPU metrics were
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measured with the function set to Expander, which is currently the
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most complex function.
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$Id: dynamics.html,v 1.3 2004/08/17 13:05:16 tszilagyi Exp $
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doc/ladspa/dynamics.html
