Mark Gittins, sound engineer and owner of Dolby certified Atmos studio Sensound, found he was missing a good 9.1.6 capable compressor in his set-up. Does he think PSP Audioware’s AuralComp multichannel compressor can fill the void?

If, like me, you've dived head first into the wonderful world of mixing music in Dolby Atmos, then you're likely familiar with two primary mixing methods currently in play. There's the object-only approach and the Bed/Bus approach. The object-only approach involves assigning each track or stem in your project to its individual Object in the renderer, giving you 128 Objects to play with. The clear advantage here is the precise control over Binaural settings for each mix element, allowing you to intricately shape the headphone experience for the binaural downmix. However, the drawback lies in the cumbersome application of 'bus processing.' This requires placing your mix bus plugin(s) on each channel, linking them (often through a group in Pro Tools), and side chaining your mix to the plugin to ensure it's keyed from the mix, not itself. A significant pain in the backside.

With the introduction of wider tracks in Pro Tools, it's now possible to create up to a 9.1.6 bus and mix through that. I've been experimenting with this Bed/Bus approach since its availability, allowing me to mix via 9.1.6 limiter and EQ plugins. However, one missing piece was a good 9.1.6 capable compressor.

PSP Audioware cleverly fills this immersive void with their new Auralcomp multichannel compressor. Auralcomp consists of 16 identical compressor channels designed for use across any multichannel bus up to a width of 9.1.6. Each compressor channel features familiar controls—Attack, Release, Ratio, and Make-up Gain. Additionally, a mix control lets you blend in the uncompressed signal, achieving a parallel compression effect if desired. The compressor also boasts a highly comprehensive and customizable sidechain/key input for each compression channel, executed in a surprisingly intuitive and user-friendly way. Want your LCR compression triggered by the mix, but your height and surround channels triggered by the LCR? No problemo. How about compressing your whole mix except for your LFE? Easy peasy.

The magic lies in eight independent sidechain submixes. These are blends of any (or all) of the channel's signals, with an added bonus of four adjustable filters for extra tweakability. Need to make quick changes? Group your channels for efficient tweaking – all controls move together. Plus, you can copy-paste parameters, like filter settings, between submixes.

This flexibility prompts a reconsideration of the concept of bus compression and its evolution in an immersive world. PSP Audioware has nailed the interface to make this possible. In a previous iteration of my mix template, where I mixed using objects only, linked stereo compressors keyed from my mix, slightly folded in the level of immersion. Now, I can precisely control how dynamic processing reacts around the room, yielding far better results.

The compression flavor here is based on an Opto circuit designed in collaboration with immersive pioneer Roland Prent, whose signature even graces the GUI. It sounds great and proves to be an excellent choice for this type of compressor, not altering the tonality of the mix too much. It would be fantastic to see switchable compressor circuits in a future update, particularly a VCA style compressor for more aggressive use.

As if that isn't enough, PSP has added a brick wall limiter on the output stage to keep those pesky peaks in check and infuse a bit more energy into a mix if needed. Bravo!

There's also a stereo instance of Auralcomp with M/S capabilities, a welcome addition that got me thinking. Sometimes I want to combine both mixing methods. Perhaps I'll mix into my 9.1.6 bed in Pro Tools, but on certain channels, I'd like to assign them straight to objects, maybe for a specific Binaural setting or to add some movement to that channel. It would be amazing if I could then add a stereo instance of Auralcomp to that channel, with access to the side chain signals from my 9.1.6 instance or even just allowing an external sidechain. This way, I could create an aux that I could key to that stereo instance of the plugin to match what the multichannel instance is doing. Food for thought for a future update, perhaps?

In conclusion, Auralcomp has become an essential part of my workflow, prompting a rethink of how I approach immersive 'bus processing.' It's inspiring to see plugin brands like PSP Audioware innovate and provide the tools we need to create compelling and exciting immersive mixes. The future is bright; the future is immersive!