Full-Range vs. MultiBand
The Triple C’s most immediate mode is Full-Range, and all the controls work and act as you would expect, just like any good analog compressor. I usually started in this mode to get a ballpark setting and sound. Increasing the input level pushes more level and causes more compression.

I liked the unit a lot in this mode, and I sometimes used the Digital Radiance Generator (another feature borrowed from the Finalizer) to introduce second harmonic distortion on rock guitar tracks.
The fun starts when you switch to Multi Band mode. For years, multiband compression has been used at radio stations and in live sound. Now, it is gaining popularity in the recording studio as a means of dealing with difficult dynamics. The user can compress the band most responsible for large level jumps without affecting the rest of the audio with unwanted compressor side effects.

In Multi Band mode, the VU meter splits into three parallel meters, each reading different gain reductions and levels for the High, Mid and Low bands. Without doing anything, you’ll hear a noticeable difference in sound; if you were compressing a mix, the top end will open back up as if you were not compressing at all, and everything else will sound less squashed.

Using the Triple C on a solo piano recording, I first reset the crossover points of the low- and high-band compressors. The crossovers are both identical shelving filters that range from 19.95 to 20k Hz. I ran the high crossover out to 12 kHz, and, when I was moving the low crossover frequency, it was easy to tell where I wanted it. In real time, I heard and saw the frequency areas that were mostly triggering the compressor, and I could dial in crossover points.

The spectral balance is adjusted with the Lo-Freq and Hi-Freq controls. Increasing either of these controls increases the makeup gain for those respective bands, while maintaining the same gain reduction based on program content and the master threshold setting. Unlike some other multiband compressors, there is no way to set individual thresholds for each band, making the Triple C much easier to set on-the-fly. This action is indicated again on the sliding VU meters. Decreasing both controls together has the net effect of increasing the mid-band after you turn up the master makeup gain control.

Envelope Compression
Envelope Compression refers to the process of increasing or decreasing the attack and/or release portions of the dynamic envelope of a sound. This is a process that works well on periodic and predictably consistent sound sources, such as kick and snare drums, individual percussion instruments, samples, loops or preprogrammed recurrent synth events.

When Envelope Compression is selected, the four main active controls become Attack Gain, Attack Time, Release Gain and Release Time. One note of caution: Turn your monitors way down when you are switching into this mode, because the sudden changes in level are very dramatic—especially if the two spectral knobs are turned clockwise. In Envelope Compression mode, both the Attack and Release controls set duration times for gain modification in the attack and release portions. Turning the Envelope Attack Gain clockwise increases the level during the attack portion of the envelope up to the maximum output of the Triple C, or +20 dB. Likewise, you can reduce attack level by 20 dB or more by turning the Envelope Attack Gain counter-clockwise.

Once the envelope is in a quiescent state—i.e., after the attack portion is over but before the onset of release—the signal passes unaffected. With the Envelope Release Gain, I could lift the level of the end of a sound for up to a full two seconds and up to the +20dB maximum output. Conversely, I could also reduce the sustain tremendously by turning the Envelope Release Gain control counter-clockwise. This was good for reducing reverb tails and unwanted sonic aftermath. It’s a little like a downward expander, only much smoother and more musical.

The Triple C’s Envelope Compressor is perfect for greatly increasing the attack or “hit” of a snare drum, or for bringing up the back end of a drum loop, or reducing excessive recorded reverb or room tone on any individual sound. Furthermore, any noise present will be greatly amplified along with the ring-out sustain. This feature worked more comprehensively than the SPL Transient Designer I reviewed in the January 1999 issue of Mix, and unlike the analog-based Transient Designer, the Triple C allows for control over both the length and level of the attack and release portions.

At $699 (or $999 for the stereo version), TC Electronic’s Triple C is a new kind of digital processor that provides an easy-to-learn introduction to multiband compression and also offers an alternative dynamic control method with many creative possibilities. I like the new level of precision, adjustability and resettability made possible by the digitally based Triple C, previously only available within digital workstations and impossible with analog compressors.

TC Electronic Inc., 742-A Hampshire Road, Westlake Village, CA 91361; 805/373-1828; www.tcelectronic.com.

Reprinted with permission from Magazine, January, 2001
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