Compressor construction literature?

Hello!
I just wondered if anyone knew of any good books about compressor construction/circuitry?
I cant find any, there are loads on tube amp stuff but literally nothing for compressors  ???
Any suggestions are very welcome
Thanks
Shea

..actually, the only coherent information about compressor design that I have ever found (and I've searched a lot) - is in this forum...

Jakob E.

I know its so frustrating as i need past literature on the subject for my dissertation, ive looked everywhere, its suprising really

http://www.aes.org/e-lib/ hit it with "compressor".

Samuel

Radiotron Designer's Handbook; chapter 16 deals with Volume expansion, compression and limiting.

Design notes from THAT. And I second searching this very forum.

Thanks guys!!
Really appreciate your replies!
This forum is definately the best place for it

If you´re into german language then read the manuals of broadcast compressors like Neumann U473, Filtek BKE1 /2 /3 /4, Siemens U273, TAB U73, Telefunken U373, EMT266 (DX) or 277. They always contain detailed information about their construction. These types cover the construction principles VCA, FET, diodebridge, PWM, tube VCA (Vari Mu). For opto compressors read the LA2A, LA3 and LA4 manuals.

Another vote for THAT applications, and before that there were sundry AES preprints and papers in the JAES from DBX engineers in decades past, when this stuff was current and novel.

JR

Im on it!
Thanks again guys!!!!

http://www.akzent-audio.de/unterseiten/cs-komp-artikel.html
http://www.tangible-technology.com/dynamics/comp_lim_ec_dh_pw2.html

I found these links today while looking thru this forum in search of info on saturable reactors and magnetic amplifiers.  Didn't find much about them, but I read thru one of the links and found it contained some good stuff.

millzners said:

..while looking thru this forum in search of info on saturable reactors and magnetic amplifiers.  Didn't find much about them

Click to expand...

Have you seen this:

Magnetic Amplifier Control for Simple, Low-Cost, Secondary Regulation - http://focus.ti.com/lit/ml/slup129/slup129.pdf

Jakob E.

gyraf said:

millzners said:

..while looking thru this forum in search of info on saturable reactors and magnetic amplifiers.  Didn't find much about them

Click to expand...

Have you seen this:

Magnetic Amplifier Control for Simple, Low-Cost, Secondary Regulation - http://focus.ti.com/lit/ml/slup129/slup129.pdf

Jakob E.

Click to expand...

No I hadn't, thank you!  I'll have some quality lunch time reading ahead of me.  Thanks again.

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/archive/pdffiles/monographs/bbc_monographs_listing.pdf
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/archive/pdffiles/monographs/bbc_monograph_70.pdf
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/archive/pdffiles/monographs/bbc_monograph_77.pdf

Here is what i have gathered from the internet. There really is not alot of info to get about compressors. But this is what i have found so far.

Elysia have a great article about compression on their website
http://www.elysia.com/company/stories/forward-or-backward-2010/

Crane songs website has this link, it is written with aid of David Hill and is commented by Paul Wolff formerly of API. It is split up in to two parts.
http://www.tangible-technology.com/dynamics_index.html

Douglas Self has a short general explanation of compressors and how they work in his book "Small signal audio design". It is not much but he does a great job of explainging the basics of compressors from an electronics stand point.

THAT has a great wealth of information on their website, check out their design notes. They are a bit spread out on the website but with a little digging you'll find them all
http://www.thatcorporation.com/


Lastly this forum is a gold mine full of gold nuggets of information on compressors.

Basically all compressors share the same layout, in rough terms. First they de-balance (if balanced input is used) then the gain reduction takes place, the different methods of gain reduction can be found in both Elysia and Crane song link. After the signal has been attenuatded it is amplified by the make up amplifier, then the signal is balanced again (if balanced outputs is used). The control signal, controlling the gain reduction, is fed either forward or backward (se Elysia and Crane song link). Because most compressors share their general layout, much can be learned from studying the scematic of different compressors. You will be amazed at how similar they are.

Scott Hampton does a great job of explaining his opto compressor. Lots of usefull information about generall compressor archetecture to be gathered from that
http://www.hamptone.com/oldsite/tapeop2005.htm

Gyraf also does a great job of explaining his SSL bus compressor clone. Lots of good information here.
http://www.gyraf.dk/gy_pd/ssl/ssl.htm

Compare Hampons design with the SSL bus compressor, their layout is not that different from each other.



That is my personal collection of links to compressor knowledge that i have found, i hope more people will add information to this thread. Cause you just can't get enugh of them compressors. =P

Hope it helps you out

/Holmqvisten

Again, this is why i love this forum!

http://users.ece.gatech.edu/mleach/papers/limiter.pdf
http://users.ece.gatech.edu/mleach/papers/fmlimiter.pdf

Thanks PRR!!
Thinkin of an FET for my next one