Another diode bridge compressor

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Sorry for my ignorance...
what is common mode thumps? is something audible or is referred to a sort of electronic behavior?
thanks for attention
best
 
In a compressor we don't want control voltage on the output. That's why when diodes or tubes are used as a variable gain element they are in a push-pull or bridge circuit. Here we are changing the current flowing through the diode bridge with the control voltage which results in a common mode voltage. Often this common-mode voltage is called common-mode thump. Transformer or differential amplifier needs to be used to reject this common-mode voltage. Since the diode bridge isn't perfectly balanced the control voltage doesn't end up being perfect common-mode voltage and some of it bleeds through to the output which can result in an audible "thump" sound.
 
Sorry for my ignorance...
what is common mode thumps? is something audible or is referred to a sort of electronic behavior?
thanks for attention
best
It's a noise that happens when the compressor starts to compress. The side-chain sends a voltage that changes gain. It also is superimposed to the signal. Since it's applied symetrically to both phases of the signal, it can be eliminated by using a differential amp or a transformer. In practice, elimination is not perfect.
 
Thank you so much for your explanation.....
Luckily i think i didn t noticed on my proto
i ll do some measurement on REW....
so if i understand a solution is to add a sort of 2 stage inverting follower from sidechian to diodeBridge... right?
always thanks for your patience and attention
best
 
or a solution is to travel inverted from the beginning of the signal path?
sorry for my dummy questions, i m learning
 
To avoid this common mode...
apparently I didn t noticed at listening... But not so expert to judge
Your compressor has a 3 op amp instrumentation amplifier after the diode bridge that takes care of the common-mode voltage.
 
thank you so much for your infos and seggestions....
i m reading this , Designing for high common-mode rejection
in balanced audio inputs, by texas inst.... to go in details
best
 
Your compressor has a 3 op amp instrumentation amplifier after the diode bridge that takes care of the common-mode voltage.
Now i see the difference between the 2 projects and why one uses a transformer and the other doesn't. Thanks!
 
BTW, thumps could be reduced by using balanced control voltage.
So this referred to the transformer and diff amps already in the schematics ? (Which are there to control/tame/reduce thump from being fed back into the SC, where it might trigger non-program material derived 'over'-compression.)

Cos like richiyobs I too first had thought it referred to the output of the SC before CV hits the diodes, and that driving those diodes differentially (BD140 --nah, DRV134--expensive) could somehow be beneficial, because... those diodes are fed in parallel so one side might draw a tiny tad more than the other.

Or instead of hooking diodes to ground, hook that side to CV-inverted, as in driving Ec+ and Ec- of a VCA ?
 
I ve simulated the U273 vca... The simplified version on sound au... The waveform at the output looks like is passing through a clipper, very rounded
 
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