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DISCLAIMER................................................................................................................................................... 3
SHADOW HILLS MASTERING COMPRESSOR ................................................................................................. 4
OPTICAL COMPRESSOR SECTION .................................................................................................................. 5
RATIO & KNEE ........................................................................................................................................... 5
ATTACK & RELEASE ................................................................................................................................... 7
VCA COMPRESSOR SECTION ......................................................................................................................... 8
RATIO & KNEE ........................................................................................................................................... 8
ATTACK & RELEASE ................................................................................................................................. 11
TRANSFORMER SWITCH.............................................................................................................................. 12
OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES ......................................................................................................................... 13

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DISCLAIMER
Before we even start this cookbook, it is important to mention that music is a form or art and
that there is no right or wrong when it comes to art. A great mixing engineer once said that
“there’s no wrong way to make a sound” and this something I truly believe. Each person has a
completely different concept about music. So, at the end of the day, everything is acceptable, as
long it pleases the ears of the listener.

In this cookbook, I do not intend to teach you anything. My purpose is just to show you the way
I personally like to approach the product, but keep in mind this is not the only way that it can be
used. Feel absolutely free to follow different paths and try to create your own sonic signature!

That said, I hope this guide can help you in some way.

Best,

Alexandre Machado
You can connect with me at the following social media platforms:

All trademarks and images are the property of their respective owners. All names of hardware
manufacturers, plugin developers and models are used solely to identify the products analyzed
in this e-book and do not in any way imply any association with or endorsement by any of the
named manufacturers or developers.

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SHADOW HILLS MASTERING COMPRESSOR

The Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor Class-A VK is a special limited edition of the original
Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor, including an updated Class-A discrete compressor section,
Lundahl input transformers and hand wired each compressor with Mogami Cable.

As on the original model, the processing chain starts with a fully discrete optical compressor
section, that employs the same optical attenuator as the famous Teletronix Levelling Amplifiers
LA-2A and LA-3A, except that here the T4B optical cell is optimized for mastering applications.

The optical compressor is followed by a discrete Class-A VCA compressor section, with six ratios
(1.2:1, 2:1, 3:1, 4:1, 6:1 and flood), six attack settings (.1, .5, 1, 5, 10, and 30 milliseconds) and six
release times (.1, .25, .5, .8, 1.2 and auto, which is labelled as dual on the device). There is also a
detector filter that allows you to deload the low frequency input to limit pumping with bass heavy
material.

Finally, you can switch between different transformers to choose which one suits better the
music you are working on. According to the manufacturer, the transformers can be described as:
clean (nickel), colored (iron), and dirty (steel).

But what is the actual difference between the original Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor and
the Class-A VK special limited edition besides the LED colors? Let’s find out!

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OPTICAL COMPRESSOR SECTION

According to the hardware manual, the optical section comes first in the signal path. This section
utilizes an Electroluminescent Optical Attenuator and is the primary level adjustment applied to
the source material being processed. The optical compression is highly effective for reducing
input material dynamics due to its two-stage release time, where 80% is recovered quickly, but
20% may take over a second to release, depending on the amount of gain reduction applied.

RATIO & KNEE

The plugin manual mentions that the optical section operates with a fixed ratio of 2:1. But let’s
check how it looks on the analyzer so we can better understand how the unit works.

To find out what a compressor is doing in terms of ratio and knee, we can simply perform a ramp
test. The test consists of passing through the plugin a signal that ramps up, while registering the
input and output levels for each decibel increment in a graph.

In case you don’t know, the ratio of a compressor defines the maximum amount of compression
applied to the signal after exceeding the threshold. If your ratio is set to 2:1, for every 2 dB that
exceeds the threshold, the compressor will output only 1 dB (in other words, 1 dB will be
compressed, and you will have 50% of compression). If your ratio is set to 3:1, for every 3 dB that

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exceeds the threshold, the compressor will output only 1 dB (in other words, 2 dB will be
compressed, and you will have 66% of compression).

As we’ve already mentioned, according to the plugin manual, the optical section has a fixed ratio
of 2:1, which is pretty usual for mastering applications. However, after comparing the emulation
with a regular digital compressor, I found that the ratio of the optical compressor is actually a
lot closer to 3.5:1.

In case you do not know, the ratio is always accompanied by another setting called knee, that
basically tells the compressor how to apply the ratio. A hard knee setting means that the
compressor will apply the full ratio as soon as the signal exceeds the threshold point (which is
expressed in decibels). This results in a more accurate compression, but it also has a more
perceivable effect. In other words, a hard knee compressor is more likely to pump and to produce
other audible artifacts due to the abrupt transition between uncompressed and compressed
states.

On the other hand, a soft knee setting means that the compressor will gradually apply the ratio
until the maximum value is reached. This results in a less accurate compressor, but with a less
perceivable effect. In other words, a soft knee compressor is less likely to pump and to produce
other audible artifacts due to the smooth transition between uncompressed and compressed
states. By the way, most renowned analog compressors have a soft knee design.

Digging a little deeper, when using a hard knee setting, the threshold is a simple line. Whenever
the signal exceeds that line, the compressor will act over the audio, compressing it at the full
ratio that was set. However, when using a soft knee setting, the threshold turns into a range: at
the lowest point, the compressor will start applying the ratio in a very subtle way and will rise it
slowly as the signal level reaches higher points within the threshold range. How large that range
is will depend on how soft the knee is. You can visualize that idea I have just described on the
image below:

Source1: https://masterizacao.com/

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The original image was edited by me to better represent the explanation presented in this cookbook.

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Notice that, since the threshold becomes a range when using a soft knee setting, the compression
starts below the threshold with a subtle ratio and will only achieve the maximum ratio above the
threshold point.

The optical section on Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor Class-A VK digital emulation shows
something that resembles a soft knee design (although not as soft as I would expect). This means
that the ratio will be gradually and slowly applied to avoid abruptly changing from the
uncompressed to the compressed state.

So far, there are two differences between the original and the limited editions. First, the classic
Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor seems to have a gentler practical ratio of about 3:1, while
the Class-A VK has a slightly more aggressive ratio of about 3.5:1. Also, the ratio on original unit
has is accompanied by a hard knee, while the knee on the limited edition looks a bit softer.

ATTACK & RELEASE

With regards to the time constants, this section has a fixed slow attack time, as expected from
optical units. It is important to mention, however, that the higher the gain reduction applied the
faster the attack time will be. The release time is also program-dependent, as we have mentioned
earlier. The unit features a two-stage release, where 80% is recovered quickly, but 20% may take
over a second to release, depending on the amount of gain reduction applied.

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VCA COMPRESSOR SECTION

According to the hardware manual, the VCA compressor section comes second in the signal path.
This section utilizes a discrete Voltage Controlled Amplifier. The main idea is to use the discrete
section to finish the job that the optical section started.

RATIO & KNEE

The VCA compressor section features six selectable ratios (1.2:1, 2:1, 3:1, 4:1, 6:1 and flood,
which corresponds to a ratio of 20:1).

Let’s start by analyzing what happens when we select the ratio of 1.2. As you can see on the
image below, here we have a sort of soft knee design, which is desired for mastering, as it
smooths the compression effect and make it more pleasant to human ears. On the classic green
edition of Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor, we found the actual ratio was somewhere
between 2:1 and 3:1. Here, however, the ratio is pretty accurate to the engraved number (I found
it to be close to 1.35:1 on a digital compressor).

At the ratio of 2:1 (image below), the curve bends a bit more, although we are still operating on
a soft knee. Now, we are applying a practical ratio of about 1.7:1. This is way gentler than the
classic edition, which applies an actual ratio of 5:1 to 7:1 at this very same setting.

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The ratio of 3:1 (image below) doesn’t change the curve as much as we would expect. At this
point, it is actually applying a reduction rate of about 1.9:1.

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At the ratio of 4:1 (image below), the practical ratio being applied is something around 2.1:1.

At 6:1 (image below), the ratio slightly changes to 2.2:1.

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Finally, at the flood setting, although the manual indicates a ratio of 20:1, we are actually
applying a ratio of 4:1. At this very same setting, the classic Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor
has a very strange ratio curve of past infinite to 1, but the Class-A VK edition has a much more
moderate behavior.

ATTACK & RELEASE

With regards to the time constants, the discrete section has selectable attack times of .1, .5, 1,
5, 10, and 30 milliseconds. According to the hardware manual, “the control labelled Discrete
Attack varies how fast or slow the compression engages once the compression threshold had been
reached. A slow attack time (…) is useful for retaining signal transients relative to compression”.
Thus initial attack is realized before the onset of compression. Fast attack times have the effect
of equalizing initial transients relative to the level of compression”.

The unit also features selectable release times of .1, .25, .5, .8 and 1.2 seconds, as well as an
automatic mode, which is labelled as dual on the device and basically mimics the two-stage
release found on the optical section. The hardware manual mentions that “the Discrete Recover
control determines how long it takes the signal to return to the uncompressed level, once the
signal falls below the threshold of compression.

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TRANSFORMER SWITCH
Lastly, Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor Class-A features a custom transformer-switching
network, which slightly change the coloration the unit imparts to the sound. On the image below,
you can see how each transformer affects the frequency by applying a sort of equalization curve.

The transformers also affect the signal by adding harmonic content, therefore making it sound
fuller than originally.

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OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES
After reading both the hardware and plugin manuals, as well as carefully analyzing the emulation,
I feel comfortable saying that this unit was developed with a step-by-step serial compression
approach in mind.

The first step would be to set the optical compressor section. The electroluminescent optical
attenuator provides a fixed slow attack behavior, which will most likely make the compressor
ignore transients and act more as a levelling device. Also, the program-dependent release helps
to keep the desired transparency for mastering purposes. This section is very straightforward and
dumb proof, because all the parameters are fixed (ratio, attack and release). Although the Class-
A edition apparently features a stronger ratio of 3.5:1, it sounds great if you take it easy on the
gain reduction (1 dB is usually enough).

The next step would be to set the VCA compressor section to finish the job we’ve started with
the optical one. I like to think of the optical section as a loudness compressor and the VCA section
as a peak taming compressor. The Class-A edition of Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor has
much gentler ratios than the classic one, ranging from a practical 1.3:1 (when set to 1.2:1) up to
4:1 (when set to 20:1). For mastering applications, I’d recommend starting with the 1.2:1 setting
to avoid overprocessing your track, but here you can safely experiment with other settings up to
6:1, that represents an actual ratio of 2.2:1, which is completely acceptable for the purpose of
compressing program material. As for the attack, I consider either 30 milliseconds or 10
milliseconds to be good starting points (you will get slight peak control without squashing the
signal). Finally, the best option for the release is the dual, which mimics the two-stage release of
the optical compressor, but I would also try both .1 second and .25 second settings. Adjust the
threshold to achieve the desired gain reduction (1 to 2 dB should be enough) and the make up
for the gain loss by raising the discrete gain.

The third step would be to choose between the three transformers available on the plugin. Unlike
on the classic version, the transformers on the Class-A edition are level matched and, for that
reason, you can actually compare how different they sound, without being fooled by the loudness
discrepancy. The nickel mode and the iron mode sound bit darker, due to a slight top end roll-off,
but very, very close to each other in terms (you can see on this image how the frequency
responses for both transformers basically overlap). Lastly, the steel mode was the darker one on
the original Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor, but on the Class-A edition it is surprisingly
brighter than the previous two.

In case you experience pumping or undesired compression artifacts, try activating the sidechain
filter to avoid overloading the detector with low frequencies.

You may also want to try toggling between stereo and dual mono modes to check which you like
better.

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