Alesis 7-51-0121-A manual How the Smashup goes beyond just compression

Using the Smashup 3

How the Smashup goes beyond “just compression”

Having explained what the controls are designed to do, you should be aware that the Smashup’s digital compression algorithms do much more than just control levels. Just as a tube guitar amp sounds different from a solid-state power amp, the most popular compressors sound notably different from each other, even when their attack, threshold, ratio and release controls are set exactly the same. And, like guitar amps, there’s no single “best” compressor...good studios often have 6 or 7 different brands of compressor in the rack because some are better on rock vocals, others are best on bass, still others offer a unique drum sound. Alesis analyzed the behavior of many compressors, and the Smashup’s different [TYPE] settings are the result. You really get six different-sounding compressors in a single, compact ModFX box.

There’s no way to describe the complete behavior of each control in each mode. Just be aware that a particular [ATTACK] setting will have a totally different result when the [TYPE] is set to OPTO, as compared to FAT. Experiment with all the settings on different instruments and vocals, and you’ll find some really great- sounding combinations.

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