Techivation T-Compressor

User Manual

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Techivation T-Compressor
Overview
We designed T-Compressor to make the professional audio compression process as simple as
possible. It is easy to set up and use, yet is powerful to get any complex audio processing tasks
done. T-Compressor offers unique and quick audio compression solutions, such as the serial
compression feature, automatic compression setting control, and the smart auto-gain.

T-Compressor is a super transparent compressor, but it also gives you the option to add
distinctive color to your sound. The way we set the attack/release/ratio/knee controls in this
compressor makes it easy to get a the properly compressed sound.

The serial compression feature allows you to use up to 3 instances of the plugin on the same
window. This feature not only gives you more control over your serial compression
processing, but also saves you time, plugin spot, and CPU usage. It also helps you create more
unique sounds.

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Techivation T-Compressor
Features
• Compression Knob • Smart Attack & Release Control
• Threshold Control • Side-Chain High-Pass Filter (sc-hp)
• Input/Output Control • Dry & Wet Signal Mix
• Smart Auto-Gain • On/Off Button
• 4 Compression Color Modes • A/B Switch
• VU Meter • Undo/Redo Options
• Digital Graph Meter • Scaleable Graphic User Interface (GUI)
• Serial Compression Feature *(up to 3X) • Internal Menu
• Oversampling up to 4X • Stereo and Mono
• Peak Meter • Supports VST, VST3, AU, AAX Formats
• Zero Latency
• Global Serial Presets
• Individual Presets

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Techivation T-Compressor Features

Compression Knob
Compression knob determines how much
compression to add to the signal. It is the
central feature of the software. As you
change the compression knob values from
0% to 100%, you automatically change the
attack, release, and the ratio of the
compressor.

Depending on choosing slow or fast

“attack” or “release” settings, the values for
those would vary at different percentage
levels of compression you adjust.

The automatic connection of the

compression knob with the attack, release
and ratio controls lets you nd the desired
sound more quickly and accurately.

The knee value in T-Compressor is static.

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Techivation T-Compressor Features

Threshold Control
To activate the compressor, a signal must rise above a
predetermined threshold level. In this case, the
compressor will simply allow the signal to pass through
unaltered if it is too low or doesn't meet the threshold.

The variable red number next to the threshold fader in T-

Compressor shows you how much reduction the
compressor is applying to your sound.

It is set at 0 dB by default and can go down to -60 dB. You

can scroll the fader or type in the values to make changes
to its settings.

Threshold has direct connection with the VU and GRPH

meters of the compressor, and the smart auto-gain.

Quick tip:
• Double clicking on the threshold name
will take it back its default value. (0 dB)
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Techivation T-Compressor Features

Input & Output

You can adjust the input and output levels using this one
single fader. As you click on the “triangle” icon or the name, a
menu shows up which lets you to choose between Input and
Output. If Input is selected, the fader adjustments will be
affecting the input amount and if output is selected, it will
affect the output signal amount.

Smart Auto-gain
The smart auto-gain feature in T-Compressor lets you
focus on hearing the exact compression effect that the
plug-in adds, rather than the changes in the volume.
Every sound that gets compressed loses amplitude level,
but this option keeps the wet output sound at the same
level as the dry input sound.

Note:
• The smart auto-gain is “Off” by default
but you can turn that on from the Input/
Output menu”.
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 Techivation T-Compressor Features

Compression Modes
The T-Compressor is a very transparent sound
compressor by default when the “Clean” mode is
selected. However, you can choose between 3 other
modes including “Crispy”, “Warm” and “Thick”. It also
allows you to mix these modes with each other in
parallel to create very unique and special sounds using
its serial compression chain.

For instance, you can have a “Clean” compressions as the

rst instance in the chain to trim the transient sounds
and have a “Warm” one as the second to adjust more
dynamic processing and mix it in parallel with a 3rd
compressor with “Crispy’ selected and go creative with
no limits.

These modes can also be used in different presets of the

plug-in.

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Techivation T-Compressor Features

Compression Modes
1. Clean
The compressor sounds fully transparent when the
“Clean” mode is selected. It works great on any kind of
sound source, and is also very useful for audio mastering
when you don’t want any extra avor or texture added
to your sound.

2. Crispy
This mode adds more brightness to the sound, by mixing
its unique bright avor and character with the audio.
The more you push the compression amount, the more
of the mode's effect will be applied. Crispy also works on
any sound source, and sounds especially great on “bass”,
“vocals”, “guitars”, “synths”, and “drums".

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Techivation T-Compressor Features

Compression Modes
3. Warm
This mode adds warmth and a unique analog vibe to the
sound when selected, by implementing a certain kind of
tape saturation processing, and lters.

It works for any sounds, and is especially ideal for

“Vocal”, “Drums”, “Buss Processing”, “Synth”, “Hi-hats”,
“Snare”, etc.

This helps with making the sound smoother along with

adding its own unique character to it. For example, if you
have very bright sounding snare, try this mode while
compressing it, and make it sound more pleasant by
including its special tape saturation and lter effect to it.

4. Thick
This mode helps to make the sound more open and 3-
dimensional, and brings sounds that lack excitement to
life.

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 Techivation T-Compressor Features

VU Meter
The T-Compressor has two different kinds of visual
graphs that you can constantly choose between while
using it. The “VU” and the “GRPH”.

The VU is selected by default, however, you can always

change your own custom default settings.

This shows how much audio is being compressed using its

analog style meter. The VU works slightly slower than the
GRPH, according to the natural of real outboard VU
meters.

We recommend using VU because it lets you pay more

attention to the actual sound rather than the visuals.

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 Techivation T-Compressor Features

GRPH Visualizer
As you click on the “GRPH” button on the T-Compressor’s
visual spectrum, the VU switches to a modern looking
digital graph visualizer which allows you to see the real-
time gain reduction processing on your audio.

This is helpful in a number of situations where you want

to fully see what’s actually happening to your audio
besides hearing it, however, we always recommend you to
rst focus on your ears when it comes to deciding wether
or not your settings are good.

The reason why we put the VU rst as the default, even

though the GRPH shows a lot more in-depth visuals, is
because we don’t want you to focus too much on seeing
what’s happening to your audio visually, but rather we
want you to listen to what's happening to make the right
decisions on choosing the right amount of settings.

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Techivation T-Compressor Features

Attack Speed
You can choose between fast or slow attack by left-
clicking on this window. The speed can change as you
change the compression amount from 1% to 100%.
Basically “fast” attack is better for reducing punchiness
and smoothing transient sounds, while slow is better for
keeping the sounds punchy and sharper, while
controlling dynamics.

Release Speed
You can choose between fast or slow release by left-
clicking on this window. The speed can change as you
change the compression amount from 1% to 100%.
Basically "fast" release is better for keeping the sounds
more punchy and sharper while “slow” is good for
making the sounds smoother.

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Techivation T-Compressor Features

Mix
The "Mix" option regulates the mix of the two input and
output signals, making it ideal for parallel processing. It
goes from 0% (plug-in bypassed) to 100%, which is the
default amount. Double clicking on the “mix” will take it
back to default. With the serial compression processing,
the “mix” can allow for more creativity in parallel
processing.

SC-HP
The Side-chain High-pass lter (sc-hp) prevents the
lower frequencies from being compressed. It’s very
useful for buss processing, and mastering, where you
don’t want your low-end to be affected by the
compressor. You can go from 20hz to 350hz on each
compressor in the serial chain separately.

Again, you can take advantage of this feature along with

serial compression to make some very unique sounds.

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Techivation T-Compressor Features

Serial Compression
Serial compression is when you use several compressors in a row (one after the other), and it's a great method to
combine the best features of two or more plugins. You may also share the effect by connecting compressors in a
series. T-Compressor allows you to add up to 3 compressor instances in the same plug-in unit and have full control
over 3 of them on a single plug-in window! You can choose through them like a web browser and quickly make
adjustments.

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 Techivation T-Compressor Features

Serial Compression Controls

Numbers (1 - 2- 3)
By default you will see the number 1 in the serial
compression control area, which means you have a 1
compressor in the chain. Each number represents a
different compressor in the chain which you can switch
between to change each of their settings.

+ and x icons
When you press the + button you can add more
compressors, up to 3 instances in the chain. In the photo
on the right you'll see the numbers 1, 2, 3 at the top of
the interface. This means that there are currently 3
compressors in the chain, and as the #2 is highlighted, it
means it is selected.

As you choose each compressor number, a cross icon

appears on top of it which gives you the ability to
remove that instance if you want to.

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 Techivation T-Compressor Features

Serial Compression Controls

The pointers
The pointers below the numbers represents the signal
ow between the compressor instances. As shown in the
picture, the output of the compressor #1 goes into the
compressor #2.

It means if you change the output in compressor #1, it is

the same as if you were changing the input in
compressor #2.

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Techivation T-Compressor Features

Quick notes:
• If you delete the compressor #2, the compressor #3
becomes the new #2 so that you can add a new instance
in the chain.
• Each compressor in the chain behaves like a unique
compressor plug-in, except certain global settings:
- Oversampling
- GUI Scale
- Auto-Gain
• There are so many creative ways for the serial
compression processing. For example, you can rst apply
a gentle amount of clean compression, then add some of
the “Warm” avor, and nally add a dash of “Crispy” at
the end. There is a lot of potential in this tool, so be sure
to take advantage of it to make your audio stand out!
• You can save your compression chains and they will
appear in the “global presets” list, so you can load them
up later.
• If you remove an instance, and add another one, the
same settings on the previous instance will appear on the
new one, but you can click on “default preset” to take it
back to default.

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Techivation T-Compressor Features

On/Off (Bypass) Button

Bypass button, enables or disables the plugin’s effect on
the output sound. This only bypasses the selected
compressor in the serial compression chain.

For example, if you have 3 compressors in a chain, and

you bypass the compressor #2, it means that only the
compressor #2 will be bypassed in the chain and the
output signal from the compressor #1 will enter the
compressor #3 put in brackets — (as long as compressor
#2 is bypassed).

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 Techivation T-Compressor Features

A / B Comparison
A / B buttons allow you to compare different options
fast and easy to see which might work best. They work
separately on each compressor in the serial chain.

You can copy the same settings from A to B or vice versa

to test what small tweaks, and adjustments might sound
like.

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 Techivation T-Compressor Features

Plug-in Menu
A quick menu of useful features:
• Undo
• Redo
• Oversampling
• Presets
• Save Preset As…
• Load Preset…
• Default Preset
• Global Presets
• Save Global Preset As…
• Load Global Preset…
• Default Global Preset
• GUI Scale
• Show/hide tooltips
• [Your email]/Sign in
• Abou T-Compressor
• Support

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Techivation T-Compressor Features

Plug-in Menu
Undo/Redo
Undo and redo options are built inside the plugin. You no
longer need to worry about losing setting values.

Oversampling up to 4X
Oversampling in T-Compressor helps you decrease
aliasing by executing the internal process at a higher
sample rate than the host, up to 4X times higher. (In
other words, it will improve the quality of your audio.)

Presets
Allows you to load presets from the T-Compressor built-
in preset menu. These are the presets that apply to
individual compressors in the serial chain.

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Techivation T-Compressor Features

Plug-in Menu
Save Preset As…
Allows you to save your own custom presets in your
computer’s presets folder, which would apply to each
single compressor in the serial chain.

Load Preset…
Allows you to load presets from your computer’s presets
folder.

Default Preset
This makes all the settings back to the default on each
compressor individually.

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Techivation T-Compressor Features

Plug-in Menu
Global Presets
Allows you to load global serial compression presets
from the T-Compressor built-in global preset menu.
These are the presets that can add up to 3 compressors
with different settings to the plug-in.

Save Global Preset As…

Allows you to save your own custom global serial
compression chain presets in your computer’s global
presets folder. These can add up to 3 compressor in a
serial chain.

Load Global Preset…

Allows you to load global presets from your computer’s
global presets folder.

Default Global Preset

It removes the serial compression chain and resets the
whole plug-in into the default setting.
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Techivation T-Compressor Features

Plug-in Menu
GUI Scale
This allows you to choose the scale of the plug-in
interface from 80% to 150%.

Sign-in
In order to use the T-Compressor, you’re required to sign
in to have it activated. After being signed-in you will see
your email below the GUI scale option in the menu.

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Techivation T-Compressor Features

Plug-in Menu
Manage Active Machines
T-Compressor plug-in can be active on a
maximum of two computer systems at a time. You
have the option to activate or deactivate your
plug-ins on different computer systems here.

Change Password
This allows you to change your Techivation
account password right inside the plug-in. This
password also can be used to log in to your
Techivation account on our website.

Sign-out
Signing out of the plug-in will deactivate all the
functions until you sign back in.

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Techivation T-Compressor Features

Plug-in Menu
About T-Compressor
This window will show you what version of the plug-in
you have installed.

Support
If you click on "Support" in the plug-in menu, you will be
directed to our support webpage on your computer's
default browser. You can nd information about
common issues, or use our contact form to reach out to
us via email, or WhatsApp messenger.

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 Techivation T-Compressor
Compatibility Installation
Plugin formats: VST, VST3, AU, AAX. If you purchase a T-Compressor license, you can sign in to the
Platforms supported: Mac OS X 10.11 (OS X El Capitan) – plug-in to activate, and use it for a lifetime . Or if you activate a
macOS 11.6 (Big Sur) - Native M1 14-day free trial, you can sign in to the plug-in and continue
using it for free for 14 days.
Windows 7 and up.
A software download is supplied with your sign-up/purchase,
DAWs supported: Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Avid Protools, FL however you can always go to Techivation.com for the latest
Studio, Cubase, Nuendo, Reaper, and other major DAW software updates.
softwares on the market.
Activation After downloading, unzip the le and select either Mac or PC
installer depending on your system. (Warning: don’t run the PC
T-Compressor requires a purchased license from our website, le on a Mac and vice-versa).
to get activated according to our terms and conditions. As soon
as you purchase a license from us, you’ll automatically have • Mac: Double click on the PKG installer and follow the
your Techivation account activate the plug-in for you, after you instructions
sign- in. Everyone with one purchased license, can use the plug-
in on a maximum of two machines at the same time. You can • PC/Windows: Extract the le content. Double click on the
purchase a license from our website techivation.com/t- setup le and follow the instructions
compressor

Support
For any support inquiries check out techivation.com/support
Check out techivation.com/terms-conditions to learn more
about the rights.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us via email.
[email protected] or [email protected]
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 Techivation T-Compressor
Uninstall Locations
MAC OS
AU: /Library/Audio/Plug-ins/Components/
VST: /Library/Audio/Plug-ins/VST/
VST3: /Library/Audio/Plug-ins/VST3/
AAX: /Library/Application Support/Avid/Audio/Plug-Ins/
Other data: ~/Library/Application Support/Techivation

WINDOWS
VST: Custom path from installer
VST3: \Program Files\Common Files\VST3\
or \Program les(x86)\Common Files\VST3
AAX: \Program Files\Common Files\Avid\Audio\Plug-Ins\
Other data: C:\ProgramData\Techivation "Note: this folder is
hidden so you need to change your settings to see the hidden
les rst."

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