Dannysound Dynamics

The Dannysound Dynamics is a compressor / expander originally designed to process drums but like most processing devices, it can be used for a wide variety of applications.

The module comprises of:

·      Compressor / Expander

·      Sub Bass Enhancer

·      3 Band Inductor-based EQ

·      Harmonic Exciter

The compressor / expander section uses a discrete transistor-based circuit that allows for soft clipping when overdriven.

The envelope detector is known as a feedforward type of circuit; taking it’s input from the signal before it goes to the compressor rather than after. This type of circuit is known for having fast attack times.

The Sub Bass enhancer has its own compression circuit that “ducks” the initial transient. This allows the sub bass to be increased without distortion on the transient peaks increasing the overall level.

There is a MIX control to allow the unprocessed signal to be mixed back in with the processed signal.

The 3 band EQ is an inductor based LCR design. After trying out various EQ topologies this was the design that sounded the nicest. When overdriven it gives a nice “bite” to the sound and it has a certain characterful charm that’s hard to put into words. The controls have a response that are subtle to begin with and get more pronounced as the controls are increased.

The Harmonic Exciter adds a little distortion to the high frequencies which bring out the sparkle of cymbals or the snap snare drums. The operating bandwidth can be switched between Low (snare drum snap) or High (Cymbals sparkle).

There are inputs for side chaining and control with an external envelope as well as an envelope out to make the envelope detector output available to drive other modules.

It also features separate inputs and outputs for the Compressor / Expander and EQ sections, so they could be used as 2 separate modules.