Bypass the Compressor from the Chain¶
Enable or disable the Aetherial Compressor (TX) or Aetherial AGC-C (RX) without changing any of its settings. Bypassing lets you compare processed and unprocessed audio or temporarily take the compressor out of the signal path.
Before you start¶
- The CHAIN widget must be visible in the Aetherial Audio (TXDSP) parent container.
- Identify which side you want to bypass: the TX compressor (COMP stage on the TX chain) or the RX compressor (COMP stage on the RX chain).
Steps¶
- Locate the CHAIN widget for the side you want to affect (TX or RX).
- Single-click the COMP stage in the CHAIN widget.
- One click toggles the bypass state for that stage.
- When bypassed, the stage is inactive and the Aetherial Compressor (TX) or Aetherial AGC-C (RX) applet tile dims to reduced opacity (approximately 55% of normal brightness), matching the dim effect used by the EQ curve when its stage is bypassed.
- When enabled (bypass off), the tile returns to full opacity and the compressor processes audio.
- To re-enable, single-click the COMP stage again.
What each control does¶
| Control | What it does | Setting key |
|---|---|---|
| COMP stage (TX, single-click) | Toggles the TX compressor in or out of the signal chain. Enabled state is persisted. | ClientCompTxEnabled |
| COMP stage (RX, single-click) | Toggles the RX compressor in or out of the signal chain. Enabled state is persisted. | ClientCompRxEnabled |
| Drive | Pre-comp gain boost with linked auto-makeup. Pushes more signal across the threshold so the compressor engages harder, and simultaneously adds equal gain at the output so average RMS lifts alongside peaks rather than dropping. Range 0.0 to 18.0 dB, default 0.0 dB. Pair with Phase to keep peaks clean. | Displayed in the floating StripCompPanel only (right column). Label shows as '+X.X dB'. Setting key: ClientCompTxDriveDb or ClientCompRxDriveDb. Tooltip explains #2887 PAPR reduction pairing. Auto-makeup matches the broadcast-Optimod model. |
| Phase | Number of cascaded all-pass sections (0 = off). Each stage adds 12 dB/oct of phase rotation at staggered frequencies (300/700/1500/2500 Hz, plus optional 1000/2000 Hz). Symmetrizes asymmetric voice peaks before compression to reduce PAPR. Range 0 to 6 stages, default 0 stages. Label 'Off' when 0, 'N stg' when active. | Displayed in the floating StripCompPanel only (right column). Setting key: ClientCompTxPhaseRotatorStages or ClientCompRxPhaseRotatorStages. Tooltip: 'Pre-comp phase rotator (#2887). 0=off, 4=broadcast default.' Default centres (300/700/1500/2500 Hz with optional 1000/2000 Hz) cover the speech formant range without bunching. |
Applet tile controls¶
The Aetherial Compressor (TX) and Aetherial AGC-C (RX) applet tiles provide a compact view of compressor state with live feedback and five tuning knobs.
| Control | What it does | Setting key |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer curve | View-only display of the input/output transfer curve with a live ball showing the current envelope level. Editable in the floating Compressor editor. Colors are theme-aware — background, grid, curve, identity line, axis labels, ball glow, and ball core all adapt to the active theme. | N/A |
| Gain-reduction bar | Horizontal amber strip showing 0 to 20 dB of gain reduction right-filled (theme-aware slider fill). A tick at -6 dB marks a typical working amount. Refreshed ~30 Hz from ClientComp::gainReductionDb() with MeterSmoother ballistics. The gain-reduction bar repaints on every animation frame when the meter value is still moving, ensuring smooth visual transitions. When the envelope settles, repaints stop until the next change. |
N/A |
| Thresh knob | Sets the level above which compression starts. Range -60.0 to 0.0 dB, default -18.0 dB. | ClientCompTxThresholdDb or ClientCompRxThresholdDb |
| Ratio knob | Sets how hard peaks are held once threshold is crossed. Range 1.0 to 20.0, default 3.0. Label formatted as "X.XX:1". | ClientCompTxRatio or ClientCompRxRatio |
| Attack knob | Sets how quickly the compressor clamps down after threshold is crossed. Range 0.1 to 300.0 ms, default 20.0 ms. | ClientCompTxAttackMs or ClientCompRxAttackMs |
| Release knob | Sets how quickly gain returns after input drops below threshold. Range 5 to 2000 ms, default 200 ms. | ClientCompTxReleaseMs or ClientCompRxReleaseMs |
| Makeup knob | Adds back gain lost to compression. Range -12.0 to 24.0 dB, default 0.0 dB. Positive values show a "+" sign. | ClientCompTxMakeupDb or ClientCompRxMakeupDb |
Inline value editing¶
Knobs in the applet tile support inline value editing for precise adjustment:
- Click a knob's current value label. The label transforms into an editable text field with a subtle dark background and cyan border.
- Type a new value. Locale-aware parsing supports both period and comma decimal separators.
- Press Enter to commit the value, or click elsewhere on the interface. The knob position updates to match the entered value.
- Press Escape to cancel editing and revert to the previous value.
- While the inline editor is active, mouse wheel events still adjust the knob normally.
Tips¶
- Bypassing does not reset any knob values. Thresh, Ratio, Attack, Release, and Makeup all remain at their last positions when you re-enable the stage.
- Double-clicking the COMP stage opens the full Compressor editor rather than toggling bypass. Use a single click for bypass only.
- The gain-reduction bar in the applet tile reads zero when bypassed, since no processing is occurring. The dimmed tile appearance provides an additional at-a-glance confirmation that bypass is active.
- The TX and RX compressor instances have fully independent settings. Changing knobs in one does not affect the other.
- The transfer curve widget and gain-reduction slider both observe theme colors. When you change themes, the curve background, grid lines, axis labels, identity line, curve color, ball glow, and ball core all update automatically. The gain-reduction slider uses the theme's
slider.foregroundcolor for the filled portion.