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FOR AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY
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SHADOW HILLS MASTERING COMPRESSOR
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The Mastering Compressor!
p. 2
OVERVIEW
The!Shadow!Hills!Mastering!Compressor!Plugin!is!a!faithful!1:1!model!of!the!corresponding!
hardware!version,!offering!all!its!non?linear!behavior!an d !an alo g !sou n d !qu a lity!in !th e!d igita l!
domain.!As!is!standard!in!all!equipment!deployed!by!Shadow!Hills,!the!Mastering!Compressor!
boasts!discrete!op?amp!technology,!custom?designed!transformers,!and!a!signal!path!devoid!
of!any!IC's.!The!unit!houses!two!linkable!channels!of!two!separate!compressors,!which!can!be!
operated!independently,!or!in!a!chain.!The!first!compressor!in!the!circuit!is!the!Optical!
Section.!Utilizing!electroluminescent!optical!attenuator,!the!circuit!provides!gain!reduction!
with!a!very!musical!two?stage!recovery.!The!second!compressor!in!the!circuit!is!the!Discrete!
Section,!which!is!powered!by!our!discrete!voltage?controlled!amplifier!in!a!feed?forward!
mode.!By!the!versatility!of!its!features!and!the!precision!of!its!controls,!the!Discrete!Section!
capably!finishes!the!job!started!by!the!Optical!Section.!However,!the!coup!de!grace!lies!in!the!
final!processing!stage!of!the !Sh a d ow!Hills!Mastering!Com p re sso r.!E ac h !ch an n e l!is!eq u ip pe d !
with!three!distinctive!output!transformers,!which!can!be!toggled!via!the!Transformer!Select!
Switch,!effectively!changing!the!frequency!response!and!distortion!characteristics!of!the!
entire!unit.!
HARDWIRE BYPASS
The!operation!of!the!Shadow!Hills!Mastering!Compressor!is!controlled!by!a!series!of!toggle!
switches.!When!flipped!to!“IN”,!the!“Hardwire!Bypass”!switch!engages!the!line!amp!and!
output!transformer!circuitry.!When!flipped!to!“OUT”,!the!inputs!are!directly!connected!to!the!
outputs!with!no!processing.!The!Optical,!Discrete,!and!Side!Chain!switches!function!in!an!
identical!manner!–!“IN”!engages!the!corresponding!circuit,!and!“OUT”!bypasses!it.!In!order!for!
the!compressors!to!operate,!the!hardwire !byp ass!m u st!be!“IN ”,!howe ver!the!hard wire!byp ass!
can!be!engaged!with!the!compressors!“OUT”.!This!allows!audio!to!be!colored!by!our!discrete!
op?amp!and!custom!transformer!technology!at!unity!gain,!even!when!no!compression!is!
desired,!turning!the!Mastering!Compressor!into!an!effective!tone!shaping!tool.!
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STEREO OPERATION
The!Shadow!Hills!Mastering!Compressor!can!operate!in!Dual!Mono!or!Stereo.!While!in!Dual!
Mono,!each!side!has!independent!operation!and!all!of!the!controls!on!both!sides!are!active.!In!
Stereo,!the!left?hand!controls!operate!all!of!the!Mastering!Compressor’s!features!with!the!
right?hand!controls!not!having!any!effect!and!the!green!light!bulbs!reflecting!the!left?hand!
settings.!The!only!exception!is!the!Meter!Select!Switch,!which!remains!independent!on!both!
channels.!This!facilitates!viewing!a!combination!of!gain!reduction!and!output,!or!the!two!
different!stages!of!compression!simultaneously!while!in!Stereo.!!
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The Mastering Compressor!
p. 3
METERING AND THE MAGIC EYE
The!Shadow!Hills!Mastering!Compressor!is!equipped!with!two!VU!meters!for!proper!visual!
analysis!of!audio!processing.!Each!VU!meter!has!the!capability!of!displaying!optical!gain!
reduction,!discrete!gain!reduction,!and!output!level,!as!determined!by!the!position!of!the!
“Meter!Select”!switch.!When!used!on!m on o!sign als,!the!tw o!VU!meters!can!be!used!to!display!
the!gain!reduction!of!both!compressors!sim u ltane ou sly.!The!sa m e!go es!for!lin k ed !Stereo!
mode.!It!is!only!in!Dual!Mono!mode!that!the!VU!meters!show!gain!reduction!independently!for!
both!channels.!The!internal!reference!level!corresponding!to!0!VU!can!be!set!in!the!“About”!
dialog,!which!is!brought!up!by!clicking!on!any!of!the!two!meters.!
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The!green,!glowing!Magic!Eye!tube!at!the!bottom!of!the!unit!is!the!final!component !in!the!
metering!system.!When!both!VU!Meters!are!in!“Output”!mode,!the!Magic!Eye!displays!a!mono!
signal!in!its!top!quadrant.!
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TRANSFORMER SWITCHING MATRIX
You!have!remarkable!control!over!the!tone!and!vibe!of!your!music!thanks!to!three!switchable!
output!transformers.!This!matrix!switches!the!selected!transformers!in!and!out!of!the!circuit.!
The!various!material!compositions,!size!and!methods!of!winding!impart!different!frequency!
and!distortion!characteristics!as!well!as!the!transient!limiting!caused!by!the!magnetics.!The!
ability!to!switch!between!the!different!transformer!selections,!equates!to!being!able!to!switch!
in!the!final!gain!stages!from!different!vintage!con so le s!a n d!p ro v id in g!re markable!flexibility.!
Besides!its!obvious!use!on!the!stereo!master!buss!and!stereo!subgroups,!we!highly!
recommend!to!use!the!mono!version!of!the!Mastering!Com pre ssor!Plu gin!on!individual!tracks,!
adding!coloration!to!vocals,!electric!bass!or!guitar.!
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The Mastering Compressor!
p. 4
TRANSFORMER CHOICES
C+/*/+;@C@+G*H*G@?IJK*
The!cleanest!position!with!the!least!distortion.!This!position!has!a!subtle!accentuation!of!
ultra?high!frequencies.!
>@!!KJ*/+;@C@+G*H*@L+G*
This!position!has!an!additional!Class?A!amplifier!section!adding!even?ordered!harmonic!
distortion,!resulting!in!a!very!musical!upper!low!frequency!boost.!
M+CC+>*/+;@C@+G*H*;CJJK*
The!most!distorted!selection!with!an!extremely!tight!boost!in!the!low!frequencies.!
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Mastering!the!Transformer!Switching!Matrix!involves!a!certain!learning!curve!and!the!sonic!
differences!between!the!three!transformers!can!be!more!or!less!obvious!depending!on!the!
audio!signal!running!through.!In!general,!differences!are!most!easily!heard!on!“busy”!mixes!
with!rich!low!end!and!sizzling!hig h !freq u en cie s!–!like!a!real!drum!kit!with!open!hi!hats!or!
dance!mixes.!Listening!through!a!big!speaker!system!will!also!help!to!get!a!feel!for!each!
transformer!as!they!primarily!affect!the!very!low!end!of!the!frequency!spectrum.!
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SIDE CHAIN FILTER
The!Side!Chain!Filter!switch!engages!a!high?pass!filter!on!the!side!chains!of!both!the!optical!
and!discrete!compressors.!No!signal!below!90Hz!will!affect!the!amount!of!compression!
applied.!Thus!the!Side!Chain!Filter!can!help!to!reduce!unwanted!“pumping”!artifacts,!as!the!
compressors!will!react!less!to!low!frequency!content!such!as!bass!drum!hits.!
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The Mastering Compressor!
p. 5
OPTICAL SECTION
The!Optical!Section!is!the!first!gain!reduction!circuit!in!the!Mastering!Compressor.!The!
compressor!is!characterized!by!its!very!musical!compression!circuit!featuring!a!slow!attack!
and!a!two?stage!release.!The!initial!eighty!percent!of!compression!is!released!very!qu ick ly ,!
whilst!the!remaining!twenty!percent!takes!over!a!second!to!recover,!varying!slightly!with!the!
amount!of!attenuation!applied.!Modeling!the!Optical!Section!with!its!unique!electro?
luminescent!optical!attenuator!was!certainly!the!biggest!challenge!during!the!production!of!
the!Mastering!Compressor!Plugin.!
+/C@?NK*ON@G*
This!control!provides!post?compression!make?up!gain!or!attenuation!using!a!
24?position!rotary!switch.!The!gain!control!provides!greater!accuracy!around!unity!gain,!
which!occurs!roughly!at!position!“7”,!and!offers!coarser!adjustment!towards!more!
extreme!settings.!
+/C@?NK*C=LJ;=+K!*
This!control!determines!at!what!input!level!compression!begins!to!occur.!The!compressor!
operates!with!a!fixed!ratio!of!2:1,!so!compression!is!achieved!by!lowering!the!threshold!into!a!
range!in!which!it!begins!to!attenuate.!Minimum!compression!occu rs!at!“1”!and!m axim um !
compression!occurs!at!“24”.!
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The Mastering Compressor!
p. 6
DISCRETE SECTION
The!Discrete!Section!is!the!final!gain!reduction!circuit!in!the!Mastering!Compressor.!It!
achieves!compression!by!means!of!our!custom,!discrete!voltage?controlled!amplifier.!Due!to!
the!breadth!of!the!controls,!the!discrete!compresso r!is!extremely!versatile!and!can!be!
configured!to!attain!a!variety!of!sounds.!
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!@;?LJCJ*ON@G*
This!control!provides!post?compression!make?up!gain!or!attenuation!using!a!
24?position!rotary!switch.!The!gain!control!provides!greater!accuracy!around!unity!gain,!
which!occurs!roughly!at!position!“7”,!and!offers!coarser!ad justment!towa rd s !more!
extreme!settings.!
!@;?LJCJ*C=LJ;=+K!*
This!control!determines!at!what!input!level!compression!begins!to!occur.!Minimum!
compression!occurs!at!“1”!and!maximum!compression!occurs!at!“24”.!
!@;?LJCJ*LNC@+*
This!control!determines!the!amount!of!compression!achieved!when!the!input!signal!reaches!
the!threshold.!A!ratio!of!“1.2”!means!that!for!every!1.2!dB!of!input!over!the!threshold,!1!dB!
will!be!outputted.!At!“2”,!1!dB!will!be!outputted!for!every!2!dB!of!input!over!the!threshold,!etc.!
When!the!dial!is!set!to!“Flood”,!a!ratio!of!20:1!occurs.!
!@;?LJCJ*NCCN?I*
This!control!determines!how!quickly!the!compressor!engages!attenuation!once!the!threshold!
has!been!reached.!Each!setting!is!in!milliseconds.!
!@;?LJCJ*LJ?+PJL*
This!control!determines!how!quickly!the!compressor!disengages!attenuation!once!the!
threshold!has!no!longer!been!reached.!Each!setting!is!in!seconds.!At!“Dual”!the!compressor!
mimics!the!two?stage!recovery!of!the!optical!section.!
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The Mastering Compressor!
p. 7
IN USE
In!the!vocal!chain,!on!the!master!fader!or!th e!dru m !bu ss,!the !S.H.M .C ’s!two?stage!compression!
and!transformer!matrix!will!impart!its!unique!sound!quality!and!character!upon!your!best!
work!to!take!you!to!new!levels!of!creativity.!Sometimes!there!is!no!finer!chain!for!female!
vocals!than!the!optical!cell!with!medium!compression,!side!chain!filter!out!and!nickel!
transformer!selection!from!the!output!m atr ix.!The!op tical!w ill!soothe !as!it!adjusts !sultry!
voices!as!only!this!combination!can!deliver.!The!nickel!transformer!adds!that!ultra!high!
frequency!70’s!hi?fi!sheen!like!a!subtle!air!band.!!
Mastering!is!the!most!subtle!use!of!the!Mastering!Compressor.!Dial!in!one!dB!of!optical!ga in!
reduction!and!two!dB!of!discrete!gain!reduction.!Select!a!ratio!of!1.2:1,!an!attack!time!of!thirty!
milliseconds!and!a!recover!time!of!.1!seconds.!Set!the!side!chain!filter!to!“In”!and!select!the!
transformer!matrix!to!taste.!
Another!application!of!the!Mastering!compressor!is!to!bypass!the!optical!and!discrete!cell!and!
to!pass!the!signal!through!the!transformer!m atr ix!only,!for!the!color!it!imparts.!If!you!record!
dry!electric!bass!or!guitars!through!a!DI!box!for!re?amping!or!use!of!amp!simulation!software,!
try!the!transformer!matrix!as!the!last!part!of!your!signal!chain!before!going!into!the!amp.!
The!Mastering!Compressor’s!flexibility!and!precision!of!controls!will!enable!you!to!apply!any!
type!of!compression!you!can!imagin e,!on!pu rp ose,!eve ry!tim e.!
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EVADING ENEMY CAPTURE
Should!the!probability!of!its!capture!be!greater!than!not,!it!is!the!duty!of!the!operative!so!
issued!to!destroy!the!S h ad o w!Hills!Mastering!Compressor!to!keep!the !te ch n o lo gies!c o nt ain e d !
therein!from!falling!into!the!wrong!hands!an d!thu s!forfeiting !our!ad va nta ge!to!the !ene m y.!The!
following!instructions!are !offe re d !for !the !p ro pe r!d e stru c tio n!a n d!d isp o sa l!of!th e !Sh a do w!Hills!
Mastering!Compressor,!should!it!become!your!duty.!
First,!use!a!torque!screwdriver!to!remove!the!nine!6/32!screws!from!the!top!cover.!Inside,!
along!the!bottom!of!the!unit,!are!the!two!main!audio!boards.!On!each!of!the!audio!boards!are!
the!Shadow!Hills!Operational!Amp lifiers.!There!are!six!total.!These!op?amps!attach!to!the!
audio!boards!by!six!pins.!Pull!each!op?amp!out!vertically!?!they!are!friction?locked,!so!no!
desoldering!is!required.!Once!removed,!break!off!each!of!the!six!pins!and!crush!the!op?amp!
circuit!board!with!the!heel!of!your!boot.!If!time!permits,!incinerate!all!pieces!after!crushing ,!
and!then!bury!or!scatter!the!ashen!remains.!Remove!the!eight!screws!securing!each!audio!
board!to!the!chassis!with!a!Philips!screwdriver!and!pull!the!boards!out.!Cut!all!wires!several!
times,!in!a!random!fashion,!so!that!the!former!leng ths!can !no t!be!de term ine d.!
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The Mastering Compressor!
p. 8
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The!transformers!connected!to!the!audio!boards!and!chassis!must!be!shot!through!their!cores,!
and!the!windings!unraveled,!their!lamination!separated,!bent,!and!scattered!some!distance!
away.!The!audio!boards!should!be!crushed!under!heel,!then!folded!or!ripped,!and!then!
incinerated!according !to !th e !pr ev io u sl y!d e sc rib e d!method.!The!8/32!screws!that!attach!the!
front!panel!chassis!should !b e!r emoved.!The!tube!and!meter!glass!should!be!smashed!and!the!
meter!pointers!broken!off.!The!panel!should!be!bent!or!folded,!and!then!placed!inside!the!
chassis!and!either!buried!at!least!six!feet!deep,!or!exploded!by!a!grenade!or!other!means.!
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Your!cooperation!is!greatly!appreciated.!
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