Measurement*of*Harmonic*Distortion*Characteristics*in*the*Logic*Pro*X*Compressor*Plugin.

*
Richard*Hallum*
Introduction*
It is well-known among Audio Engineers that compressors not only reduce dynamic range, but also colour the sound of the signal put through
them. In version 10.2 there was a redesign of the Compressor plugin supplied with Logic Pro. As well as Logics own Platinum Digital, six other
compressor types are included. The new interface allows positive identification of the models being emulated.

Name%
1

Studio%VCA %
Studio%FET%

Based%on%
Focusrite%Red%3%
2

UA%1176 %(Black%face)%

Ratio%

Threshold%

Attack%time%

1.5:1%to%10:%1%

@24%to%+12dB%

fast%to%slow%

4:1,%8:1,%12:1,%20:1%

set%by%input%level%

20%to%800S%

Release%time%
0.1%to%4%sec%
50%to%1100mS%

Classic%VCA%

dbx%160%

1:1%to%120:1%

10mV%to%3V%

non%adjustable %

non%adjustable %

Vintage%VCA%

SSL%G%series%buss%comp.%

2:1,%4:1,%10:1%

@20%to%+20dB%

0.1%to%30mS%

0.1%to%1.2%sec%

Vintage%FET%

UA%1176%Rev.%H%(Silver%face)%

4:1,%8:1,%12:1,%20:1%

set%by%input%level%

20%to%800S%

50%to%1100mS%

Vintage%Opto%

Teletronix%LA@2A%

two%controls:%gain%&%peak%reduction%

non%adjustable %

The six compressors are modelled on well-known hardware models. The range of control on the original units is shown in this table.

VCA (Voltage Controlled Amplifier) is taken to mean a dedicated IC. All Compressors employ some form of VCA.
Possible models are C, D, E, F, G or the LN re-release.
3
15 mS for 10dB level change above threshold, 5 mS for 20dB level change above threshold, 3 mS for 30dB level change above threshold.
4
Stated as 120 dB / Sec (= 72.375 mS). The dbx 160 attack and release times track the signal level.
5
10S attack time, 60mS for 50%release time.
2

Name%
All%except%Classic%VCA%
Classic%VCA%

Attack%time%

Release%time%

Threshold%

Ratio%

0%to%200mS%

5%to%5000mS%

0%to%;50dB%

1:1%to%30:1%

0%to%;50dB%

1:1%to%30:1%

non%adjustable%

Logic Pro X Compressor control ranges.

There are several control ranges on the Logic Pro X Compressor that exceed those of the
original units. With the exception of the dbx 160, all the original units have a maximum
compression ratio of 1:20 or less. This was required to prevent instability and severe
distortion. The dbx 160 used the feed-forward method which allowed the ratio to be near
infinity. A minimum threshold value of -50dB allows for compressing to a much lower level
than the original units. The maximum attack time of 200mS far exceeds the originals (for
example the 1176 has a maximum time of <1mS).
Among audio engineers, much has been made of the sound of vintage compressors, and this
being attributed to the electronic devices used (eg FET, VCA, opto-couplers, valves). These
do play a part in the action and therefore the sound qualities of various models. Several
studies have examined the action of RMS and peak sidechain detection (Giannoulis et al,
2012), (Floru, 1998), (Abel & Berners, 2003), (Massburg 2003). Less often discussed is the
aspect of how the sidechain signal is derived. Vintage compressors (eg the Universal Audio
1176 and the Teletronix LA-2A) predate the feed-forward sidechain topology introduced in
the dbx 160. Prior to this, the sidechain was configured as a feedback circuit. Floru (1998)
does note that the major drawback [of feedback compressors] is that the distortion at 1kHz is
1.4% compared to only 0.07% for the feedback configuration.
Few studies have looked specifically at the sonic characteristics of compressors. Kleczkowski
(2001) experimented with attack and release times in relation to distortion, and concluded
that distortion is perceived for short attacks, but that the distortion of the release was not
found to be perceivable at all. This dismissal of release time as a distortion contributor is
odd and may have been due to the very small sample size of his auditioning panel (3 people).
His other findings were that using a 1kHz sinewave as the test signal was better than a
complex waveform (of 400Hz), and that increasing the compression ratio beyond 3:1 does
not increase the distortion in a meaningful way. Moore (et al)(2016) contradict this by
stating that subtle, yet audible distortion are generated when high amounts of gain reduction
are used.

Name%
Focusrite%Red%3%
6

UA%1176 %
dbx%160%
SSL%G%series%buss%comp.%
UA%1176%Silver%face%
Teletronix%LA;2A%

Specified%Distortion%
Not%stated.%
0.5%%T.H.D.%from%50%Hz%%15%kHz with%limiting,%at%1.1%seconds%release%setting %
nd
0.075%%2 %harmonic%at%infinite%compression%at%+4dBm%output.%
rd
0.5%%3 %harmonic%typical%at%infinite%compression%ratio.%
THD%with%the%compressor%switched%in%is%dependent%on%attack%and%release%times%
and%signal%content.%
No%information%found.%
Less%than%0.35%%total%harmonics%at%+10dBm,%and%less%than%0.75%%total%
harmonics%at%+16dBm.%

Published distortion figures from the manufacturers equipment manuals.

It is not uncommon for audio engineers to push higher than intended levels into compressors.
Moore (et al) tested the 1176 and LA-2A up to +16dBu and got THD results of 0.25% and
0.90% respectively. The LA-2A had 0.2% THD at 0dBu. Given that audible distortion on a
sinewave is perceptible at 0.1% (-60dBr), this clearly indicates that these vintage units can be
used to colour audio without any compression occurring, which is not the case with the
plugin types.

!
Method!
The Logic Pro X oscillator plugin was used to provide a 40 Hz sinewave. THD in the
compressor gets progressively worse as the signal frequency is reduced. This particular
frequency was chosen as it represents a reasonable lower limit for most recorded material (ie
bass guitar and bass drum). The oscillator level was set to -12dBr to prevent any possibility
of distortion at the input to the compressor. This provided a steady state signal which could
be used to reliably gather harmonic distortion results for a variety of control settings on the
various compressors.
Spectrum analysis was done using the SPAN plugin to identify 2nd and 3rd harmonic levels,
and the Oscarizor oscilloscope plugin was used to examine changes to the waveform in the
time domain. Care was taken not to exceed the CPUs capacity (which ran at >90% usage as
indicated by Activity Monitor).
Further tests were conducted using FuzzMeasure. The original idea was to route the stimulus
signal in the computer, using Soundflower. However, this audio routing utility has less
support than it did when I investigated inter-application OS-X audio (Hallum, 2009), and
would not provide reliable audio channels, so an external audio interface was used. The
signal was sent to the I/O and looped back to Logic then looped back again to be received in
FuzzMeasure. Only 2nd and 3rd harmonics readings were taken as these predominate in THD
measurements. Using the FFT technique allows examination of the relative level of distortion
at all audio frequencies.

1176LN Blackface reissue

!
Test!conditions!
All testing was performed on a MacBook Pro, 2.3GHz Core i7 with 8GB RAM. The
operating system was version 10.10.5 (Yosemite). A Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (2nd Gen) interface
was used, with the low latency extension installed.
These versions of software were used: Logic Pro version 10.2.4 (Compressor version 10.2.4),
SugarAudio Oscarizor 2.0.0, Voxengo SPAN 2.10.0, FuzzMeasure 3.3.3 (as version 4 is as
yet less stable).
Tests were performed as follows:
1.! Torture Tests with an extreme amount of compression (threshold -50dB and ratio
30:1). These settings exceed good audio engineering practice, as well as the range of
control available on the hardware units, but are ideal for comparing performance
under hard load conditions.
2.! Light compression tests, with a threshold of -20dB and a ratio of 2:1
a.! with minimum attack (0mS) and release times (5mS)
b.! with a minimum attack, and medium release (1000mS)
c.! with a medium7 attack (50mS), and medium release (1000mS)
A small amount of make-up gain was applied (4dB) to all compressors, which provided
output levels ranging from -11dB to -1.9dB. Auto gain was enabled to ensure that the output
bus was not overloaded.

Results!
The torture tests provided a wide range of distortion characteristics. The Classic VCA,
Vintage FET, and Platinum Digital produced a good sinewave.
Wideband measurements taken from the derived impulse response in FuzzMeasure generally
show a higher level of 2nd harmonic.
As noted in the operation manual, the 3rd harmonic for the dbx 160 reduces linearly with
increased frequency, at a rate of 6dB per octave.

in relation to the 200mS maximum. 50mS is a reasonably long setting for most audio signals.

3rd%Harmonic%Distortion
Vintage%Opto

Vintage%FET

Vintage%VCA

Classic%VCA

;20

Studio%FET

;10

Studio%VCA

Platinum%Digital

dBr ;30
;40
;50
;60
A=0mS,%R=1000mS
A=50mS,%R=1000mS

A=0mS,%R=5mS

3rd harmonic distortion figures from spectral analysis. The Threshold is -20dB and the Ratio
is 2:1. Note that Attack and Release are not adjustable on the Classic VCA type. Platinum
Digital 3rd harmonic distortion was >56dBr; 56dB was the SPAN resolution for the signal
level used.

Rankings:
Torture'Test'
distortion%
Vintage%FET%

slight%

Platinum%Digital%

slight%

Classic%VCA%

slight%

Studio%FET%

moderate%(crossover%distortion)%

Studio%VCA%

high%distortion%

Vintage%opto%

severe%distortion%&%overshoot%

Vintage%VCA%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%

extreme%distortion%

Light'test'-'minimum'attack'&'release'
'

distortion%

Platinum%Digital%
8

slight%

Classic%VCA %

slight%

Vintage%VCA%

moderate%

Studio%VCA%

moderate%

Vintage%FET%

moderate%

Vintage%opto%

moderate%

Studio%FET%

high%

Light'test'-'minimum'attack'&'medium'release'
'

distortion

Platinum%Digital%

clean%

Studio%VCA%

slight%

Studio%FET%

moderate%

Vintage%VCA%

moderate%

Vintage%opto%

moderate%

Vintage%FET%

moderate%

Light'test'-'medium'attack'&'medium'release'
'

distortion

Platinum%Digital%

clean%

Vintage%VCA%

slight%

Vintage%FET%

slight%

Vintage%opto%

slight%

Studio%VCA%

slight%

Studio%FET%
moderate%
The compressors shown in blue were all very similar in distortion.

!
!

The Classic VCA does not have attack or release controls

Conclusions!
Harmonic Distortion increases with the amount of gain reduction, therefore it increases with
lower threshold and higher ratio settings. It also increases with reduced attack or release
times. With moderate settings; such as -20dB for threshold, 2:1 ratio, attack at 50mS, and a
release time of 1000mS, the distortion of all but the Studio FET, and Classic VCA are low
enough to not likely to cause a discernable difference. This agrees with the findings of Moore
(et al)(2016) who state It was found that under light and moderate amounts of gain reduction
all the [compressors tested] performed very similarly.
Perceptible differences are considerable when heavy compression, and/or small attack or
release times are applied.
The Platinum Digital demonstrates how a digital compressor design can approach the ideal in
terms of low distortion design. The very low distortion figures regardless of settings would
indicate it is modelled on a VCA with feed-forward design and look-ahead capability.
The Vintage FET (modelling the 1176 Silver Face) results were varied, which correlates with
its popular usage for a wide variety of audio sources. The Studio FET (1176 Blackface)
presented similar behaviour.
The Classic VCA (dbx 160) is fairly transparent under most signal conditions. There are no
attack or release controls, so comparisons of these parameters was not possible.
The Studio VCA (Focusrite Red 3) presented considerable distortion under heavy
compression conditions, and had small but noticeable distortion for all other settings.
The Vintage opto (LA-2A), and the Vintage VCA (G Series bus compressor) showed copious
distortion under maximum compression, and moderate distortion under mild compression
unless both attack and release were increased. Hence the use of the SSL compressor on the
mix bus (where light compression is used). The LA-2A can be used with heavier
compression, and consequently considerable colouration (which is its hallmark) but is also
capable of reasonably clean compressing when used with lighter settings.
No direct comparisons between sonic quality in the Logic Compressor and the actual
hardware units has been made.

!
!!
Further!Research!
These test results show the harmonic distortion differences among the six compressors
emulated in the Logic Compressor. More research is required to better understand the
discrepancies in results obtained from the FFT and basic THD+Noise methods.
In a further paper the author plans to test other signal processing plugins (eg for phase
distortion). Not covered in this investigation is the effect that Attack and Release times have
on signal transients. Such effects are easy to hear but more difficult to accurately measure.
Another step would be to compare these results to tests on the actual hardware versions of the
six models of compressor.

Bibliography!
Hallum R., An investigation of Inter-Application Audio Routing on the Macintosh OS X
operating system. Audiosite.org
http://www.audiosite.org/osx-audio.html
Teletronix Model LA-2A Leveling Amplifier Manual
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/master/mbrs/recording_preservation/manuals/Teletronix%20Model%2
0LA-2A%20Leveling%20Amplifier.pdf
dbx 160 Compressor Limiter Manual
http://rdn.harmanpro.com/product_documents/documents/604_1324058562/160161%20Owners%20Manual_original.pdf
SSL XLogic Stereo Compressor Manual
http://www.solid-state-logic.com/docs/XLogic_G-Comp.pdf
Universal Audio Model 1176LN Solid-State Limiting Amplifier Manual
https://media.uaudio.com/assetlibrary/1/1/1176ln_manual.pdf
Moore, A., All Buttons In: An Investigation Into The Use Of The 1176 FET Compressor In
Popular Music Production. Journal on the Art of Record Production.
http://arpjournal.com/all-buttons-in-an-investigation-into-the-use-of-the-1176-fetcompressor-in-popular-music-production/
Floru F., Attack and Release Time Constants in RMS Based Feedback Compressors (AES,
1998). THAT Corporation.
http://www.thatcorp.com/datashts/AES4703_Attack_and_Release_Time_Constants_I.pdf
Massburg M., Investigation in Dynamic Range Compression (2009), Queen Mary University
of London, UK.
http://c4dm.eecs.qmul.ac.uk/audioengineering/compressors/documents/report.pdf
Giannoulis D, Massberg M, Reiss J., Digital Dynamic Range Compressor Design A
Tutorial and Analysis. Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
https://www.eecs.qmul.ac.uk/~josh/documents/GiannoulisMassbergReissdynamicrangecompression-JAES2012.pdf
Abel J., Berners D., On Peak-Detecting and RMS Feedback and Feedforward Compressors
(AES, 2003)
http://www.aes.org/tmpFiles/elib/20160706/12380.pdf
Ronan M., Ward N., Sazdov R., Investigating the Sound Quality Lexicon of Analogue
Compression using Category Analysis (AES, 2015).
http://www.aes.org/e-lib/browse.cfm?elib=17630
Kleczkowski P., The Reduction of Distortion in the Dynamic Compressor (AES, 2001)

http://www.aes.org/e-lib/browse.cfm?elib=9833
Moore A., Till R., Wakefield J., An Investigation into The Sonic Signature of Three Classic
Dynamic Range Compressors (AES, 2016).
http://www.aes.org/e-lib/browse.cfm?elib=18270

Appendices!
I.!

Sine / THD+noise

A.! Time domain and Frequency Domain Test Signals

i.!

Reference Signals

reference sinewave output

reference sinewave
ii.!

Tests at a Threshold setting of -50dB, and a Ratio setting of 30:1

Classic VCA

Classic VCA

Platinum Digital

Studio FET

Studio FET

Studio VCA

Vintage FET

Vintage FET

Vintage opto

Vintage VCA

Vintage VCA

iii.!

Tests at a Threshold setting of -20dB, and a Ratio setting of 2:1

Attack time set to zero, Release time set to 5mS.

Classic VCA

Platinum Digital

Studio FET

Studio VCA

Vintage FET

Vintage opto

Vintage VCA

iv.!

Tests at a Threshold setting of -20dB, and a Ratio setting of 2:1

Attack time set to zero, Release time set to 1000mS.

Classic VCA

Platinum Digital

Studio FET

Studio VCA

Vintage FET

Vintage opto

Vintage VCA

v.!

Tests at a Threshold setting of -20dB, and a Ratio setting of 2:1

Attack time set to 50mS, Release time set to 1000mS.

All types showed a good sinewave so only frequency domain plots are shown.

Classic VCA

Platinum Digital

Studio FET

Studio VCA

Vintage FET

Vintage opto

Vintage VCA

B.! FFT results (3nd harmonic: ------)

Loopback

i.!

Threshold -50dB, Ratio 30:1, attack 0mS, release 5mS

Classic VCA

Platinum Digital

Studio FET

Studio VCA

Vintage FET

Vintage opto

Vintage VCA

ii.!
Classic VCA

Threshold -20dB, Ratio 2:1, attack 0mS, release 5mS

Platinum Digital

Studio FET

Studio VCA

Vintage FET

Vintage opto

Vintage VCA

iii.!
Classic VCA

Threshold -20dB, Ratio 2:1, attack 0mS, release 1000mS

Platinum Digital

Studio FET

Studio VCA

Vintage FET

Vintage opto

Vintage VCA

iv.!
Classic VCA

Threshold -20dB, Ratio 2:1, attack 50mS, release 5mS

Platinum Digital

Studio FET

Studio VCA

Vintage FET

Vintage opto

Vintage VCA

v.!

Threshold -20dB, Ratio 2:1, attack 50mS, release 1000mS

Classic VCA

Platinum Digital

Studio FET

Studio VCA

Vintage FET

Vintage opto

Vintage VCA

II.!

Compressors listed by Side Chain Method

%
API%525%
Urei%1176%
dbx%160%
Fairchild%670%
Teletronix%LA;2A%
SSL%Series%G%
Focusrite%Red%3%

Feedback% Feed;Forward%
X%
%
X%
%
%
X%
X%
%
X%
%
%
X%
%
X%