New user, used to the mechanics of compressors, still a little confused, so here goes:

Ok, I've read up on the benefits of multiband compression, so I'm giving Vintage Warmer a go through. And I realize it's got some nostalgic quirks to the GUI, but, ummm, there's no threshold or ratio, per se. Knee is a kind of threshold, because to achieve a soft one, it's going to have to start 'bending' far before it gets to the peaks, right? If I wanted a light 1.1 compression, but with a threshold of 40db or so, would I push the knee all the way to soft and deep, and pull back on the drive? All of which leads me to ask, is VW really a limiter, one that can act like a compressor?

Then there's the FAQ at the back of the manual, which seems conspicuously translated from the Polish:


"First of all make sure that you have a monitoring environment with a proper bottom end response. PSP VintageWarmer can easily be set to make a properly sounding bass track on your monitors but it will sound like a "mix of bass drums behind the wall" during mastering on professional monitoring systems."

also

"(Q) The VW modulates deep basses (expected?) (A) This is caused by the speed and release parameters. Because it is a kind of limiter tool it causes distortion which grows for lower frequencies. This is by default, but you can modify this in the Multi mode by using LowSaturation in the back panel. You can also change Speed and Release values.


Ok, there's a similar warning for MixBass, but that makes sense because it adds substantial harmonics with the Warmth parameter. But would basic mix/mastering settings, without any big bottom end tweaks cause this? Are they referring to the saturation properties, the limiting properties , or both as the culprit? What kind of Speed and Release settings would cause this? I always thought these settings were less important with the bass, because transients aren't as pronounced.


Tell me if I have this much right: if Knee is a kind of threshold control, Drive corresponds to both threshold and compression ratio, as in Blockfish's all-in-one compression knob. If I give VW normalized audio, push Drive to +3, with the Knee set at hard, it has to squoosh the upper 3db completely, acting as a limiter, with a threshold of -3db. As I turn the Knee clockwise, VW still has to knock off 3db off and bring the audio back down to 0db, but it gets to start further down, at a lower threshold, thus acting more like a compressor.

Thus, if I'm using a soft knee, I might have to pull the Drive into the negative just so things don't get too hot.

If I want VW to act only on the bass and mids, say, I pull back on the Hi-Gain (above the Hi-Freq) to something in the negative range.

If I want little analog warming in the highs, I flip the panel, and push Hi-saturation to, say +6db, assuming that high levels won't reach that threshold.

Vintage Warmer users, tell me if I'm way off here. I'm not an experienced engineer working off instinct, so I'm just looking for a bit more conceptual clarity than is offered in the manual. I've heard so much about the dangers of over-compression that I'm wary of trusting my ears.