Master compressor
White key 15. A stereo compressor on the master out, after the effects and before VOLUME, so turning VOLUME doesn’t change how hard it works. It’s always in the signal path; at the default threshold (0 dB) it does nothing. It only turns loud parts down, and turns anything up only by its Makeup knob.
The key selects it for knobs 1-4, which then turn it the way they turn an effect: 1% per detent, SHIFT + turn coarse, SHIFT + press resets, and a knob press for its page 2. Pressing an FX key gives the knobs back to that effect. The key does nothing else: it has no latch, and holding it doesn’t switch anything. With SHIFT it’s a select, as an FX key’s is.
| Knob | Page 1 | Page 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Threshold: from 0 dB down to -30 dB (default 0, off) | Mix: dry to fully compressed, for parallel compression (default fully compressed) |
| 2 | Ratio: 1.5:1, 2:1, 4:1, 8:1, 20:1 across the knob, which are also its coarse points (default 4:1) | — |
| 3 | Attack: 1 ms to 30 ms (default 5.5 ms) | Sidechain highpass: what the compressor listens to, off or from 20 Hz up to 500 Hz, so the bass doesn’t pump everything else (default off) |
| 4 | Release: 40 ms to 600 ms (default 155 ms) | Makeup: 0 dB to +24 dB, 3 dB a coarse step (default 0 dB) |
The compressor’s Mix, Sidechain and Makeup sit on the knobs an effect has its Mix, Band and Level on.
- Linked: one detector for both channels, so the stereo image doesn’t shift. It has a soft knee, 6 dB wide.
- Level: a threshold of 0 dB is an AUX signal about 7 dB below full scale, at the default input gain. At threshold 0 and makeup 0 dB the signal passes untouched; at threshold 0 with makeup, it’s that gain alone.
- Safety limiter: after VOLUME, every output has a fixed limiter that keeps it within full scale. It’s the only thing FRIZZ does to the level by itself, so it shows: the compressor’s key turns red while it limits, from 1 dB of limiting on and fully red from 3 dB, held 0.3 s so a short peak is seen. Red means turn something down: VOLUME, an effect’s Level, the makeup.
- Kept: the settings are saved to
FRIZZ/frizz_master.txton the card 2 s after the last turn, and come back at power-on. They’re not part of a scene. Without a card, or when the card can’t be written, the key blinks red 3 times instead, and FRIZZ tries again 2 s later, up to 3 times; the settings then last until power-off. - LEDs: the key is white, dim, lighting up with the gain reduction, at full brightness from 12 dB, and red while the safety limiter works (above); it flashes when pressed, white, or dark while it’s already bright. While selected, the knobs go light blue (0%) to orange (100%).