Zen Punchifier

Zen Punchifier takes a digital-first approach to managing transients in audio, to make your tracks or mixes more up-front and “in-your-face”. It subtlely, transparently, reduces the volume of transients above a threshold using a unique algorithm that minimizes artifacts.

It operates based on a single steep/blunt control - it sets the threshold level. The rest is automagic. It introduces as small amount of musically pleasing harmonic distortion (as do all compressors and limiters), as part of the way its algorithm works. That enhances the punchiness of kick drums and bass. At low settings, it’s undetectable, and at higher settings, adds a subtle warmth.

Some effective uses of it

• Subtlely increasing the overall volume of a mix - without sounding like a casualty of the loudness wars!
• On a drum track - particularly overheads - where transients from drum hits are preventing bringing the cymbals up to the right level, where EQ would thin things out too much
• In place of a limiter at the front of a vocal chain

Zen Punchifier really wants signals that go all the way up to 0dB to work its magic; signals that go above that will be gently limited. It is not quite a compressor, not quite a limiter, but a bit of both!