Softening digital transients

Recording to tape tames acoustic guitar’s transients nicely. Here’s how Marc Daniel Nelson does so ITB:

• Subtle tape emulation
• Dynamic EQ to tame low mid resonance and shrill transients in the high mids
• Subtle compression for color, at loudest 1dB
  • Marc uses MJUC MkII with a 4:1 ratio and a medium-slow attack and fast release, only compressing about .5dB
• Remove some attack with a transient designer (this has the added benefit of nestling the guitar back in the mix, as discussed in Shaping transients to create depth).¹

Other ideas are:

• Tube or transistor saturation, or something that has a low slew rate.² Presswerk has a warmth control that can do something like this.
• Clipping
• Phase rotation, like Volcano 3 or JS Phase Rotator.³ Presswerk also has a phase rotator.
• RX de-click⁴