Signal Chains

Approved updated kick group: EQ, Neve 1073, Spiff, soothe2, AP Tape Eater, and TDR Limiter. Gorilla Drive is no longer in the main kick group path.

Snare remains a track-level source-shaping path. Ring control, finish, and presentation happen before any bus-level density decisions.

Bass still handles its weight, harmonic translation, and hit-to-hit control before it reaches the group and premaster layers.

Lead vocal remains a source-level serial path. Final vocal glue and presentation happen later on the Vocal Premaster, not at Final Mix.

Approved updated drum bus: UADx Distressor, TDR Nova, AP Tape Eater. The old Studer, Zebra Clipper, width, and vibe stack has been removed from the main drum bus path.

The aggressive layer now lives in dedicated parallel routing: Cobra Fuzz into UADx Distressor, separate from the main drum bus chain.

The current architecture separates Instrument Premaster and Vocal Premaster. They are cleaner than group buses and feed Final Mix independently.

Approved keep / provisional: Studer into compressor for final vocal glue and stability before the stereo stages.

Final Mix is now intentionally minimal: optional Logic Channel EQ and Waves SSL G-Master Bus Compressor. No limiter, no soothe2, no tape, no God Particle.

This replaces the old generic premaster page. Print Before Limiter is the meeting point for Final Mix and Final Mix Parallel, with subtle translation control only.

Limiter Bus is separate from Print Before Limiter. It uses TDR Limiter 6 GE for spike trimming, loudness, and true peak safety. Stereo Out is not the main processing stage.