Air: dynamic high-frequency lift
Module 12 of 14 · Air enhancer
- One Move knobAir
- Latency0 ms
- CPU, iPad Air M31.2 %
- Default position12 of 14, after Character
Air opens up the top of a vocal. It lifts quiet high frequencies a lot and loud ones only a little, so breath and detail come forward without harsh esses. It adds no harmonics and no latency.
Hear it
Air: airy pop
Air on its own (Airy Pop preset, knob at 100): much more top end and breath. Before and after are set to the same loudness, so you hear the change, not a level jump.
"More Than 2 Sides (accapella)" by Colin Mutchler (ccmixter.org/files/commonsplice/2599), licensed CC BY 2.5 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5). Excerpt, processed by OneMove Vocal Console.
The One Move: Air
The knob sets High Air directly and Mid Air to 60 % of it. Turn it up until the voice sounds open, then back it off a touch.
Expert
| control | range | what it does |
|---|---|---|
| Mid Air | 0–100 | the lift around the upper mids |
| Mid Air Freq | 1.5–6 kHz | where the mid layer starts (3 kHz by default) |
| High Air | 0–100 | the lift at the very top |
| High Air Freq | 6–16 kHz | where the high layer starts (9 kHz by default) |
| Trim | −12 to +6 dB | output level |
| Floor | −90 to −30 dB | below this level the lift fades out, so pauses, breaths and hiss are not pulled up |
| Mix | 0–100 % | blends the dry voice back in |
| Lift meter | the long needle shows the High Air lift right now, the short grey one Mid Air |
How it works. Two high-pass layers are added to the voice. Each has its own compressor that holds it near a ceiling: when the top is quiet it is lifted a lot, and when it is already loud it is barely touched.
Specs
| Latency | 0 ms |
| Harmonics added | none |
| CPU, iPad Air M3, only Air on | 1.2 % of one core |
FAQ
Why not just boost the treble?
A static treble boost lifts everything, including esses and hiss that are already loud. Air lifts the top in proportion to how quiet it is, so soft detail comes up and loud sibilance stays where it was.
Does Air bring the noise back up?
Not in pauses: below its Floor level the lift fades out. Clean removes the noise; Floor keeps Air from bringing it back.