Learn · All Quick-Starts · 4 min
POCKET
quick-start.
Take a raw vocal to a dense, radio-ready level with essentially one fader.
5 steps · every control name is the real one · Vocal
Trim INPUT to the SWEET lamp
POCKET's auto-makeup law assumes a detector level around −20 dBFS. Slide INPUT in the utility rail until the amber SWEET lamp beside it lights (−20 ±4 dBFS) — do this once and the COMP fader behaves the way it was voiced to.
Pull the COMP fader
COMP is THE fader — pull it down for more. The vocal comes forward at the same loudness rather than getting squashed, because auto-makeup is built into the law; the bar inside the fader shows live gain reduction. Stop when every syllable is present without the breaths pumping.
Clean up with the GATE
Slide GATE up until the silence between phrases is clean — the lamp shows when the gate is open. Bottom position is OFF. Watch that word starts survive; back off if consonants clip.
Pick DIST: WARM or GRIT
DIST is OFF / WARM / GRIT: WARM adds 2nd-harmonic tube-ish thickness, GRIT adds 3rd-harmonic tape-ish edge. Both are loudness-compensated, so what you hear is tone, not volume; the HARMONICS lamp glows with drive. DIST DRIVE in the rail sets how hard the saturator is pushed — 100% is the classic POCKET amount.
Blend and level
MIX in the rail blends against the latency-aligned dry for parallel compression — keep transients and breath while the body stays glued. GAIN is a reduce-only output trim; the −0.1 dBFS safety ceiling catches anything wild (red lamp = it's working). DELTA solos what POCKET changes; BYPASS and = (matched bypass) are the honest A/B.
Pro moves
Once it's working.
- Raise SC HPF on a close mic until a hard "p" stops ducking the whole phrase — it only affects the detector, never the audio.
- AUTO in the DIST QUALITY row makes saturation track gain reduction — squash harder, glow harder. Turn it off for a constant glow that doesn't come and go with the performance.
- DIST QUALITY 2× / 4× / 8× is oversampling for the saturator only — 8× for hot drive on bright sources; latency is identical either way.
- Bypass is loudness-matched (=) — no louder-is-better trick — so trust the A/B.
