07) Using Trim as Balance Control
Trim applies up to +6dB or -6dB of gain to the HiFAL process band. While simple, this control is essential for rightsizing high frequencies within a mix or sound. When using high frequency acceleration limiting, two key factors come into play:
HF Dynamics – set by how much limiting occurs
HF Loudness – the level of the high band relative to the rest of the mix.
The Threshold Ceiling gives you control over HF Dynamics and the Trim gives you precise control over it's level, letting you dial in the high frequencies so they sit just right.
When both the High Frequency Crossover and Low Frequency Crossover flags are active, Trim only affects the band between them—giving you focused level control over the mid-range process band.
In Practice:
I typically use HiFAL in Split Band mode (default settings), which closely reflects the behavior of it's hardware counterpart. In this mode, the Low Frequency Crossover Flag is engaged and the High Frequency Crossover Flag is bypassed. Only the high frequencies above the crossover point are processed and everything below passes through unchanged. This is HiFAL’s default setting. In album mastering, I set the amount of high-frequency control with the threshold and use the Trim to balance the high frequency energy across tracks. If one track is too bright, I simply trim the HFs down. It’s a simple and effective way to maintain tonal consistency. The same approach works well for shaping brightness on busses or individual tracks.
Be well,
Ryan Schwabe
Grammy-nominated and multi-platinum mixing & mastering engineer
Founder of Schwabe Digital
