Copyright 2013 Wayne Kirkwood Page 1 of 6 Revision E

All rights reserved

Compression is a widely used effect in recording, sound
reinforcement and on-stage performance. Most compressors
designed for recording and reinforcement have a large number
of knobs to allow subtle tweaking. Unfortunately, the large
number of controls require interactive adjustment of threshold,
ratio and make-up gain to achieve the desired effect.
The on-stage performer requires a simple, repeatable
adjustment that can be made quickly. This Design Note
describes a battery-powered compressor based on the classic
dbx 163 One Knob Squeezer with a simple compression
control labeled More.
THAT Corporation's Design Note 125 describes a THAT4301-
based One Knob Squeezer operated from split power supplies
and provides an in-depth discussion on the theory behind a
single knob compressor. This Design Note expands on previous
work to show the THAT4316 applied to a low-voltage, low-
current effects pedal powered by a single 9 volt battery.
The overall schematic is shown in Figure 9. The pedal contains
six basic stages: Input, VCA, Output, RMS Detector with a Non-
Linear Capacitor, Control Sidechain and Power Distribution.
Input Stage
As shown in Figure 2, an input preamplifier with 6 dB gain is
composed of opamp A and associated components. C2 and R2,
a bias resistor, provide an input -3dB point of 7 Hz. R3, R4 and
C3 supply a filtered reference that is the battery voltage to
bias both opamp A and opamp B, the output stage, to mid
supply. R5 and C4 emulate the input loading of classic triode-
based guitar amps. R6 and diodes D1 and D2 protect the input
from over-voltage conditions. The preamp gain is set by R7 and
A Battery-Powered One Knob Squeezer using the THAT4316
By Wayne Kirkwood
For more information visit:
www.thatcorp.com
Figure 1. THAT4316 One Knob Squeezer Block Diagram
Model(s): THAT4316 Very Low Voltage Low Power
Analog Engine Dynamic Processor IC
VCA
RMS
Non-linear
capacitor
circuit
(NLC)
Control
Voltage
Processing
+5V
Voltage
Regulator
4316 Vref
Generator
Output
Buffer
Current to Voltage
Converter
Preamp
Z
IN
= 1M
+6dB
C
T
Volume
Control
MORE
Control
Instrument
Input
Power Distribution
V
BATTERY
OKS
Output
Control
Voltage
+5V
+2.5V
TP1
TP3
TP4
TP5
TP2
RMS Cal
Optional Optional
Optional
I to V
dbx is a registered trademark of Harman International.
A Battery Powered One Knob Squeezer using the 4316



Copyright 2013 Wayne Kirkwood Page 2 of 6 Revision E
All rights reserved
R8. With typical instrument levels, the output at TP1 is -20 dBu
or 77.5 mV RMS.
C1
22p
C6
10/16V
C3
10/16V
C2
22n
C4
220p
R6
1k
R8
10k
D1
IN4148
D2
IN4148
TP1
BAT-
J 1
IN
~39mV
-26dBu
VBAT
+9V
VBAT
33178
+
+
+

VBAT/2
4.5V
R1
1M
R2
1M
R3
100k
R4
100k
R5
33k R7
10k
C5
220p
A
PREAMP

Figure 2. Input Stage Circuit
Voltage Controlled Amplifier
The VCA circuitry is shown in Figure 3. The THAT4316 used in
the One Knob Squeezer operates from a regulated 5V supply. The
input, output and control ports are biased to an internally
generated reference voltage, V
REF
, of +2.5V. C10 AC-couples the
preamp to the VCA input. R10 converts the input voltage to
current. R11 and C11 provide stability. The VCA output is also a
current. Opamp D and R12 provide current to voltage, or I-V,
conversion. C12 aids stability.
The unused VCA Ec+ control port is tied to the +2.5V V
REF

supply. The Ec- port is connected to the One Knob Squeezer's
sidechain which is described in a later section.
Unlike other VCA offerings from THAT Corporation, the 4316 does
not internally invert signal polarity. Overall polarity is inverted
however due to current-to-voltage conversion by opamp D.
C10
10
16V
R10
10k
R12
10K
C12
47p
I-V
13
12 11
15
TP2
VREF
+2.5V
+
33178
+

R11
2k7
C11
220p
D
4316
VCA
IN
EC- EC+
OUT

Figure 3. VCA Circuit
Output Amplifier
An optional output stage, opamp B, provides polarity inversion so
that the overall input to output polarity is non-inverting. With an
even number of opamps available and only seven required for the
input, VCA output and sidechain, opamp B comes at virtually no
cost. Adding a potentiometer to the output stage provides a
volume control with a gain range of -infinity to +10 dB.
As shown in Figure 4, the non-inverting input of opamp B is
biased to the 9V battery voltage by sharing R3, R4 and C3 with
the input preamp. C13 AC-couples the VCA output to the input
network formed by R13, VR2 and C14. C14 prevents DC current in
the wiper. R14 provides local DC feedback to opamp B.
VR2, a linear taper potentiometer, appears in parallel with R14.
At full counter-clockwise rotation the AC feedback resistance is
essentially 0 Ohms and the attenuation infinite. Full clock-wise
rotation provides 10 dB gain calculated as Av =
(VR2cw||R14)/R13. To increase the output gain range lower the
value of R13. C15 provides stability. R15 isolates opamp B's
output from capacitive loads. C16 provides AC-coupling to
remove the output stage DC potential. C17 reduces radio
frequency interference that might enter the output externally.
VBAT/2
+4.5V
R14
100k
VR2
25k
LIN
CW
+
+
33178
+
+

C13
10/16V
C15
47p
C17
220p
R16
100k
R15
100R
R13
6k2
C14
10
16V
C16
10/16V
B
OUTPUT

Figure 4. Output Amplifier Circuit
RMS Detector with Non-Linear Capacitor
The RMS Detector and Non-Linear Capacitor (NLC) are
detailed in Figure 5. The RMS detector is fed from the input
preamp in a feed-forward compression topology. (See THAT
Design Note 01A for the differences between feed-forward and
feedback compressors.)
C20 AC-couples the preamp to the THAT4316's RMS detector
input. R20 converts the input voltage to current. At the nominal
operating level of 77.5 mV, the input current is 7.75 uA RMS.
The One Knob Squeezer uses a non-linear capacitor to provide
A Battery Powered One Knob Squeezer using the 4316



Copyright 2013 Wayne Kirkwood Page 3 of 6 Revision E
All rights reserved
both fast attack times and low detector ripple. At lower audio
frequencies ripple in the detected RMS output increases
distortion because it modulates the audio input. The NLC
provides two effective capacitor values: A large value for slowly-
changing or steady-state signal envelopes and a small
capacitance value for transient ones. THAT application note
DN114 provides an in-depth discussion of the NLC.
The NLC is comprised of opamp C and various external
components. C21 and C22 are both connected to the 4316's
timing capacitor pin C
T
. For transient signals (using the values
shown in Figures 5 and 9) the effective value of the timing
capacitor seen by the C
T
pin is:
For transients C
T
~= C21+C22 = 2.3 uF
For steady-state or slowly varying signals
C
T
~= C21+[C22{1+(C21/C23)}] = 24.3 uF
R21 isolates the output of opamp C from the capacitive load of
C22. D3 and D4 clamp the opamp output. R22 provides DC
feedback.

TP5
RMS OUT
+5V
5
4
2
C20
10/16V
C21
2.2
C22
100n
R21
200R
C23
10n
D3
IN4148
D4
IN4148
R22
10M
R20
10k
33178
+
+
+

C
NLC
4316
RMS
IN
CT
OUT

Figure 5. RMS and NLC Circuit
The NLC is AC-coupled to the timing pin. In order to provide
maximum output swing from the NLC opamp due to output stage
saturation and battery voltage decline, the non-inverting input of
opamp C is referenced to the regulated +5V supply rather than
the 2.5V or 4.5V references used elsewhere. The 2.5V reference
does not permit sufficient voltage swing to allow for diode drops
in the feedback loop and output stage saturation. The 4.5V
reference can be as low as 3.5V with a discharged battery and is
also insufficient. By referencing the NLC to the regulated 5V
supply, the use of a rail-to-rail opamp is avoided. Note that the
polarity of timing capacitor C21 is reversed from typical 4316
applications due to the fact that the inverting input of opamp C
rests at +5V and the timing pin, C
T
, is at +2.5V.
Output of the RMS detector is pin 5 of the 4316. At the nominal -
20 dBu input level to the RMS detector (7.75 uA) the output at
TP5 will be approximately 2.50V (V
REF
+/-13mV) and will
increase at +6.1 mV per dB.
The One Knob Sidechain
The Sidechain and More control, shown in Figure 6, are the heart
of the One Knob Squeezer which uses soft knee compression to
provide a pleasant-sounding, gently sloped, compression curve.
The sidechain relies on three important concepts:
1) Soft knee compression exploits the exponential voltage-
current characteristics of common silicon diodes (D6 in
figures 6 and 9) to smooth the compression curve. THAT
Design Note 00A provides an example of a soft-knee
multi-control compressor and a detailed explanation of the
sloppy rectifier.
2) The amount of compression introduced by the More
control relies on the dynamic impedance of diode D6
(approximated as Zd = 26mV/Id) to vary sidechain gain.
The More knob shifts the operating point of D6 (and D7) to
vary it's effective impedance.
3) The sidechain has two distinct signal paths. One path
receives inputs from the RMS detector, More control and a
diode pre-bias (V
DIODE
). A second complimentary path
receives inputs only from V
DIODE
and More to provide
automatic adjustment of make-up gain. The primary
path is the dynamic sidechain path which passes through
D6. The secondary path through D7 is corrective. The
outputs of both sidechain paths are summed as currents
and converted to a control voltage, Ec-.
THAT Design Note 125 provides a more detailed description of
the One Knob concept where a single control simultaneously
adjusts threshold, compression ratio and make-up gain. The
4316-based One Knob Squeezer described here uses the classic
dbx 163 circuit modified for low-voltage, single-supply
operation.
The entire sidechain is biased at the +2.5V V
REF
supply. When
analyzing or measuring DC voltages in the sidechain V
REF
(TP4)
should be used as a measurement common.
Opamps E, F, G and H, associated components and VR1 form the
One Knob sidechain. Opamp E in the primary sidechain path
computes an inverted sum of RMS+V
DIODE
+More. Opamp F, the
second sidechain path, sums V
DIODE
+More. The RMS detector
and More control shift the operating points of D6 through stage E
and D7 (without RMS) through stage F.
Opamp G, D5 and R39 provide a pre-bias for diodes D6 and
D7. With the values shown D5's forward current is 2.5V/R39 =
A Battery Powered One Knob Squeezer using the 4316



Copyright 2013 Wayne Kirkwood Page 4 of 6 Revision E
All rights reserved
64 uA. Neglecting currents from the RMS and More inputs which
can be zero (and assuming perfect diode matching) D6 and D7
are pre-biased at -64uA and +64 uA respectively. This is due to
the gain for the V
DIODE
terms being unity throughout opamp
stages E, F and H. (R31=R33, R36, R38, R40 and R41.)
C31
100n
R33
10k
R32
100k
R31
10k R30
4k99
R36
10k R35
100k
R38
10k
V
DIODE
+2.5V
+2.5V
+2.5V
+2.5V
C30
220p
R34
330k
+5V
R41
10k
R40
10k
R37
100k
R39
39k
D5
IN4148
D7
IN4148
D6
IN4148
VR3
50k
+5V
VR1
25k
LIN
TP3
EC-
33178
+

33178
+

33178
+

33178
+

C32
100n
R42
4k99
H
E
F
G
RMS
CAL
MORE
FROM
RMS
OUT

Figure 6. "One Knob" Sidechain Circuit
The RMS and More voltages, along with V
DIODE
, appear inverted at
the output of stage E to vary the dynamic impedance of D6. To
increase the useful range of impedance variation versus the
RMS detector output scale factor (approximately 300 mV total
for a 1N4148 and 6.1 mV/dB for the 4316) the RMS input (R30)
has a gain of 2 compared to V
DIODE
. The RMS detector scale
factor at the output of stage E becomes -12.2 mV per dB. The
More control skews the output voltage by +/-250 mV (R32) to
shift D6's operating point which controls compression. D6, in
series with R40, controls sidechain gain using it's dynamic
impedance while simultaneously providing a soft-knee
compression characteristic from an exponential voltage-current
relationship. The gain of stage H through the primary sidechain
path is R42/(R40+Zd) where Zd is the dynamic impedance of
D6.
The sum of V
DIODE
and More voltages at the output of opamp F
drive diode D7 to provide an inverted replica of output E without
dynamic contribution from the RMS detector. R37 and R38
correct the gain error introduced by R35 and R36. The dynamic
impedance of D7 plays an important role in providing corrective
make-up gain which tracks the dynamic gain reduction in the
primary sidechain. The gain of stage H through the secondary
path is R42/(R41+Zd) where Zd is the dynamic impedance of
D7.
Inverting opamp stage H converts the currents in D6 and D7 to a
control voltage, Ec-. Current is subtracted by D6, raising the
voltage at TP3 to decrease VCA signal gain, while current is
added by D7 to increase VCA gain to provide compensating
make-up. The current through D6 is dynamic based on signal
envelope. The current in D7 is static and varies with the More
control. The gain of stage H (neglecting Zd) is 0.5 (R42) to re-
establish a +6.1 mV per dB attenuation scale factor.
More control tracking is affected to a minor degree by thermal
mis-match between D6 and D7. Since D6 and D7 tie to the
same opamp input placing them side-by-side on a PC board
layout is very easy. Thermal matching between D5 and the
D6/D7 pair is not as critical since the change in D5's forward
voltage affect D6 and D7's operating points equally.
Capacitors C30, C31 and C32 provide stability for sidechain
opamps E, F and H.
The One Knob Squeezer's internal operating level is -20 dBu
which defines the compression pivot or rotation point. The
average level for correct tracking of the More control is at the
rotation point. At average levels above or below the rotation
point, the More control will introduce level shifts. Figure 7 shows
the One Knob Squeezer's input-output level relationships with
various degrees of compression rotated around this rotation
point. The curves below were measured from the jack and
include the 6 dB of gain introduced by the preamp stage. Notice
that the internal -20dBu rotation point is shifted down to -26dBu
when viewed from the outside world.
One Knob Squeezer Compression Response Curves
-60
+0
-40
-20
-60 +10 -50 -40 -30 -20 -10 +0
Input Level (dBu)
O
u
t
p
u
t

L
e
v
e
l

(
d
B
u
)

Figure 7. Input vs Output Levels
An optional, but recommended, trimmer (VR3) can be used to
adjust the nominal operating level of the One Knob Squeezer to
offset RMS detector level error (approximately +/-13mV at the
output or +/-2dB input-referred). Without calibration, the
rotation point can vary by as much as +/- 2dB. Adjustment of
VR3 as a production trim is described in the Calibration and Test
Procedures.
A Battery Powered One Knob Squeezer using the 4316



Copyright 2013 Wayne Kirkwood Page 5 of 6 Revision E
All rights reserved
VR3 can also be a front panel control or user-adjustable
screwdriver trim to permit operating levels other than -20 dBu.
In pedal applications adjustment of instrument levels ahead of
the One Knob Squeezer will usually suffice and no external
adjustment of VR3 will be required.
Power Distribution
The 4316 One Knob Squeezer is operated from a single 9V
battery. Operating current is typically 5 mA using four MC33178
dual low power opamps.
The input power connector is protected against reverse polarity
by diode D8. C40 and C41 filter the battery supply. All opamps
are powered from the 9V supply and include local bypass
capacitors C45-C48. The +5V supply for the THAT4316 is
provided by IC2, a LP2950 low dropout, low quiescent current,
regulator. C42 and C43 bypass the LP2950 output and
THAT4316 Vcc input. The +5V supply is also used by VR1, VR3
and the NLC as references.

C44
10/16V
C43
2.2/16V
LP2950
5V
D8
4001
C41
100n
C40
100
16V
C42
100n
+VBAT
+5VOUT
+2.5V OUT
TP4
BAT-
TO INPUT
CONNECTOR
IC2 IC1
9V
+
+
+
+
I O
6
8 7
9
G
POWER DETAIL
4316
V
CC
G FLT
V
REF

Figure 8. Power Distribution Circuit
The THAT4316 internal Vcc/2 voltage divider is bypassed by
C44. The +2.5V V
REF
output of the 4316 provides a reference for
opamps E, F, G and H along with the 4316 VCA Ec+ pin. The
4316 V
REF
output should not bypassed due to a maximum 100 pF
load capacitance.
Calibration and Test Procedures
The only adjustment is the recommended trimmer, VR3, to
compensate for variations in the 4316 RMS detector. The
adjustment procedure is provided in the following steps.
1) Input 39 mV RMS, -26 dBu, to the input connector J1.
2) Check that the preamp output level is -20 dBu or 77.5
mV RMS. (There is 4.5V DC present at TP1.)
3) Measure the DC potential from TP4 to TP5. It should be
within +/-13 mV.
4) Set the More control to maximum clockwise rotation.
5) Measure the DC potential from TP4 to TP3. Adjust VR3
for 0V +/- 1 mV.
6) Meter the AC level at TP2. It should be -20 dBu +/-
0.5 dBu. (There is +2.5V DC present at TP2.)
7) Rotate the More control from full clockwise to full
counter-clockwise and back while noting the level shift at
TP2. The level shift should be less than 1 dB.
Modifications and Experiments
The reader is encouraged to tweak this design to suit their
requirements. Two areas ripe for experimentation are the NLC
timing capacitor, C21, and diode pre-bias current set by R39.
If an NLC is not required for the intended application a
conventional timing capacitor can be used from the THAT4316
C
T
pin to ground. In this configuration the positive terminal of the
cap connects to pin 4 and opamp C is eliminated.
When a variable gain output is not required R15 and the
following circuitry can be connected directly to opamp D. In this
configuration the overall input-to-output polarity will invert. An
option to maintain correct polarity would be to eliminate VR2
and make the output stage B a fixed gain circuit.
Conclusion
The THAT4316 Analog Engine

provides a simple, low-cost and

low power solution for the guitar pedal designer. This Design
Note is just one example of a feed-forward One Knob
compressor. Other compression topologies such as feedback
and inverse compression benefit from the 4316's ease-of-use,
low power and modest cost.
A Battery Powered One Knob Squeezer using the 4316



Copyright 2013 Wayne Kirkwood Page 6 of 6 Revision E
All rights reserved

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1
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2
2
0
p
C
1
3
1
0
/
1
6
V
C
1
5
4
7
p
C
3
2
1
0
0
n
R
4
2
4
k
9
9
C
1
7
2
2
0
p
R
1
6
1
0
0
k
J
2
O
U
T
R
1
5
1
0
0
R
R
1
3
6
k
2
C
1
4
1
0
1
6
V
C
1
6
1
0
/
1
6
V
C
5
2
2
0
p
A
D
B
H
E
F
G
C
N
L
C
P
O
W
E
R

D
E
T
A
I
L
O
U
T
P
U
T
L
E
V
E
L
R
M
S
C
A
L

M
O
R
E

B
Y
P
A
S
S
P
R
E
A
M
P
O
U
T
P
U
T
4
3
1
6
R
M
S
4
3
1
6
V
C
A
4
3
1
6
I
N
C
T
O
U
T
I
NE
C
-
E
C
+
O
U
T
V
C
C
G
F
L
T
V
R
E
F
Figure 9. One Knob Squeezer Schematic