P21 ATLAS Quick Guide
THEME
PULSAR MODULAR · MASTER-BUS STABILIZATION LIMITER

P21Atlas

Atlas delivers coherence. Loud, without the peaks being flattened.

The engine holds the program coherent across its full length.

INTERACTIVE PANEL

The interface at a glance

Hover any control to see what it does.

P21 Atlas interface — green phosphor
CHAIN TOPOLOGY

Where Atlas sits

Two approaches to Atlas in a chain are coherent.

Atlas standalone
Atlas is the final stage.
Atlas driving a clipper
Place a dedicated clipper downstream.
!
A limiter downstream of Atlas is not the correct chain.
FIRST SESSION

A first listening protocol

Run a single isolation session on familiar material.

1
Bypass everything after Atlas
Bypass every plugin downstream.
2
Load the matching preset
Load the preset whose source character matches.
3
Activate MATCH
Engage MATCH for equal-loudness comparison.
4
Toggle BYPASS and listen
Listen for the absence of limiter artifacts.
TIP
Tune Atlas with downstream stages bypassed.
CONTROLS

Seven controls, three groups

Gain to engine controls to TRIM.

Gain
Engagement
Drives signal into the engine.
Ceiling
Engagement
Sets the upper bound on peaks.
Composure
Character · GR SLOW
Anchors the sustained body.
GRIP
Character · GR FAST
Shapes firmness and bass character.
Energy
Character
A window on transient clarity.
Foresight
Character
Anticipates incoming peaks.
TRIM
Output stage · ±6 dB
Lifts level after the engine.
READING THE PANEL

What every readout means

The panel mirrors the signal flow.

INPUT
Bar meters show signal arriving.
Engine output
Tapped before TRIM.
TRIM and TRIM PEAK
The dial sets the post-engine shift.
Post-TRIM loudness
These describe the file leaving Atlas.
Reset and transport
The reset button clears every readout.
WORKFLOW

Working with Atlas

MATCH for fair comparison
MATCH delivers fair A/B.
MATCH and TRIM differ
Don't use TRIM for level-matching.
Verse and chorus
Automate Composure between sections.
Driving a clipper
Push TRIM until the clipper shows depth.
PRESET LIBRARY

Starting points, tuned by ear

Choose by source character, not the name alone.

Preset Use it when Params
Default0·34·29·30·40·0.0
Country Acoustic+4·23·22·17·24·0.0
Sparse Acoustic+1.5·0·0·20·54·0.0
Country Pop+4·14·34·22·24·0.0
Rock Solid0·54·31·35·44·0.0
ATMOS Launchpad+1·28·25·28·50·0.0
K-Pop Verse / Chorus+4·25–38·39·60·69·0.0
Orchestral+10·77·25·14·64·−2.0
EDM Depth+2·14·60·20·29·0.0
Hip-hop+4·38·40·44·64·0.0
Jazz+4·35·29·34·60·0.0
Drum Bus+2·46·4·36·5·−6.0
BUS USE
Atlas can also be used on individual buses.
SHORTCUTS

Interface conventions

A few interactions are consistent across the interface.

ActionResult
PRESET MANAGER

The preset browser

Hover any element below to see what it does.

New Folder
Save
Save As
Rename
Delete
Close
★ Favorites
▸ Presets
▸ My Masters
Default
Hip-hop
Orchestral
Rock Solid
Hover any element above to learn what it does.
MANAGING PRESETS

Saving, protecting, backing up

The preset browser
Two panes.
Protecting factory edits
Save under a new name before updating.
Backing up
Presets are files that can be copied.
Windows
C:\Users\Public\Documents\Pulsar Modular\P21 Atlas\Presets
macOS
/Users/Shared/Pulsar Modular/P21 Atlas/Presets
UNINSTALLING

Removing P21 Atlas

Delete the plugin files for each format.

Windows
VST3
C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\Pulsar Modular\P21 Atlas.vst3
AAX
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Avid\Audio\Plug-Ins\Pulsar Modular\P21 Atlas.aaxplugin
Shared files
C:\Users\Public\Documents\Pulsar Modular\P21 Atlas
macOS
AU
/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/P21 Atlas.component
VST3
/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/Pulsar Modular/P21 Atlas.vst3
AAX
/Library/Application Support/Avid/Audio/Plug-Ins/Pulsar Modular/P21 Atlas.aaxplugin
Shared files
/Users/Shared/Pulsar Modular/P21 Atlas