Compression Vs Limiting: What’s The Difference? Some compressors are more transparent than others, so checking the gain reduction and output level meters is a smart move when it comes to managing signal levels. Though renowned for adding punch and providing the ‘glue’ that holds mixes together, compression (and especially over-compression!) Dynamic range simply refers to the difference between the loudest and quietest parts of your audio. Most of the audio will pass completely unaffected, but if a mic gets bumped or the drummer hits too hard, the compressor will catch the signal spike. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Kieran is also a guitarist and has performed across the UK. At this point, you should hear a significant difference between the input signal and the output signal (use the bypass function to compare the two). Similar to attack, the release control determines how long it takes compression to stop once the incoming signal level falls below the threshold. At this point, crank up the ratio as high as it will go — 20:1 creates an effective sonic barrier, and higher settings offer even more peace of mind. Your ratio control lets you decide how much compression is applied once the signal crosses that threshold — the actual ratio being referred to is the input level compared with the output level. Let’s give it a numerical value – say your threshold is set at 5dB, and your signal reaches 10dB, then that means you can reduce the signal by up to 5dB. This would also mean for every 4dB past the threshold the signal will be reduced to 2dB. If you feel like the track has lost some punch and impact, slow down the compressor’s attack time to allow more transients to come through uncompressed. At extreme ratio settings (10:1 or higher), a compressor is effectively the same as a limiter, preventing signal levels from spiking beyond a certain point. Get Directions | Or even better, engage your compressor’s “Auto” attack/release control if it offers one. Ratio: 1.5:1–2:1 All in all, it’s an incredibly versatile tool that every producer should get to grips with. The great thing about compression is that while it does reduce gain, it has the ability to keep the timbre of the recording the same (although some compression units will add their own unique coloring). Dealing With Imposter Syndrome: Making It Or Faking It? Typical settings may look like this: Threshold: –8dB. Kieran is a producer based in Manchester. Think of it as a way to balance out your recordings by creating a smaller range in volume. One of the most important things you can do when learning to mix audio is to train yourself to hear the subtleties of compression. If you need inspiration, check out some of our favorite tips from legendary producers! This changes how the gain reduction behaves around the threshold level, but not all compressors have this. You will usually see this in the format of 2:1, 4:1, 10:1 and so on. The release refers to how long it takes for the compressor to revert to normal, or to an uncompressed state. We’ve all seen horror movies where a softly spoken scene is interrupted with a loud jump scare from a ghost or monster. The lower the threshold, the more compression you can generally add as there will be more signal passing the threshold point. Faster releases can create a pumping effect whilst slow release times are much smoother. You’ll quickly find compression is a great tool to sculpting your mixes and adding depth and color. If you’re using an EQ for boosting certain frequencies to polish a track, you’ll probably want to place it after the compressor to prevent the boosted frequencies from triggering unwanted compression. But when the speaking is the same volume as the monster, it lacks impact. The honest answer is there is no right or wrong! A great tip if you are a beginner is to try compression on everything. Music compression is the process of reducing a signal’s dynamic range. Use the output level or gain control on your compressor in conjunction with its bypass button to quickly compare and match the level of your compressed audio to the incoming signal. A/B’ing, or comparing your uncompressed and your compressed signal, is a great way to learn. This guide will help you understand exactly how to use a compressor to improve your mixdowns and get that pro sound. The higher the number the higher the amount of compression. The three most popular types of audio file compression schemes used for saving audio as digital files are lossless, lossless compression, and lossy compression. Increase the ratio to around 6:1, 8:1, or even 10:1. The same principle can be applied to music. Otherwise you will care less about how the dynamic range is being affected. Lower the threshold control and watch your gain reduction meter — set the threshold at a point where loud peaks cause gain reduction, while most of the audio passes through without gain reduction. There are a few pitfalls with compression however. The amount the needle or meter moves is directly related to the gain reduction, or how much the volume is being reduced by. This sets the signal level at which the compressor begins compressing your audio. He has written, produced and recorded for BBC Radio, mixed tracks from Kendall Calling Festival and worked on broadcast sessions for national TV. Attack determines the time to reach the compression values. Setting this control too short can cause the compressor to “pump” or “breathe” — setting the release too long can cause equally unnatural sound effects. There’s a lot of nuance in these controls; a good place to start would be 50% for both of them (or halfway between their fastest and slowest values). Faster attack and release settings will help focus the compression on the peaks without affecting the audio before and after each peak. Required fields are marked *. Tropical studio vibes with @paradisestudiosuk and, Evening sessions with @iampaulkalkbrenner , Only the most high-tier spaces at @larrabeestudios, Beautiful studio space. The first thing you need to do is set at what point the compressor will start working. Like a lot of things in audio production there is no right or wrong and so experimentation is a great way of finding your feet. You need to reduce the dynamic range of most audio signals for them to sound natural on a recording. With the controls set as explained below, you’ll be in a good position to tackle any compression task. The key thing to remember is that a compressor responds to signal level, and an equalizer adjusts the signal level of various parts of the frequency spectrum — that means an equalizer placed before a compressor can have a big impact on how the compressor behaves. This is what the threshold control is for. Your email address will not be published. Compression. It’s not a right or wrong scenario, and you may sometimes find yourself doing both. Are you trying to tame excessive signal spikes on a hi-hat? 5501 U.S. Hwy 30 W, Fort Wayne, IN 46818 To learn more about our cookie policy, please check our Privacy Policy. A good way to look at the attack control is that it determines how much of a sound’s initial attack will be compressed — longer attack times allow more of the initial attack to slip through before compression begins. While you should learn to hear the subtleties of how compressors affect audio, these level meters will provide valuable visual feedback about what’s going on. The attack control on a compressor determines how long it takes for the compressor circuit to reach (nearly) full compression — these are often very short values time-wise, sometimes down into the microsecond range. Do you need to smooth out the volume variations of a vocalist? It’s one of the most used yet least understood audio shaping techniques. Because compression essentially lowers the volume of your audio in a dynamic, intelligent way, you may need to apply some makeup gain to bring the signal level back up after compression occurs. If you’re new to audio production you’ve probably heard all about compression but you may be a bit unsure on how to approach it in your mixes. compressioncompressordynamic rangedynamics. Copyright © 2018-2020. As a general rule a good track will have balanced dynamics and this is important to remember when applying compression. Compression is a great way of adding punch and aggression to your drums, but setting a fast attack time can negatively effect the sound by ‘choking’ the drum hits and destroying transients. If the signal level is not reached, no compression takes place. There are so many different and creative ways you can use a compressor to manipulate audio.