Compressors

[scue]

kay, I was under the impression that a compressor did the same job as a limiter. Knowing I'm wrong, I was wondering if anybody could explain what a compressor does to the wave form and what the ratio/attack/release settings effect.

Could anybody lend some time and info? Thanks alot!

[b0ld]

perfect example on what a compressor does.... listen to any benny benassi track..... he uses alot of compressor effects

[mux]

a compressor affects the volume ("dynamics") of an audio signal - if a sound is too loud or too soft, a compressor changes the volume so that it is within a certain range. a limiter does not affect the volume, it just sits there and doesn't let anything above a certain value through.

ratio is how much it will affect the signal. attack is how fast it'll clamp down, and release is how slow it'll let go.

that's really all there is to it.

[dabbler]

what benny does is called over-compression

[inside]

the ratio parameter is like a magnifine glass.

[Royal_Phunk]

easy to get confused on this. Essentially a compressor is an amplifier. As Mux already stated a limiter is a compressor with very high Ratio 10:1 + brings everything up to a set level and wont push past that. Ratio determines the amount of compression used. Attack defines the time in which the compressor will start compressing. Release sets the time in which the compressor returns to to unity gain. Threshold has the most obvious control over your sound and sets the severity of how far down you want to actually squash the waveform. Benny Benassi doesnt compress he squashes. So the dynamics is the difference between the loudest and quietest sounds and their relationship is what the compressor has an effect on.