One of the advantages of using transistors to produce compression of the signal was that they are able to begin compression of the signal very quickly. This meant that compressors could have a much shorter attack time than was possible with tube using valves or optical compressors. Compressors using the VCA design are probably the most widely-used devices for general compression purposes. The are able to provide less noticeable more transparent compression of an audio signal.
VCA compressors work by using the level of the input signal to control the amount of compression applied. So the higher the level of the input signal, the more compression is applied to the audio signal before it is output from the device. People often talk about compressors being used to make a track louder, but it can be a lot more subtle than that.
This is most commonly done with drums, particularly the kick drum, but compression can be used on any track in a piece to control peaks in the audio. When compression is applied to the overall piece of music the compressor device is usually inserted into the stereo output channel of the recording. The aim is usually to control the peaks of the louder sections of the final audio signal so that the overall level of the signal can be increased, or made louder.
One of the reasons this increase in loudness is needed right at the end of the production process is that it helps the audio to sound good on almost any type of speaker that the listener might use.
Another reason that compression is applied to the final mix is to make the various parts sound as if they belong together. One very popular use of a compressor is for sidechain compression. This is where the compression is triggered by an audio signal separate from the one that is being compressed. This was originally used by radio DJs so that when the started speaking into the microphone compression was triggered on the music playing so that it was turned down and the DJ could be heard over it.
This is commonly used where instruments like drums and the bass might clash with each other within particular frequency ranges. If the sound of the kick drum is used to trigger compression of the bass then every time the kick drum sounds the volume of the bass will be turned down a little. A more extreme version of sidechain compression is used in dance music to produce a pumping effect.
Compression can be used to subtly enhance the sound of your audio productions, or it can be used as a creative tool. Something people often wonder about in a recording studio is the material attached to the walls, plus the strangely shaped objects standing in the room….
Whatever type of music you are recording in your home studio, sooner or later you are going to want to record some vocals. You might…. After you have finished recording and mixing the tracks in your music production, you probably know that the next stage in the process is mastering….
One thing that will really help to make your recording studio a success is being able to write songs. Being a good songwriter will attract…. When people talk about listening to audio productions during the recording, mixing or mastering process you often hear them refer specifically to monitor speakers. Skip to content Compression is one of the most commonly used effects in music production. What Is a Compressor? Previous Previous. Next Continue. Experiment with using dramatic compression as an effect.
In many types of popular music, there will be a bass line with a fairly constant signal level. You can avoid this by using a multiband compressor such as the Precision Multiband Compressor , which splits the signal into multiple frequency ranges, allowing you to compress them separately. Learn essential functions of popular tube and solid-state compressor varieties, and creative uses for your productions.
Audio Compression Basics. Why Compress? Threshold The threshold control sets the level at which the compression effect is engaged. Attack Time This refers to the time it takes for the signal to become fully compressed after exceeding the threshold level.
Release Time This is literally the opposite of attack time. Set your Attack and Release controls to tailor the compression for your source and track. Compression Ratio Compression ratio specifies the amount of attenuation applied to the signal.
This graphic illustrates how your compression ratio will affect the overall signal. Output Gain Although we perceive compressed signals as being louder, compression-induced attenuation actually lowers the output. The Fairchild compressor featured over 20 tubes and was a favorite of the Beatles and Motown. As always, let your ears be the final judge. If it sounds good, it is good. Mentioned UA Gear. Or we can do both at the same time. This is the very basic function of a compressor in music production.
You do this because you want to, for valid reasons you will come across in your production and engineering, reduce the highest sounds at their peak, in order to raise the lowest sounds at their quietest. Each audio compressor has a few sets of controls which you can use. These will be knobs, switches, slides, or some other fancy way of controlling them.
Threshold determines how loud your audio signal must be before your compressor is allowed to reduce its volume. Sound, in other words, needs to get loud enough for the compressor to kick in. This control determines how much compression will be applied to the audio signal once that loudness threshold is passed.
For example, if you use a ratio of , the audio signal would have to go 4 dB above the loudness threshold which you set in order to increase the amplitude by only 1 dB. With a setting, 2 dB becomes 1 dB. With , 4 dB becomes 1 dB.
With , 6 dB becomes 1 dB. You get the idea…. Attack is how fast the compressor will reduce loudness. On a lot of processors, this is measured in milliseconds. Try this. What you will begin to hear is how fast your compressor will be at reducing the loudest parts of your audio signal. That is the attack setting. But if the setting is slow, once the volume gets loud enough, he will take his time to turn it down gently.
This is like attack but it works the other way around. Your signal is not going to be above threshold all the time. Despite that, compression in music production is often misunderstood. With such an important process, it can be hard for beginners to get started. Dynamic range compression is a process in music production used to help even out the loud and quiet parts of a sound in a recorded track.
In fact, compression is an essential skill for all music producers that has a huge impact on everything from drums to modern studio vocals. Hot tip : Dynamic range compression is completely different from the data compression methods used to make digital files smaller for storage or transmission.
Compression is used in music to reduce the dynamic range of signals with loud and quiet elements so that both can be heard clearly. Think of the difference between a soft sound like a whispered vocal and the aggressive crack of a snare.
To make them both heard on a recording, the mix engineer has to manage the dynamics. A good way to understand it is to think of the sound of a recorded drum set. The fast onset of sound when the stick hits the drum skin is a clear example of a transient. In most sounds, the transient is the loudest moment in the signal. To hear the transients equally with the body of the sound, compression is often necessary.
The basic effect of a compressor is to reduce the volume of a signal once it passes a certain level. The level where the compressor begins working is called the threshold —you set it with a dB control to determine the parts of the signal the compressor acts on.
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