what is compresser

[Chinthaka]

i know that i can use compressor to make my sound louder..
what are the other usage of compressor and how to use it to make my sound better????

[brandondrury]

I've got an entire chapter in Killer Home Recordings dedicated to compressors.

Compressors knock the peaks off the loud stuff. If you set them slow enough they let a bit of the peak through to increase the attack. You can use these to dramatically improve intelligibility of vocals, thicken up bass, make drums punchier, and a slew of other cool tricks.

Brandon

[Chinthaka]

thnx big bro!! i just decide to explore it much.

[ceponatia]

Originally Posted by brandondrury

I've got an entire chapter in Killer Home Recordings dedicated to compressors.
Brandon

Do you have a link? I can't find it on the site.

I've used compressors a lot but have never understood how they work. I just turn the knobs til it sounds nice. :P

[Chinthaka]

no i couldn't check it. im lil bit busy these day

[grooveboxmusicTony]

Compressors really help when you have trouble making a track stand out more. They reduce the the dynamic range between the loudest and softest sound, essentially 'containing' the waveform. Because the loudest and softest peaks are closer together you can raise the output gain without clipping. This is how compressed tracks sound louder.

I would start with something conservative like a ratio of 2 to 1, possibly 3 to one and start to lower the threshold until the compressor just kicks in. Then tweak until is sounds right. Be sure to turn up the output gain so you can hear the newly compressed track.

Hope that helps!

Tony
Audio Engineer/Promoter
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