Before the use of compression, these problems could only be addressed by either adjusting the performance/arrangement, changing the microphone setup, or manipulating the faders on a mixing console. As a result, a static fader balance often doesn't work for an entire track and will cause certain events to be either too soft, or too loud. However, when volume differences on individual tracks or sections are too big, these volume jumps can become very distracting and shift the listener's focus away from the story the artist is trying to tell. Since dynamics are a crucial part of the story the artist tries to tell, we want to preserve these dynamics as much as possible. If you don't know why you're using a compressor and what sound you're aiming for, tweaking this device usually does more harm than good.īefore we look at the individual controls (see Basic compressor controls), let's look at the three most common reasons to utilize this versatile tool in your tracks.Ī recorded piece of music often has sections that are played with different intensities, resulting in volume differences across the sections of a song. ![]() Understanding when and how to use a compressor is absolutely crucial for a modern mixing engineer. ![]() The modern day compressor/limiter is no longer solely used to manipulate dynamics, but often to shape the character of a sound as well. With today's digital recording environment and signal processing capabilities we are no longer bound to costly and bulky hardware compressors and can use almost as many compressors in a session as we'd like. The compressor was either used to control the overall dynamics of a song or control a lead instrument (e.g. Most studios back then had only one or two compressors at their disposal and in many cases these were used only in the last stages of completing a production. Without a rack full of compressors on hand, engineers were forced to solve dynamics problems in other ways, either at the microphone stage or in the performance/arrangement. ![]() In the early sixties, manipulating dynamics with a compressor/limiter would not have been thought of as a crucial part of a great mix. Shortly after the introduction of compressors/limiters to the broadcast world they found their way into recording studios for music production.
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