The Ratio setting determines how much the compressor reduces or attenuates the signal. Lower the threshold to apply more compression and vice versa. The Threshold setting determines when the compressor actually begins compressing. On a technical level, the controls of a compressor are pretty simple. That’s why we put together a guide on everything you need to know about attack and release times, complete with audio samples and examples of when to use different settings.
It’s hard to hear the subtle differences between different attack and release settings-especially without knowing what you’re listening for. Sure, they know what all the knobs are for, but most of the time they’re either recalling presets, dialing in the same go-to settings for every song or just spinning knobs until something cool happens. Learning how to properly use compression is hard.Įverybody thinks they understand how to use a compressor way before they actually do. I’m going to tell you a secret no one in the music business wants you to know.
