The compressor is an extremely useful tool when we know how to use it, but it is also one of the tools that novice producers most often struggle to understand.
We know it’s used to reduce dynamics and that it’s also used in techniques like ducking. Even so, I like to think of compressors as tools to shape sound, rather than simply a technical resource.
That is to say, the compressor allows us to:
- Modify a sound’s attack
- Control the decay
- Increase the movement and musical feel
In this way, we better understand its musical function, and not only the technical part that is often summarized in articles that end up saying “use your ears” without giving much real guidance.
The compressor parameters
Before getting into it, let’s do a brief review of the basic parameters:
- Threshold: threshold (in dB) beyond which the compressor starts to act.
- Ratio: ratio between the dB that go in and those that come out.
- Attack: time it takes for the compressor to act once the threshold is exceeded.
- Release: time it takes for the compressor to stop acting and return the signal to its original state.
We’re clear on what reducing dynamics means: decreasing the volume difference between the loudest and the quietest parts, achieving a more even and present signal.
This is especially useful, for example:
- When a vocalist sings unevenly
- When a bassist plays some notes very loud and others too soft
In these cases, the compressor helps us correct those differences.
Beyond corrective work: creative use of the compressor
But… what happens when we want to:
- Increase a sound’s punch?
- Lengthen the decay to thicken a kick?
- Make a more creative use of the compressor, not just corrective?
These types of applications are what we will see in the second part of this article, where we will talk about the compressor as a creative tool within music production.
Compression: before or after EQ?
This is one of the big questions in the world of music production. You’ve surely heard arguments for and against placing the compressor before or after EQ.
Here’s my way of working, my usual chain:
- Subtractive EQ
- Compression
- Additive EQ
Why this chain?
- First I remove everything that is unnecessary or needs correction, so that I only send the useful part of the sound to the compressor.
- Then I apply compression, adjusting it according to the material and the result I seek.
- Finally, I use an additive EQ to add color and emphasize characteristics of the sound that is already clean and controlled.
In the second part of this post we will go deeper into the different uses of the compressor and how to apply it creatively in music production.
If you want to truly understand how compressors, EQ and the key mixing tools work, the Diploma in Advanced Music and Sound at EUMES approaches production from a practical and musical perspective, applying these concepts in real projects.
