Why you use compressor?

[DesireForThought]

Hi, I use compressor on so many my tracks but I didn't understand so much about It. The definition which I know on compressor is:
It make everything louder because It decresae the dynamic range of sound and If I increse the volume it increase the noise too.
I use as sidechain on some instruments so when Kick hit the other instruments jump with It.
I use compressor on tracks because sometimes I notice that the volume is high and it's clipping in output and I didn't decrease the volume but I use compressor and increase the gain so I didn't see the clipping meter activeted.
I know i'm wrong on how I use the compressor. I watched so many videos on compressor but I don't know why I didn't understand IT . Can you explain me something as practical way. help please...

[itsNano]

Hey, i totally feel you man. I was also lost about what compressors really do for a very long time, but this video really helped clear up a lot about compressors. Now I can use compressors to make the punch or thump of a kick stand out more, or have my sounds more saturated and strong or creating nice reverb tails on big room sounds. I would have to say that it is one of the most widely used audio effects in my productions, so definitely look into the compressor.

[ariston]

It's a complex topic... I guess what you need to understand is that compressors were initially made to fix recordings. That is, they were only used when a performance had too many dynamic fluctuations that prevented it from fitting into the mix (that's how I understand it, if I'm wrong on the history, feel free to correct me). You will find that certain genres like Jazz have a love/hate relationship with compressors, as they can take the life out of a performance if used incorrectly.

Today, compressors are not only used correctively, but also creatively. You could also argue that they're indispensable if you're looking to get your track as loud as possible. They can "glue" different tracks together, add punch to a track, enhance/curtail transients, get a track a-pumpin', and just generally change the character and tone of a track. Once you add different types of compression into the mix, you've got a tool that can be used for special effects as well as for general mixing duties.

All of which leads me to what I'm trying to say: there is no "wrong" or "right" way to use compression. The main deciding factors should be your ears and your artistic intent. Experiment! Certain genres rely on compression a lot for their sound, others don't really need it.

[GeckoYamori]

The original intention of the compressor was to fix noticable amplitude fluctuations in recordings that was too impractical to handle manually. In modern electronic music production you have a lot of control over the amplitude of your sounds making the compressor's intended function redundant. Sometimes you want to use the compressor more as an effect in itself, but I think it's way too casually applied on everything these days. Not every channel needs a comp/EQ strip just for the sake of it.

[Tricky-Loops]

There is a great chapter in the book "Mixing Audio" by Roey Izhaki about how to use compressors as sound design tool.

Because you can use the compressor as a mixing tool (or a mastering tool) and as a sound design tool...

I bet someone could write a book with 500 pages about compressors, so extensive is this subject...

[cron]

I'd recommend you get out of the mindset of thinking that compressors are there to make things louder. I made this mistake for quite some time. Best to think of them as tools to 'change the dynamics of your signal' and nothing more. Making stuff louder is only one of the countless ways a compressor can modify dynamics. Heck, I rarely use a compressor to make things louder at all these days and just reach straight for the limiter/clipper if that's what I want.

[Tricky-Loops]

Best to think of them as tools to 'change the dynamics of your signal' and nothing more. Making stuff louder is only one of the countless ways a compressor can modify dynamics.

+1
Indeed a compressor DEcreases the gain. Only by using the make-up (or output) gain tracks can be made louder afterwards.

[DesireForThought]

This is all things which I know as theory...
I read out "The Dance Music Manual Tools, Toys and Techniques"
and now I start read "The Systematic Mixing Guide" and I'm on compressor tool. How It work and how to use it. Hope it talk more about It.

Help me with this things:
1. How you can glue a tracks together with compressors ?
2. If you use it for loudness I think you decrease the dynamic range and after it you did some makeup and increase volume so noise is more audible. So It's not made for that I think. So it's usefull for change the envelope of sound? ... for example for kick you make slow attack so you start compress after the punch hit
3. Why I have to use compressor for single shots. Let me explain: If I use kick in one track and clap in one another and they have different volumes. I can risolve problem with increase/decrease volume. So why I have to use compressor to reduce dynamic range when I know with compressor I can loss some sounds chracter?

[lfm]

I use compressor as much for character of the sound as even out levels in played notes, like bass,drums and acoustic guitars.

Classic use is for the right ooomphh for drums.

Certain hardware emulating compressor plugins are also known for adding nice distortion.

And to use as effect sending signal to another track and compress, and then mix with original signal.

So there are plenty things to experiment with. Listen a lot what happends as you go along.

To learn exactly what difference it makes a good A/B testing ability built into plugins are essential. One reason why I like Waves - every plugin have this A/B stuff and also a manual available with valuable tips how to use it.

A tricky thing for me was that hardware emulating plugins also comply with meters on hardware - meaning that if you run 0dB in your daw you should check if meters should stay below 0dB or -18dB until considered overs. Hardware is often -18dBFs(how daws show peaks).

So if sound is trashed over the top - see if levels are correct.

Order of effects are also good to be aware of. If you got some ambience on a track - putting a compressor on that will bring it more upfront. So if adding reverb that's one thing to remember to put compressor before or after depending on what you want - upfront or to the back.

[Burillo]

i use compressor because i heard that all the great dudes use it.

[Nielzie]

I use compressor mostly to make drums a little bolder and/or more "squashy" and mostly to glue things a little more together on the groups or master bus.

For rounding of peaks or making things louder I mostly reach for a limiter.

[cron]

I use compressor on tracks because sometimes I notice that the volume is high and it's clipping in output and I didn't decrease the volume but I use compressor and increase the gain so I didn't see the clipping meter activeted.

Just spotted this in your original post. Never, EVER do this. Just mix at a lower overall volume, then turn the completed mix up when your track is finished and ready for master processing. Assuming you're using all virtual instruments/effects etc, there's no need to mix so hot because you've got no noise floor to worry about. Just mix low enough so that you never have to worry about running out of headroom (I generally aim for about -10dB, but hey, we're in the box so aim for -30 if you like!). Mixing/compression should never be about juggling elements to stay under 0dB. Mix quieter so you never have to worry about clipping; then you can make your judgements about volume and compression based on the sound alone.

This is all things which I know as theory...
I read out "The Dance Music Manual Tools, Toys and Techniques"
and now I start read "The Systematic Mixing Guide" and I'm on compressor tool. How It work and how to use it. Hope it talk more about It.

Help me with this things:
1. How you can glue a tracks together with compressors ?
2. If you use it for loudness I think you decrease the dynamic range and after it you did some makeup and increase volume so noise is more audible. So It's not made for that I think. So it's usefull for change the envelope of sound? ... for example for kick you make slow attack so you start compress after the punch hit
3. Why I have to use compressor for single shots. Let me explain: If I use kick in one track and clap in one another and they have different volumes. I can risolve problem with increase/decrease volume. So why I have to use compressor to reduce dynamic range when I know with compressor I can loss some sounds chracter?

1. You can 'glue' tracks together by grouping them, which means sending more than one track into the same compressor.
2. No need to worry about noise. I'm assuming that you're using all virtual instruments/effects, so these things don't have a noise floor like hardware instruments or audio recordings do. If you're recording hardware synths through a dodgy cable or vocals with a lot of background noise, then that's another story. The example you've given with the kick (setting the attack slow) would make it more 'punchy', in that the instant 'snap' of the kick will become louder relative to the 'body' of the kick. You see this particular type of compression in rock music a lot, but in a lot of dance music (especially hip-hop) it's more common to set the attack and release very quick so that the transient is squashed, the body is emphasised, and the drums sound 'bigger' as a result.
3. Again, stop thinking about volume! Especially with single shots. You're changing the envelope of the sound when you compress a single hit. You're not losing the sound's character, you're changing the sound's character. If your sound's character doesn't need changing, don't change it. Your single shots might have the snap/oomph/body/etc that you want already.

It sounds like the books you've been reading are all geared toward very 'traditional' old-school studio set-ups. Many of these guides are very conservative about how compression is used too, particularly when it comes to drums. Most of the guides I've read would have you believe that allowing a compressor to touch the attack of a drum hit is some kind of crime against music.

The rules of compression are so much different when we're working in a 100% virtual environment because we have so much control over the dynamics of our sounds to begin with. It becomes less about fixing things, and more about glueing things together and radically altering the character of sounds IMO.

[DesireForThought]

ok thanks .... so compressor is used on groups If I wanna glue some tracks... and If I use it one single tracks I use it only because I wanna change its chracter.... that's the things ? In loops or vocals I have to use compressor to decrease dynamic range so the quiter part are audible


RIGHT?

[j79]

ok thanks .... so compressor is used on groups If I wanna glue some tracks... and If I use it one single tracks I use it only because I wanna change its chracter.... that's the things ? In loops or vocals I have to use compressor to decrease dynamic range so the quiter part are audible

Yeah...something like that. A useful way to think about it in some contexts, is to think about compression like the opposite of reverb. Reverb pushes things back in the mix, compression can pull stuff forward.

I dont think about loudness when using compressors. Most of the time i use them to change the envelope/character of a sound (remove/add a little attack, remove/add a little "body" etc). Or to even out the volume, bring stuff forward or "fixate" it if you will.

[DesireForThought]

Ok ... I only hope that to use it right way