A compressor/limiter is one of the most used and essential pieces of equipment in recording (as well as in live performance), yet it is one of the least understood. As opposed to reverb, delay, distortion, filters, and similar devices that you can immediately hear the effect of, a compressor/limiter is a subtle signal processor that changes the sound but doesn't jump out. However, it's more powerful than any other piece of audio gear. Explaining a compressor/limiter will help you understand it and see how it works as well as why it's important.

Maybe you haven't been using a compressor/limiter much because it seems daunting, or you have used a compressor/limiter for a long time but still don't know exactly how one works or what some of the functions do. Perhaps you're relying on a variety of presets but want to know what they do in order to start creating your own settings, or you're just tired of randomly changing settings until you get something that sounds acceptable. Well, our guide explaining a compressor/limiter will show you all you need to know about this essential element of recording...

How It Works

The first step in explaining a compressor/limiter is shining light on what it is and how it works. Basically, a compressor is an automatic volume control: when the signal is too loud it gets turned down, so any peaks that would have resulted in a clipped signal are smoothed out. Also, a compressor reduces the dynamic range (the difference between the loudest and quietest sounds), so fading signals end up lasting longer. Now, all this means that the signal will in turn not be as loud, since the loudest parts are getting quieter. Thus, most compressors have a secondary gain stage, which adjusts the output level so the volume doesn't drop.

The lowering of peaks allows for the overall level to increase without clipping. As a result, what you hear is loud sounds get quieter and quiet sounds get louder. In actuality, however, the compressor technically only does the former; the latter is simply perceived due to the overall volume going up. One thing to note is that a compressor is a variable gain device, so the amount of gain used depends on the input level.

While explaining a compressor/limiter, the history of it also has to be considered. Compression is used in every single piece of recorded music; it's often used multiple times during the recording process. Compression is also used in other forms such as radio, films and television. Our ears are accustomed to hearing sounds that are compressed, and when something isn't then we notice it as sounding off. In fact, most people forget what uncompressed drums sound like. Even before digital recording, when everything was recorded to analog tape, there was compression; tape has it's own nonlinear compression characteristics, so it automatically applied compression and equalization to signals that peaked, especially hot low-end such as bass and kick drums.

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