SOLID BUMP RECORDS

So after taking last week off from NERD ALERTING to rant on how amazing the label is shaping up for the coming year (Pleasure & Pressure Vol.2 drops March 16th), I realized we have explored Parallel compression but maybe we have not covered the basics of what Compression does? Contrary to popular belief, compression does not just make things louder. In fact it can destroy your dynamic range and make your track a mess of bloated noise. So really the question is, do you know what your parameters on your compressor are even doing? A compressor is basically a automated volume control. When you think it got louder – it is usually just that the peaks of your sound wave have been tamed back.   Here is the most basic overview of the parameters that all compressors have. It gets super nerdy after the jump.

Threshold: This is what volume the input needs to be to trigger the compression. If the threshold is set to -10 db, then anything above this point will be turned down according to the Ratio you have set…

Ratio: The ratio is how much the compressor will turn down the incoming signal. Let’s say your ratio is set to 4:1. If your incoming signal passes the threshold by 4 db, then that 4 db of signal will be reduced 1 db. If the same ratio was set and the incoming signal was 8 db above threshold, your total reduction would be 2 db. You can gauge what your compressor is doing by watching the gain reduction meter. If you are getting 2 db of gain reduction, you can turn up your Make Up Gain by 2 db. This is what makes your signal louder.

Attack: This is how quickly your compressor reacts to the incoming signal. The lower the number, the faster your compressor will kick in. If you set it higher, say 100 milliseconds, your compressor will react slower. This means it will wait 100 milliseconds before it registers the threshold and  reacts to the ratio setting. This is how you preserve transients in drums. The loudest part of a kick drum is almost always the initial hit – or the head. The slower the attack allows more signal to pass through the compressor before it is triggered.

Release: This is how long the signal can pass through the compressor before it disengages. The faster the release, the sooner the compressor quits reacting. This is crucial on making the compressor “fit the groove”. It is also the means to make a signal “pump” which may or may not be what you want.

For a interesting analogy on compression – watch the below video. Get on it geeks!

*NOTE: The wet/dry knob is how you can easily obtain parallel compression as noted in a previous NERD ALERT.

**DOUBLE NOTE : The above compressor is a very good and affordable stereo buss compressor made by Cytomic, which is a replica of the far more expensive G Buss SSL compressor in Waves. More about buss compression soon, but for now remember – good value.

***TRIPLE NOTE : Pimp C drove a Kompressor not Compressor

“Money on the dresser, drive a Kompressor
Top notch hoes get the most, not the lesser”

PIMP C

***QUADRUPLE NOTE:  NERD ALERT’s to be the fast overview to geek ideas with music production. If the ideas we convey strike your fancy, there are millions of more nerdier nerds who can tell you more. Look ‘em up.