What They Do And Why We Use Them
In this video, we look at what a compressor does and why they are used.
Discuss this tutorial here.
0:20 If some parts of a recording are too quiet, we can't just increase the volume because
- there may not be enough headroom
- the loud parts will become too loud
0:45 - Dynamic range
The difference in volume between the loudest and quietest parts of a recording.
- Headroom
How much we can increase a signal's volume before it reaches the maximum.
- Threshold
Everything quieter than the threshold will remain unchanged, everything over it will have its volume reduced.
- Ratio
Controls how much the volume gets reduced once it goes over the threshold.
1:29 A compressor can be configured to work as a limiter by setting a really high ratio, which stops the volume from ever going over the threshold.
1:40 By using a compressor to squash down the loud parts of a recording, we get more headroom and can then increase the recording's volume by more.
1:56 In summary, we use a compressor
- to reduce the dynamic range of a recording,
- which evens out changes in volume,
- and allows us to increase the overall volume.
