Dynamics
Compression, limiting, clipping, gates and everything else that controls how loud and quiet a sound gets, each with a lab you can play.
Compressor threshold and ratio
What compressor threshold and ratio do, with worked numbers, a ratio table, starting settings by source and a lab where you set both on a vocal and hear it.
What do attack and release do on a compressor?
Attack and release set how fast a compressor grabs a loud sound and lets it go. Hear what each does to drum punch and bass on a free compressor in your browser.
What is the knee on a compressor?
What the knee on a compressor does, soft knee vs hard knee, what knee width in dB means, and which knee to use on vocals, drums, bass and buses, with a live lab.
What is makeup gain?
Makeup gain turns a compressor's output back up after compression. Learn how much to add, why the gain reduction meter misleads you, and how auto gain works.
What is gain reduction?
Gain reduction is how far a compressor turns a sound down. Learn to read the GR meter, how much to use on each source and what its movement tells you.
What is parallel compression?
Parallel (New York) compression blends a squashed copy under the dry sound. Hear it on drums and vocals, see the levels worked through, and set up a bus.
What is multiband compression?
What multiband compression is, how crossovers split a sound into bands and how to set each band, with a three-band lab that runs in your browser.
What is upward compression?
Upward compression turns quiet sounds up and leaves the peaks alone. Learn threshold, ratio, range, attack and release in a live lab, plus starting settings.
What is OTT?
What Xfer's free OTT plug-in does: upward and downward compression in three bands. Hear Depth, Time and each half on a live lab, compared at matched loudness.
What is a noise gate?
What a noise gate does and how to set one: threshold, range, attack, hold and release, with a gate you can hear on drums and guitar, plus settings and mistakes.
What is an expander?
An expander turns sound down when it falls below the threshold, pushing back noise and spill between notes. Hear threshold, ratio, range and release in the lab.
What is a limiter?
What a limiter does, how ceiling, release and lookahead work, and how much limiting is too much, with a live limiter lab that measures LUFS and true peak.
What is clipping in audio?
What clipping is, what causes it from recording to export, why it adds harmonics and loudness, and how to use a clipper on drums, with a live lab you can hear.
What is a transient shaper?
A transient shaper turns the front or the tail of every hit up or down, however loud it is. Learn attack and sustain with a working lab and starting settings.
What is de-essing?
What de-essing is, how a de-esser finds harsh s sounds and turns them down, and how to set its frequency, threshold and range, with a working de-esser to try.
What is bus compression?
What bus compression is and why it glues a mix, with SSL-style settings for drum and mix buses and a live compressor that shows every setting on a real mix.
What is lookahead on a compressor?
Lookahead lets a compressor hear peaks a few milliseconds early and catch the front of a hit. Hear it in a live lab, see the latency cost and learn how to set it.
Compression vs limiting
Compression vs limiting explained: a limiter is a compressor with a 20:1 or higher ratio, the fastest attack and lookahead. Hear one become the other in the lab.
Limiting vs clipping
Limiting vs clipping, measured: a clipper cuts peaks flat and comes out louder, while a limiter turns the level down and stays clean. Hear both in a live lab.
Parallel vs serial compression
Parallel vs serial compression in a working lab: two compressors in a row against a crushed copy under the dry sound, and when to use each, or both together.
Upward vs downward compression
Upward compression lifts what sits under the threshold and downward turns down what goes over it. Hear both on one sound, with worked numbers and when to use each.
Compressor vs expander vs gate
Compressor vs expander vs gate: which side of the threshold each one turns down, what it does to dynamic range, and when to use each, in a lab on one sound.
Opto vs FET vs VCA vs vari-mu compressors
The four compressor types compared in one lab: how an LA-2A opto, 1176 FET, SSL-style VCA and vari-mu grab, let go and colour the sound, and which to use on what.
Peak vs RMS compression
Peak vs RMS compression explained: how each detector reads level, why RMS needs a lower threshold, and which to pick for drums, bass and vocals, in a live lab.
Multiband compression vs dynamic EQ
Multiband compression vs dynamic EQ: how each isolates a band, the shape of its cut, phase at rest and when to use which, in a lab that runs both side by side.
Sidechain compression vs volume shaping
Sidechain compression reacts to the kick; volume shapers like LFOTool and Kickstart repeat a curve you choose in time with the tempo. Hear both side by side and learn when to use each.
Fast vs slow attack
Fast vs slow compressor attack: a fast attack catches the transient and softens drums, a slow one lets it through for punch. Hear both in a live lab.
Clipper vs limiter vs transient shaper
Clipper vs limiter vs transient shaper: what each one does to a drum hit, which adds punch, which adds loudness, and the order to use them in, with a lab.
What is compression?
A compressor turns loud moments down so the quiet detail sits closer to the front. Learn threshold, ratio, attack and release on a free compressor in your browser.
Soft clipping vs hard clipping vs limiting
A clipper cuts the top off the wave; a limiter turns the level down. Switch between all three on one sound, watch the waveform change and learn which to use when.
What is sidechain compression?
Sidechain compression explained for beginners: hear a kick duck the bass live, set threshold, ratio, attack and release, and learn ducking versus pumping.