Analog Compressor

A hardware compressor that operates on an audio signal using analog circuits, such as tube or optical circuits, to compress the audio signal. Aficionados of analog compression feel that the lack of analog-to-digital or digital-to-analog conversion or algorithmic compression involved in the process results in a musical sound. However, digital compression offers effectively unlimited headroom and lack of noise, unlike analog compressors which due to the nature of physical components, have headroom limits and produce some amount of operational noise. Choosing the best kind — analog, virtual, or digital — depends on your applications and what you want to hear.