Compressors\/Limiters:<\/p>\n
The device most commonly used for controlling dynamics is a compressor\/limiter. A compressor\/limiter reduces the difference between the loudest part of a performance and the softest. There are basically two reasons you want to do this:
– First, if the loudest parts are too much louder than the soft parts, you\u0092d have to record them at an unacceptably low level so that distortion doesn\u0092t occur at the loudest parts; if you\u0092re mixing, the quiet parts may disappear in the overall mix.
– The second reason you might want to use a compressor is to make a performance sound tighter and somewhat more \u0093record-like\u0094 by making its dynamics more constant.
Here is a brief description of some of the parameters common to most compressors:<\/p>\n
Threshold- sets the amplitude level at which the compressor begins to function. When the input level is above the threshold value, the compressor begins to work.<\/p>\n
Ratio- The ratio control determines the amount of input level to output level. For example, 4:1 ratio means that for every 4 dB coming into the compressor above the threshold setting, 1 dB will be output.<\/p>\n
Attack Time- the attack time setting controls how fast the compressor begins to attenuate the signal after the input signal has gone above the threshold level.<\/p>\n
Release Time- The release time controls how long the compressor stays on after the signal drops below the threshold level.<\/p>\n
Output Gain- The output gain is used to adjust the output level of the compressed signal. <\/p>\n
A compressor and a limiter are basically the same thing, except that a compressor uses a ratio of less than 10:1 and a limiter uses 10:1 or higher. With its higher ratio, a limiter\u0092s threshold is like a brick wall that the signal will not be able to exceed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","categories":[],"tags":[],"storecat":[],"itemids":[],"manufacturers":[33684],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n