#LIGHT COMPRESSOR MICROPHONE FULL#

Slower attack times suit mastering uses and buss compression.Ħ. A fast attack would be useful for a rapper or anything that has sudden peaks early in the signal. The attack and release controls shape how the compressor reacts. Adjust them together and see how they affect the output.ĥ. Bass guitars sound good at 4:1, drums at 2:1, vocals also at 2:1 and electric guitars anywhere from 2:1 to 6:1.Ĥ. Unless, of course, you really want to clamp something-like a live bass maybe-in this case it can work to make it push over the threshold all the time.ģ. Adjust the threshold until the peaks in the signal are pushing over the threshold and triggering the compressor. Insert the compressor on the channel you want to compress.Ģ. Whether you’re using a hardware compressor or a plug-in, setting up works the same way. The LA2A, which is an opto compressor, uses valves. Valve compressors work in one of the three ways described above, but use valves in the amplifier circuit to get that ‘creamy’ sound. They are popular for vocals and great for drum compression. The LA2A is also a ‘leveling amplifier’ - which means it is working nearly all the time, not just when a threshold is reached.įield Effect Compressors use transistors to emulate a valve sound with more reliability, but with a higher signal to noise ratio. The famed Teletronix LA2A is an optical compressor that many producers swear by for vocals and mix bus compression. They often react more slowly than other compressor types, but this can be desirable.

Opto, meaning optical, describes the light sensitive circuits that control the compression amount in opto compressors. Output - allows you to boost or attenuate the level of the signal output from the compressor.as compression often attenuates the signal significantly. Make-Up Gain - allows you to boost the compressed signal.Hard Knee settings mean it clamps the signal straight away, and Soft Knee means the compression kicks in more gently as the signal goes further past the threshold. Knee - sets how the compressor reacts to signals once the threshold is passed.Release - how soon after the signal dips below the threshold the compressor stops.Attack - how quickly the compressor starts to work.For example, if the compression ratio is set for 6:1, the input signal will have to cross the threshold by 6 dB for the output level to increase by 1dB.

Ratio - how much compression is applied.

Threshold - how loud the signal has to be before compression is applied.

The controls you are given to set up a compressor are usually: This is done by boosting the quieter signals and attenuating the louder signals. What Is Compression?Ĭompression is the process of lessening the dynamic range between the loudest and quietest parts of an audio signal. This tutorial was first published in December of 2008. Republished TutorialĮvery few weeks, we revisit some of our reader's favorite posts from throughout the history of the site. Today’s producers think nothing of inserting compressors on every single channel of their DAW when mixing, but old school engineers had to learn to make the most of only a few units of compression-and this made us learn them inside out.

#LIGHT COMPRESSOR MICROPHONE FULL#

Compression is one of those studio processes that is all too often taken for granted and not used to its full potential.

Light compressor microphone