Compressor / Compression "Sweeping" Technique Question

[Gaffler]

Apologies ahead of time, I am pretty new with this sound production stuff bear with me.
This seems to be a more straight forward approach to compression than what I have been hearing for a long time online.

set your compression ratio to max
attack to the fastest setting
release to its highest setting (longest)
Threshold set where the entire sound sets off the meter

So basically compress the shit out of it.

Then slowly let off of the attack and release respectively
The first frequencies that you hear fading in, will be the sounds most effected in the sound
then let off the ratio + threshold in order to more easily set the compressor as precise as you want it.
This will help you identify the specific frequency in the sound that will be most effected by the compressor when set with a very subtle affect.


I hope this makes sense, I just rewrote this like 3 times...

This seems to make tuning a compressor more straightforward.


I have never heard it explained this way (Not to say it hasn't been explained this way)
I wanted to get some input from people who know more than me.
Is my approach flawed? It seems like a way to "sweep" a compressor similar to sweeping an eq.

Any feedback is welcome. Let me know if this is a good approach, if not please explain why.


Thank you.

 

[MadHat33]

Apologies ahead of time, I am pretty new with this sound production stuff bear with me.
This seems to be a more straight forward approach to compression than what I have been hearing for a long time online.

set your compression ratio to max
attack to the fastest setting
release to its highest setting (longest)
Threshold set where the entire sound sets off the meter

So basically compress the shit out of it.

Then slowly let off of the attack and release respectively
The first frequencies that you hear fading in, will be the sounds most effected in the sound
then let off the ratio + threshold in order to more easily set the compressor as precise as you want it.
This will help you identify the specific frequency in the sound that will be most effected by the compressor when set with a very subtle affect.


I hope this makes sense, I just rewrote this like 3 times...

This seems to make tuning a compressor more straightforward.


I have never heard it explained this way (Not to say it hasn't been explained this way)
I wanted to get some input from people who know more than me.
Is my approach flawed? It seems like a way to "sweep" a compressor similar to sweeping an eq.

Any feedback is welcome. Let me know if this is a good approach, if not please explain why.


Thank you.

Hi there Gaffler, this is a nicely methodical approach you've got here. Though I will not claim to know more, here is a thought or two, perhaps deepen or further your pursuits here:

-Compressors use thresholds to set specific limits
-Specific limits set by thresholds orient the compressor to react to frequency content of input audio which is most prominent (think resonant peaks)
-These resonant peaks reach the specific level/volume limit set by the threshold First when audio is sent through the compressor system, as they are technically closer to the set threshold

-These ideas are helpful considering the inverse as well, this relating to your process mentioned above, Gaffler

-when audio regresses in level/volume via lowered input volume/trim, or when the threshold is raised up above and away from the level /volume of the input signal, the last specific portion of frequency content to match or exceed levels with the threshold is going to be the loudest portions of frequency content (the tallest resonant peaks unique to the input signal)
-so, when the gap between audio signal and threshold level widens, (assuming majority of the audio signal was above threshold level) the first frequency content to be unaffected by the compressors action will be the quietest (least resonant) portions of the signal's audio

So, in theory, one would perhaps hear the least resonant (quietest) frequency content first in this specific operation----but, this becomes complicated: The intensity of the compressor's action on the most resonant portions of frequency content above the threshold will determine what portion of the inputted audio content is loudest relative to the (presumably unaffected) least resonant frequency content below the set threshold. Given this complication, one could then focus less of perceived level/volume (as threshold is raised) and turn attention to what is commonly termed the smearing of audio content via compressor action.

Here, in short, when raising threshold: the content that becomes less smeared/smushed first is least resonant(when not affected by signal processing), the content that becomes less smeared/smushed last is most resonant (when not affected by signal processing).

Some last mentions:
-Don't forget "raising threshold" results in the opposite of a compressor "applying action" to signal (which is technically a downward dynamic action). This is tricky and perhaps counter-intuitive when considering these processes
-Fletcher Munson Curve very related here, an important reference

perhaps these ideas are helpful

wishing the best
-MadHat