Need some clarification on Compression...

[WeissSound]

In a "hard knee" compression process, gain reduction is set to take effect once the signal exceeds the threshold by any amount (in theory). So even if you only go 1db over the threshold, a 4:1 ratio is saying the compressor should output 0.25db of signal.

Now, the reason I don't go into the ratio, attack, and release in extreme depth in the sticky post is because they don't exactly do what they theoretically do. A better way to think about the ratio control is how "tough" or "hard" the compressor works. There are very few real life scenarios where the actual input and output correspond to what the ratio mathematically yields based on the incoming signal.

I like to think of it as "hardness" because you get a fundamentally different sound by setting a low ratio with a low threshold, vs. setting a high ratio with a high threshold - even if mathematically you are performing the same amount of gain reduction.

[Duke Skywalker]

good post thanks

[The MH]

Now, the reason I don't go into the ratio, attack, and release in extreme depth in the sticky post is because they don't exactly do what they theoretically do. A better way to think about the ratio control is how "tough" or "hard" the compressor works. There are very few real life scenarios where the actual input and output correspond to what the ratio mathematically yields based on the incoming signal.

I like to think of it as "hardness" because you get a fundamentally different sound by setting a low ratio with a low threshold, vs. setting a high ratio with a high threshold - even if mathematically you are performing the same amount of gain reduction.

Thanks, that pretty much cleared it up. I was getting caught up in theory of it, because I wasn't visually seeing what was being explained in all the tutorials and articles.Thinking of it as hardness kinda changed the way I approached the ratio and it started making more sense.

---------- Post added at 02:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:45 PM ----------

One more question. There are compressors like the "Lost Angel", "CLA-3A", and the rest of those type that only have a peak reduction & gain knob. What should I know about these types of compressors before I start using them, as far as the behind the scenes work that's going on (ratio, attack, release). Because I've been experimenting with a lot of compressors and noticed they all have different sounds to them, and while trying to see what "over-compression" sounds like I noticed that if I max out the peak reduction, it doesn't completely square the wave like I thought it would.