What is a 'compressor' in music production?
- Iona Catherine
- Jun 20, 2022
- 2 min read
Introduction
If you're new to music production, or even just recording or mixing music, the term "compression" can seem mysterious. This post will demystify what compression is and how it works.
Compression is one of the most commonly used effects in mixing.
Compression is one of the most commonly used tools in mixing. It can be applied to almost any signal, and this flexibility is what makes it such a powerful tool. Compression can be used to make a signal louder or quieter by evening out the volume of a signal beyond a certain set threshold by a set ratio.
For example: If you set your threshold at -20 dB and your ratio at 2:1 (or 2:1), then any part of your signal that's above -20 dB will be boosted by +2 dB while anything below -20 dB will remain unchanged.

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