Quick question on Ableton's compressor

[Hell_Fire84]

Hi guys,

I'm new to this and I want to get the concept down. I was playing around with my compressor on a drum loop, and noticed that by increasing the attack, ratio and threshold, I am getting a much higher overall volume. Eg: Ratio 10:1, Attack 2ms, Release 50ms, Threshold -13.1 my loop went from -4dB without the compressor to +3dB with the compressor.

I know that increasing the attack allows more transients through and therefore makes the sound louder. But wouldn't my high ratio of 10:1 squash the sound back down instead of making it louder? I mean for every 10dB above threshold, only 1dB is added for makeup so why is it louder?

Also, isn't it the compressor's job to only make the sound passing the threshold softer, so that the dynamic is reduced and thus, have the same volume level before compression. Why is the volume level usually increased when compression is added?

Clearly I am not getting the idea so if anyone can explain this I would appreciate. Thanks.

[Mirthan]

It's very simple.

The reason why it's becoming louder is because you have the "Makeup" switch turned on. Turn it off,and use the same settings.

And yes,you got the concepts right. I must advise though,using a 10:1 ratio you're basicaly limiting the thing.

[Hell_Fire84]

Thanks Mirthan. I know that the makeup gain switch if turned off will squash everything down. My questions was why is there a volume increase in the first place? What contributes to the volume increase when I used that hard setting? How is the automatic makeup gain calculated to increase the overall sound by 7dB?

I apologise if my question wasn't clear. Thanks

[Mirthan]

The makeup gain won't squash anything. The ratio,attack,release and threshold will though,depending on the settings,obviously.

So,let me start off by saying that there are 5000 guys in here more qualified to explain compression than me,but I'll try to be clear.

So,as the name suggests,you're compressing a signal,the signal being the original source of audio,in this case,your drum loop. A compressor is used for controlling peaks,therefore making everything more even.

Since you're compressing,the volume will become lower,and the makeup gain will try to compensate that loss. So,the more you compress it,the more the makeup gain tries to compensate that.


Was that understandable?

[Hell_Fire84]

So in other words the harder I compress the more the makeup gain has to work? Then what about the part with the ratio of 10:1? Shouldn't the output volume only be compensated by 1dB after squashing 10dB? Thats the part I don't get I guess.

[Mirthan]

If you choose it to,yes. Remember you can turn the makeup off,and adjust the output gain fader to your liking.

Hold up,I think your misunderstanding. You won't squash 10db. With a ratio of 10:1,you're squashing 9,because 1 db goes over the threshold. (actually,let's stop using the word "squash" because that has a different meaning).

One good thing to keep in mind is don't overcompress. If you ever do it,you'll realize it,and that's squashing. A ratio of 10:1 is already too much if your goal isn't limiting.

[Hell_Fire84]

Cool thanks for the info. Just one more thing. If there is no gain reduction meter showing, does it mean the compressor is not working at all? I tend to group my kicks and send them fully to a return track then use a compressor there. It started to clip in the master volume, so I decided to lower the volume of the kick group. When that happened, the gain reduction meter stopped flashing but the kicks still sound louder compared to turning the compressor off on the return track.

Why is this happening and is the compressor actually still working on the kicks? Thanks

[Mirthan]

That's right. I there is no gain reduction,the compressor is not doing anything.

When you put anything on a return track,those instruments will become louder,even if there's no processing there. It's really noticeable when you send it all the way. Turn of the return track with nothing on it,and you'll see that your kicks will become quieter.

[Hell_Fire84]

Thanks for your explanation. I didn't know that sending signal to the return track can make things louder even if no processing was done. Cheers

[Mirthan]

Thanks for your explanation. I didn't know that sending signal to the return track can make things louder even if no processing was done. Cheers

No problem.