THRESHOLD

The threshold is a control on the

compressor that determines at GAIN REDUCTION =
what point the compressor will The amount of volume in dB you
start working. And this is have lost due to the compression
determined by volume. Because compression does just that
- it ‘compresses’ the sound leading
For example, if we set the threshold to volume loss (AKA Gain Reduction)
at -5db, that means the sound we
are compressing needs to reach a
volume of -5db before the
compression will even start When using the Threshold control,
As we can see here, the set Threshold is usually set just below the
working. peaks (the loudest part of a sound). The Compressor will then lower
keep an eye on your VU meter or Gain
the volume of those loudest peaks above the Threshold level, Reduction meter. This will tell you
creating a smoother sound how much volume you are losing (in
If the threshold is ‘low’ (let’s say
dB). Whilst all compression controls
-20dbs) then the sound is likely to
affect the amount of Gain Reduction,
activate the compressor right away .
it’s the Threshold that affects it the
Because the threshold is so low it
most
means that any sound that goes On some analog based compressors, like
over that -20dbs will be the 1176, there is no Threshold control.
compressed. So that means the Instead, the ‘input’ acts as the Threshold.
whole sound you are working on So if you can’t see a ‘Threshold’ control,
will be compressed and lead to a your input is likely to be the Threshold
tighter and more ‘squashed’ sound.

If the threshold is ‘high’ (lets say

+20dbs) then the sound has to be
quite loud before the compressor is
activated, meaning that a lot of the As an example, on this VU Meter
sound you are compressing will from the LA-2A compressor, the
retain its natural dynamics and needle is at around -4db which tells
punch, and will therefore be less us that the compressed sound has
compressed. been reduced in volume by 4dBs.
That’s the Gain Reduction.
 RATIO
= no compression
Let’s say you are compressing a
vocal. Using the graph on the
right, we can see that once the
vocal reaches +20dB (i.e the
= medium compression
Threshold), the compressor is
activated and ready to start
= heavy compression
working.
= limiting
Next, the Ratio will determine
how much compression will be
applied to that vocal and this
will ‘compress’ the vocal. As
you can see, a ratio of 1:1 For example, if the Ratio is 8:1, then
means that no compression is the sound you’re compressing has
being let through. But if we look to reach 8dB above the threshold for
at a ratio of 8:1 we can see that RATIO = How much compression is applied the compressor to let just 1 decibel
the vocal volume will be once the threshold is triggered of sound through. So the higher the
compressed considerably. ratio, the more compression is being
applied to that sound.

Starter Ratios

VOCALS DRUM BUS PIANO GUITARS BASS SYNTHS KICK SNARE

4:1 2:1 - 4:1 3:1 - 6:1 4:1 - 8:1 4:1 - 8:1 1:5:1 - 3:1 4:1 - 8:1 4:1 - 8:1

*for midi based kick, snare, synths and bass that play at the same velocity, often no compression is needed at all
 ATTACK
The Attack setting determines
MEDIUM To the untrained ear, Attack and Release settings are
more nuanced and subtle and can be difficult for
the time it takes for the sound
50ms inexperienced producers to hear the differences at
you’re compressing to become
first. One way to counter this is to take things to the
fully compressed after triggering 20ms 80ms
extreme. Try this approach:
the Threshold level.
When compressing, take your attack time to the
15ms
Faster Attack times tend to offer 120ms fastest possible time, then take it to the slowest
a more processed, controlled possible time. Which sounds better out of the two?
Then go back to the sound you prefer and gently ease
sound, but it can also create a
10ms the controls back in small increments (faster or
‘pumping’ affect or even create 150ms slower) until the sound is optimal
distortion.

Slower Attack times offer a

more punchy sound as there is 5ms 200ms
more room for the sound to
breathe. So this option leaves a FAST SLOW
0ms 300ms
more organic, less processed An easy way to remember which
sound. But if the Attack time is ms =
side is fast or slow is to look at the
too slow, then the sound might milliseconds numbers. The bigger the number,
be uneven and too ‘loose’ the slower the attack

ATTACK Starter
= How quickly
Attack the Settings
compressor will ‘grab’
the audio once it starts playing. I.e - fast or slow

VOCALS DRUM BUS PIANO GUITARS BASS SYNTHS KICK SNARE

5-15 ms 20-30 ms 20-30 ms 10-25 ms 10-30 ms 5-20 ms 10-30 ms 5-15 ms
(fast - medium) (medium - slow) (medium - slow) (medium - slow) (medium - slow) (fast - medium) (medium - slow) (fast- medium)
 RELEASE
On a 1176-style compressor, the attack and
MEDIUM
release settings are the opposite way round. The release setting determines
With the slowest setting on the left and the 150ms how long it takes for the
fastest on the right 100ms 200ms compressor to let go of the
sound it’s compressing once it
goes back below the
50ms 500ms threshold.

20ms
FAST RELEASE 1000ms SLOW RELEASE
Creates a more processed, aggressive Has a smoother sound and is great for
sound which is good for that tight 10ms smoothing out dynamic vocal or guitar
2000ms
controlled sound. performances.

Use a faster release if you want a FAST SLOW It’s also great at giving more punch
more natural, less compressed sound.
5ms 5000ms and flare to snares.
It can also make the sound a bit
louder. ms = However, if the release is too slow,
milliseconds then your compression may become
Effective on the drum bus and plucked ineffective and too ‘loose’ to control
instruments and guitars in particular Sometimes these settings are in Seconds rather than
Milliseconds. If so, 50ms would be listed as 0.5s, and 1000ms
as .1sec and so on

ATTACKStarter
= How quickly
Release the compressor
Settings will ‘grab’
the audio once it starts playing. I.e - fast or slow

VOCALS DRUM BUS PIANO GUITARS BASS SYNTHS KICK SNARE

40-80 ms 100-250 ms 100-200 ms 40-100 ms 80-150 ms 50-150 ms 50-150 ms 50-120 ms
(medium) (medium - slow) (medium) (medium - fast) (medium) (medium - fast) (medium - fast) (medium - fast)
 The knee in compression determines how KNEE
gradually or sharply the compressor
On most compressors you will
sometimes notice there is a control applies Gain Reduction once
called ‘knee’
compression starts and stops
You can leave the ‘knee’ control in
SOFT KNEE:
its default position and still get all The compression starts gradually as the sound
the results you need from the other approaches the threshold. This will lead to a
smoother, more natural sound.
controls.
Best for: Gentle, natural, smoother transitions.
However, sometimes we just need Suited to vocals, mastering, and softer sounds
that extra level of control and the
‘knee’ can help with that.

The ‘knee’ basically determines HARD KNEE:

how smooth or abrupt the The compression kicks in more abruptly once
compressor transitions from the sound hits the threshold. This will lead to
compression to no compression a more aggressive sound.
and vice versa.
Best for: Tight, punchy, more aggressive
Notice how the ‘knee’ curve here is straighter and more abrupt on the sounds. Suited to kicks, snares, or when you
It can help you achieve smoother or
hard-knee and more rounded and smoother on the soft-knee? need additional control of the sound
more aggressive levels of
compression.

VOCALS DRUM BUS PIANO GUITARS BASS MIXBUS KICK SNARE

Soft - Medium Soft - Medium Soft Soft Medium Soft Hard Medium -Hard
 Below are analog based
compressor types. There are
COMPRESSOR TYPES
also digital based compressors
like the Fabfilter Pro C2 that
offer compression without the Your choice of compressor is an important choice. They all have the same basic controls, but analog
colour. These are still great based compressors often a certain character or ‘colour’ to a sound that can be really pleasing. Some
choices if you want to use
compressors are also more aggressive sounding than others, whilst some are clear and transparent.
compression without affecting
the tone and character of the
Then, there are your bus compressors which are suited to groups of instruments and ‘glueing’ mixes
sound you’re compressing together. Let’s take a look at the different compressor types and when and how you might use them.

FET COMPRESSORS TUBE COMPRESSORS VCA COMPRESSORS OPTICAL COMPRESSORS

SOUND CHARACTERISTICS: SOUND CHARACTERISTICS: SOUND CHARACTERISTICS: SOUND CHARACTERISTICS:

FET compressors are fast, Adds warmth, colour and Fast and punchy compressors Optical compressors offer a
clean, and aggressive and can harmonics. They have slower that add a huge amount of analog smooth, natural compression that
add punch, weight and attack & release times, resulting in warmth to sounds and are known adds richness to sound. Has a
thickness to sounds. a more "vintage" sound as the ‘glue’ compressors lovely warm analog sound whilst
remaining transparent
SUITABLE FOR: SUITABLE FOR: SUITABLE FOR: SUITABLE FOR:
Adding punch and weight to Great for adding glue and fatness Well suited to groups of Just about anything! Great for
snares, drum bus, bass, guitars to instruments. Works well on the instruments to apply ‘glue’ and smoothing out vocals, adding
and to make vocals more upfront drum bus and mix bus. Best used make a mix sound more coherent. cohesion to the drum bus and
when you don’t want to squash Try on the mixbus, guitar bus, smoothing out dynamic
the sound too much, yet need drum bus and backing vocal bus. instruments like guitars and pianos
dynamic control
RECOMMENDED PLUGINS: RECOMMENDED PLUGINS: RECOMMENDED PLUGINS: RECOMMENDED PLUGINS:
U Audio 1176 Softube Tube-Tech CL 1B Waves SSL G-BUSS U Audio LA-2A
Waves CLA76 Waves PuigChild Comp SSL Native Channel Strip 2 Plugin Alliance Lindell 254E
Slate Digital FG-116 Waves Abbey Road RS124 Softube Bus Processor Waves CLA-2A
 MULTIBAND COMPRESSION
Multiband Compression is like having a bunch of mini-compressors inside one powerful tool, each one of those mini-compressors can target a different frequency
range in the spectrum. So instead of compressing the whole track together, multiband compression lets us focus on one or more specific instruments or frequency
ranges. It gives us the control to really shape our mix.

The magic of multiband? You can tame specific problems without dulling or squashing everything else!

Here’s some suggested ways to use Multiband Compression:

On vocals to smooth out harsh ‘S’ sounds in the highs

To control excessive muddiness in the low end

To tighten up the kick in the low end and keep cymbals bright but not piercing on the drum bus

In mastering for shaping the whole mix by adding punch to the bass without overshadowing the mids or highs.

On guitars and pianos to bring out the best tonal balance

On a kick and bass bus for a punchy low end that’s solid and well-defined.

VOCALS DRUM BUS PIANO GUITARS BASS/KICK BUS MASTERING

Freq band: 2-5kHz Freq band: 60-200Hz Freq band: 200-500Hz Freq band: 800-3kHz Freq band: 80-150Hz Will vary but carve up the
Ratio: 3:1 Ratio: 4:1 Ratio: 2:1 Ratio: 2:1 Ratio: 3:1 master into 4 bands with a
Attack: Medium Attack: Fast Attack: Medium Attack: Fast Attack: Fast 1:5:1 ratio and a slow attack
Release: Medium Release: Medium Release: Slow Release: Fast Release: Medium and medium release

RECOMMENDED MULTI-BAND COMPRESSORS:

FabFilter Pro MB Izotope Ozone Waves C6

 MID/SIDE COMPRESSION
Mid/Side Compression is considered by many producers to be the secret sauce of mixing as it gives you
control over what’s happening in the centre (mid) versus the edges (side) of your stereo image (think of the
sides as the far left, and far right of a stereo sound)

Instead of compressing everything evenly across the stereo field, mid/side compression lets us treat the
centre (mid) differently from the sides, which can work wonders for clarity and space in a mix. Think about
it: you could give your lead vocal (usually sitting dead-centre) a bit of a squeeze while letting the stereo
guitars or reverb tails breathe, or tighten up a bass-heavy kick right in the middle without squashing the
width of your cymbals and guitars.

When to Use Mid/Side Compression

Mid/side compression works best when you want to enhance the stereo spread or bring out details in a
crowded mix. It’s great for vocals, drum busses, mastering, guitars, pianos, and even kick and bass busses-
especially in mastering, where adding just a bit of width on the sides can make a track feel more expansive
and professional.

Mid/Side Controls Breakdown

You’ve got your usual compression controls- threshold, ratio, attack, and release - but you apply these
separately to the “mid” and “side” channels. This lets you control the dynamic range of the middle and
sides independently. You might give the mid a bit more compression to lock down anything centre-focused
(vocals, bass, kick) while going lighter on the sides to keep the stereo image more “open” sounding.
Mid/Side compared to stereo

TRY THESE:
Vocal bus: Compress the mid with a 2:1 ratio, medium attack, and release to tighten the centre while letting stereo reverb/FX keep their width.
Drum Bus: Compress the mid with a 3:1 ratio, a fast attack and release to control kick/snare transients while barely touching the sides to keep cymbals and
overheads lively.
Mastering: Use a gentle 1.5:1 ratio on both mid and side, slow attack, and a medium release to smooth things out without sacrificing dynamics or width.
Guitars: Use a 1.5:1 ratio on the mid to hold the core tone steady, then a faster release on the sides to make stereo layers feel wide and open.
Synths: Use a 2:1 ratio on the mid with a medium attack will bring clarity to the central tones, and lighter compression on the sides will maintain the natural
resonance.

Most modern compressors will have a mid/side processing option. This is sometimes labelled as M/S in plugins.
Look for the stereo control options in your compressor and select the mid or side option to compress either the mid
or sides, or to go back to the stereo option which is set by default
 BUS COMPRESSION
Bus compression basically refers to group processing. In fact, the word ‘bus’ in mixing means ‘group’. So think of a group of people sitting on a bus and you’ll
remember that it means group processing!

We use bus compression on groups of instruments to help ‘glue’ things together and to make a mix sound more coherent. For example, we can group all of
the individual drum parts together (kick, snare, hats, toms, cymbals) and apply bus compression to help all of the drum parts sound more together -
especially on sampled drum parts.

And we can repeat this process for backing vocals, guitars, synths, pianos, brass, strings and any other similar groups of instruments.

ALWAYS CHOOSE A BUS COMPRESSOR FOR SUBMIXING

When choosing a compressor for bus processing you should select a specific bus compressor. Bus compressors are designed to withstand the vast amount of dynamics
presented by a large group of instruments. Bus compressors are usually labelled as a bus compressor and so it’s easy to find the right compressor that you need!
Below is a selection of my favourite go-to bus compressors:

U Audio API 2500

Waves SSL G-BUSS Softube Bus Processor

Setting up bus processing in your DAW is relatively easy. Follow these steps:
Highlight all of the individual instruments or sounds that you want to group together
Once they’re all highlighted, go to the ‘Output’ on one of the instrument channels and change the ‘Output’ from ‘Stereo Out’ to ‘Bus’ and
choose an empty bus slot in your DAW (this will change the Output on ALL highlighted individual sounds)
Now go to the bus you have just created for this group and add your bus compressor onto the bus
Now you can compress all of the instruments in that bus as a whole group, rather than individually
For bus processing, aim for a low ratio of either 1:5: 1 or 2:1
Aim for around 2-3dBs of Gain Reduction on your compressor’s meter
For glueing instruments together in bus processing you don’t need to apply heavy compression.
Change the output to a bus
 Parallel Compression is used in mixing to add thickness, punch and extra
energy to mixes. Instead of slapping heavy compression directly on a track and
risk squashing all of the life out of it, parallel compression works by blending a
PARALLEL COMPRESSION
Also known as ‘New York Compression’
super-compressed version of the track with the original (dry) uncompressed
version. This means you get all the lovely punch, thickness and fullness of
heavy compression without losing the original dynamics and detail of the
instrument or sound you’re compressing. So this is a great technique for
adding power and energy to your track without sacrificing the original tonal
and dynamic qualities! It’s the best of both worlds!

When to Use Parallel Compression

Parallel compression is a go-to when you want to add thickness and punch to
elements like drums, vocals, bass, and even the mix bus without them Instrument
sounding “flattened” or over-compressed. Drums can feel more powerful and
“in your face,” while vocals can sound richer and more upfront. It’s also magic
for creating mixes that sound big and full!
The Send
Controls Breakdown Compressed
Unprocessed sound
You’ll use the same compression controls as normal for this technique (so the sound

threshold, ratio, attack, and release) but the key difference is that you’ll apply
more extreme settings.

Try this:

Add your compressor of choice to am empty bus/aux channel

Dial in amount of blend
Start with a high ratio between 6:1 - 10:1 (to taste) to really squash the via the send control
compressed version

Set a fast attack to grab all transients right away.

Set a medium to fast release will - this will help maintain energy without
dragging.

Create a send on the instrument or bus you want to parallel compress Parallel compression is created
by feeding in compression via a
send from an aux (bus) channel
Then blend this heavily compressed sound in with the original, uncompressed
sound, using your send control until it feels big, punchy, and ‘alive’.

Keep the fader of your parallel comp bus at 0.0db for full effect
 UPWARD COMPRESSION

DOWNWARD COMPRESSION
The majority of compressors out there are called
‘downward’ compressors. That means the Upward compression is perfect for:
compressor will compress the loudest parts of
your track to make it the same volume as the Vocals that need to be more intimate
other parts of your track. Like in the image to and consistent
the left Pianos where you want to enhance
sustain and detail
Guitars to bring out subtleties in picking
or strumming.
It’s especially brilliant on tracks with
wide dynamic ranges, making quieter
nuances pop without losing the natural
feel of the performance.
UPWARD COMPRESSION For that reason Upward Compression
An upward compressor works in the opposite works best on live dynamic instruments
way by raising the quieter parts instead. This can rather than samples or normalised
make something sound fuller and more balanced sounds
without squashing the dynamics. For example,
imagine a vocal where every whisper is just as
present as the louder parts, or a piano where all
the little details shine through. Upward
compression helps the softer come forward,
therefore creating a richer, more even sound.

To use upward compression you need a plugin that is specifically built this way, or has an option to activate
upward compression. There aren’t as many options as you might think! So here are my top 3 upward compressors:

Waves MV2 Eventide Omnipressor FabFilter Pro MB

 LIMITING
Limiting is a type of compression but with a single, set ratio (a ratio of 20:1). It sets a
brickwall ceiling on your audio (hence why limiters are often referred to as ‘brickwall
compression’, making sure nothing gets louder than a set level, which keeps those
unexpected volume spikes from distorting or clipping.

It’s mainly used to control the absolute loudest parts of a track, letting you boost
overall volume without blowing out speakers or losing clarity.

Limiting is mostly used in mastering, where it can bring a track up to commercial

RATIO = Limiting
loudness while preserving its dynamics. But you can also use it on busses (like drums
or vocals) to tame unruly peaks. Just remember though, it’s more of a finishing tool;
throw it on too early, and you risk making things sound lifeless and static
Recommended Limiters

Always put your limiter

as the last plugin on
your master channel

FabFilter Pro L2:

This always helped me when I was learning

about limiting. Try and visualise this:

A robber is trying to escape by climbing a

massive brick wall. But everytime he/she gets Sonnox Oxford Limiter:
near the top of the wall he/she is forced back
down by an unseen force. He/she never gets to
the top of that wall becasue the unseen force
If we go back to the ‘ratio’ graph, you can see simply won’t them get there.

why we call limiters ‘brickwall compression’! You That robber is your mix trying to go as loud as it
can see that when a sound starts playing that the can. The unseen force is your limiter, coming
heavy 20:1 ratio clamps down on the sound in a into action when your mix gets anywhere near
to the top of that 20:1 ratio wall and the peaks
straight vertical brickwall way! get pulled down
SSL X-Limit:
 QUESTION?
Have you got a question about this guide? Or need further support?
Reach out to me at aubrey@aubreywhitfield.com

Check out these other printed guides by me:

The Sonic Frequency Map The Core Frequency Chart

Two colourful and easy to read printable maps that show you which The first of its kind Chart! The Core Frequency Chart will show you
part of the frequency spectrum to cut/boost with your EQ plugin to where instruments and vocals should sit in the frequency spectrum
achieve certain tonal qualities. For example, boost 2-4kHz on vocals and which instruments are therefore likely to clash and ‘mask’ each
for extra ‘clarity’ or cut 200-400hz on snare to reduce ‘Boxiness’ other. Then you can start carving out space for all of your instruments
in the mix using EQ. Great for learning where instruments are in the
Get the Map here: frequency spectrum.

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