COMPRESSION IN THE STUDIO - PART TWO

LIMITING VERSUS COMPRESSION

A good starting point is to grasp the difference between compression and limiting – quite simply, it’s all about the ratio. A compressor has a low ratio that gently attenuates the level of the source material when it goes beyond the threshold, whereas a limiter has a high ratio that limits allof the source material once it hits the threshold. In a nutshell, a limiter is a compressor with a high ratio and, generally, a fast attack time. Compression with ratio of ten-to-one or more is generally considered limiting. Brickwall limiting (discussed later in detail) has a very high ratio and a very fast attack time.

GLUING YOUR MIX TOGETHER

Many tracks these days are put together piece by piece, multi-tracked at different times in different spaces and even different studios. Regardless of the genre, at the end of the day it’s imperative