Compression and dynamics guides
Compression is dynamic-range control. The four knobs, threshold, ratio, attack, release, change everything from how a kick punches to how a vocal sits in a track.
How to compress an acoustic guitar
Step-by-step compression guide for acoustic guitar: threshold -16dB, ratio 3:1, attack 15ms, release 100ms. Wi…
How to compress a bass
Step-by-step compression guide for bass: threshold -14dB, ratio 4:1, attack 20ms, release 120ms. With a visual…
How to compress a drum bus
Step-by-step compression guide for the drum bus: threshold -8dB, ratio 4:1, attack 30ms, release auto. With a …
How to compress a kick drum
Step-by-step compression guide for kick drums: threshold -12dB, ratio 4:1, attack 5ms, release 60ms. With a vi…
How to compress the master bus
Step-by-step compression guide for the master bus: threshold -2dB, ratio 2:1, attack 30ms, release auto. With …
How to use multiband compression
Multiband compression splits the signal into frequency bands and compresses each independently. Use 3-4 bands:…
Parallel compression explained
How to use parallel compression: send to a duplicate bus with heavy compression (10:1, fast attack, fast relea…
How to sidechain compress the bass against the kick (EDM)
Sidechain compression in EDM: bass ducked by kick trigger with a fast attack (1 ms), 4:1 ratio, and tempo-matc…
How to compress a snare drum
Step-by-step compression guide for snare drums: threshold -10dB, ratio 4:1, attack 15ms, release 100ms. With a…
How to compress vocals
Step-by-step compression guide for vocals: threshold -18dB, ratio 3:1, attack 10ms, release 80ms. With a visua…