

This will increase the perceived loudness of your mix.īy working with the ratios, gain, and threshold, you can play with the dynamic range of any recorded vocal or instrument.ĭynamic range is the “spectrum” of volume your signal has. If you raise your gain and lower your threshold, your signal’s dynamics will be squished into a smaller range. Think of the threshold as the ceiling, and gain as the floor. Makeup gain raises your signal back up to a good level and will also cause your vocal or instrument to sound much more consistent in volume. This is where the gain knob on your audio compressor or limiter comes into play. A soft indie rock vocal won’t require massive levels of compression, while a driving rock bass guitar might benefit from a limiter.Īfter the volume peaks are tamed by adjusting the threshold and ratio on either your compressor or limiter, you might find that your overall volume has gone down.

A limiter is much more aggressive than a compressor in this regard.ĭifferent audio sources are best suited to different levels of compression and different genres of music. To sum it up: a ratio “squeezes” the volume peaks of your signal down and makes the louder parts quieter. In simple terms, this translates to your audio signal hitting a brick wall and stopping instead of getting “smoothed” out like a compressor. Limiters have ratios that usually approach infinity to one. The higher the ratio, the more the volume of the signal is reduced. When using an audio limiter or compressor, the first step is to set the threshold, which is the point at which the device will kick in and attenuate your signal.Ī 4:1 ratio on a compressor means that for every four decibels above the compressor’s threshold, it will output one decibel.

In audio compressor terms, a ratio is expressed by “decibels in” to “decibels out.” But what are ratios?Īudio levels are measured in decibels (dB). The most important difference of note between a compressor and a limiter is how they handle ratios. While they are somewhat similar and related to each other, they both perform vastly different functions as tools in your mix arsenal.ĭo you find yourself wondering about these differences and the best application of either tool? We’ve compiled a handy guide. Whether you are working in the recording studio or mixing live sound, knowing how best to utilize compressors and limiters is vital.

Expert use of audio compressors and limiters is what sets a pro-level mix apart from the rest.
