COMPRESSOR CHARACTER

You hear the word character kicked around in compressor discussions but, what does it really mean? It probably varies from person to person. For this post, we'd like to zero in on one important aspect of character which is the eq slant that many compressors possess.

Most compressor choices you make are accompanied by a default eq choice of which you may not be aware. The info we're talking about is generally not found in gear and plug-in manuals. It's the stuff of pub chatter. While word of mouth is useful, you have to use your own ears before making final decisions. It's worth your time to take something you know well, like your own voice, and run it through various compressors, taking note of differences. Using a variety of program material is important too.

As usual, there are no absolutes. Not every comp delivers magic and with some, the effect is subtle. Of course, there are also occaisons where you don't want extra color and some products do well with that. In the hardware world, the LA 3A from Universal Audio is known for it's transparency so, for level control without much added character, that may be a good choice. Many people say similar things about the Waves Renaissance compressor plug.

Getting back to those with some extra voodoo. You won't hear people say that a particular comp adds a specific amount of eq at a certain frequency. It's a feel. It's more likely you'll hear someone say that a certain unit adds something nice on the top end or is smoother on midrange freqs. Some producers reserve certain comps for specific applications because of their character. This one is for drums, this one is great on vocals etc.

So, choose wisely when building your stable of compressors. Unless you're loaded with cash and drunk on absinthe.

COMPRESSION MYTH BUSTER

Urban myths and legends have a way of sticking around even in the information age. Knocking on wood is one convincing example. We don't really believe it helps but, it can't hurt so why not.

Such is the way of some myths in the audio game. One myth that's been kicked around a long time has to do with compressing your audio to thwart the beat down it would otherwise get from a radio station's processing. The usual version of this story says that if you hypercompress your audio, the on air chain won't really touch it and you'll take control away from radio's aggressive broadcast settings.

It's not quite true. The only true aspect is that if you input material with no dynamic range, it's tough for the on air compression to reduce it further. Of course, it's more complicated than that. The audio still has to run the gauntlet of processors and it will be degraded further. Heavily compressed audio does not sound louder over the air, it just sounds more distorted which may lead to perceived loudness but at a heavy cost.

That gauntlet of processing just mentioned includes, phase rotation, automatic gain reduction, spatial enhancement, equalization, multi-band compression, limiting, high frequency limiting and clipping (peak limiting). This is a typical processing lineup that can be seen all over the world. Just hitting your compressor harder will not dodge this blitzkrieg. Not by a long shot.

Let your audio breathe. Don't fear the Orban. Make it sound great in the studio and let the on air crunch monsters do their worst, you have nothing to worry about.