{"id":1650,"date":"2021-08-19T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-19T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mixxed.com\/blog\/?p=1650"},"modified":"2022-09-22T11:44:28","modified_gmt":"2022-09-22T11:44:28","slug":"what-are-the-different-types-of-compressors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/what-are-the-different-types-of-compressors\/","title":{"rendered":"Explain Compression: What are the Different Types of Compressors?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Did You Know There Are Different Types of Audio Compressors?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Welcome to the final article in our <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/mixxed.com\/blog\/?s=Explain+Compression\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Explain Compression<\/a><\/strong> series!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re just tuning in, check out our previous articles here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Explain Compression<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/mixxed.com\/blog\/how-do-compressors-work\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How Do Compressors Work?<\/a><\/strong><br><br><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/mixxed.com\/blog\/5-types-of-compression-and-when-to-use-them\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">5 Types of Compression and When to Use Them<\/a><\/strong><br><br><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/mixxed.com\/blog\/what-is-compression-used-for\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">What is Compression Used For?<\/a><\/strong><br><br><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/mixxed.com\/blog\/top-5-compressor-plugins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Top 5 Compressor Plugins to Help You Control Dynamics<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We&#8217;ve discussed <strong>how audio compressors work<\/strong>, <strong>why audio compression is needed<\/strong>, and <strong>what audio compression is used for<\/strong>. Now it&#8217;s time to explore the <strong>types of audio compressors <\/strong>that are available today and how they function. But to give you the clearest understanding of the electronic analogue madness we&#8217;re about to talk about, we wanted to explore some important points that define compressors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What&#8217;s the Difference Between Feedback and Feedforward Topologies? <\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>A <strong>topology <\/strong>in <strong>electronic circuits <\/strong>is, on a very basic level, the <strong>map and direction of the electrical current in that circuit<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With <strong>compressor topologies<\/strong>, we need <strong>4 basic elements <\/strong>that we&#8217;ve discussed before: <strong>input<\/strong>, <strong>output<\/strong>, <strong>gain reduction<\/strong> and <strong>sidechain<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Input = input signal, pre-compression<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Gain reduction = component that controls the dynamic range of a signal, responsible for compression.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this article, the <strong>gain reduction component <\/strong>is the <strong>focus point<\/strong>. They <strong>vary depending <\/strong>on <strong>what compressor <\/strong>you&#8217;re using&#8230; either a <strong>tube<\/strong>, <strong>field effect transistor<\/strong>, <strong>light dependant resistor<\/strong>, <strong>voltage controlled amplifier<\/strong>, <strong>diode bridge <\/strong>or <strong>a pulse width modulator<\/strong>. Obviously, we&#8217;re going to get into all of these.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sidechain = signal that controls\/influences the gain reduction element<\/strong><br><br>The <strong>sidechain <\/strong>is either the <strong>input signal <\/strong>or a <strong>duplicate of the input signal<\/strong>, unlike <strong>sidechain compression<\/strong> <strong>as a method itself <\/strong>where <strong>the sidechain is another method entirely<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Output = output signal, post-compression <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What&#8217;s feedback compression<\/strong>? <strong>Feedback compression <\/strong>is when <strong>the sidechain element is placed after the gain reduction element<\/strong>. This means <strong>feedback compressors can&#8217;t analyse the input signal before the gain reduction element does its thing<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mixxed.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Feedback-Compressor.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1702 lazyload\" width=\"534\" height=\"240\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Feedback-Compressor.jpeg 642w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Feedback-Compressor-300x135.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Feedback-Compressor-640x289.jpeg 640w\" sizes=\"auto\" \/><figcaption>Feedback compressor, Source: mynewmicrophone.com<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What&#8217;s feedforward compression<\/strong>? <strong>Feedforward compression <\/strong>is when the <strong>sidechain element is placed before the gain reduction element<\/strong>. This allows <strong>feedforward compressors to analyse the input signal amplitude and adjust the sidechain signal before it reaches gain reduction<\/strong>. This is what enables a lookahead parameter on some plugins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Feedforward topologies <\/strong>are great <strong>for transient sounds because it calculates the amplitude of the incoming signal and how much it should be compressed<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mixxed.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Feedforward-compressor.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1703 lazyload\" width=\"533\" height=\"240\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Feedforward-compressor.jpeg 642w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Feedforward-compressor-300x135.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Feedforward-compressor-640x289.jpeg 640w\" sizes=\"auto\" \/><figcaption>Feedforward compressor, Source: mynewmicrophone.com<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is Peak Compression?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Peak compression<\/strong> is <strong>when the compressor reacts to the peak of the input\/sidechain input<\/strong>. This means <strong>it reacts to the highest point in amplitude<\/strong>. When the <strong>signal breaches the threshold, the compressor kicks in<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Peak compression has been the foundation of our Explain Compression Series and will continue to be, but RMS compression is handy knowledge for you to know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is RMS Compression?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>RMS (root mean square) compression <\/strong>is when the <strong>compressor reacts to the calculated average loudness of the input\/sidechain signal<\/strong>. When this <strong>average amplitude exceeds the threshold<\/strong>, the <strong>compressor kicks in<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>RMS of a signal <\/strong>is the <strong>mathematically calculated average of the total amplitude <\/strong>of a <strong>signal over time<\/strong>, not the actual amplitude. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>RMS always refers to the strength of a signal level<\/strong>. It could refer to any of the following: <strong>voltage<\/strong>, <strong>power<\/strong>, <strong>dBFS <\/strong>or <strong>any other units that refer to the strength of signals <\/strong>or a devices&#8217; capability of handling said strength.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>With compressors, it refers to the compressors ability to meter its sidechain signal<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sine waves <\/strong>have an <strong>actual average amplitude of zero<\/strong> because the <strong>amplitude is even in both positive and negative amplitude values<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mixxed.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Sine-wave-graph-Mixxed-blog.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1698 lazyload\" width=\"468\" height=\"367\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Sine-wave-graph-Mixxed-blog.jpg 594w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Sine-wave-graph-Mixxed-blog-300x235.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto\" \/><figcaption>Sine waves are even in both positive and negative amplitude values, Source: Pythontic.com<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>However, its <strong>RMS value is 0.707x the peak value<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mixxed.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/RMS-Value-of-a-Sinewave-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1699 lazyload\" width=\"500\" height=\"280\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/RMS-Value-of-a-Sinewave-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/RMS-Value-of-a-Sinewave-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/RMS-Value-of-a-Sinewave-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/RMS-Value-of-a-Sinewave-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/RMS-Value-of-a-Sinewave-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/RMS-Value-of-a-Sinewave-640x360.jpg 640w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/RMS-Value-of-a-Sinewave-320x180.jpg 320w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/RMS-Value-of-a-Sinewave-480x270.jpg 480w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/RMS-Value-of-a-Sinewave-960x540.jpg 960w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/RMS-Value-of-a-Sinewave-1280x720.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/RMS-Value-of-a-Sinewave-1600x900.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/RMS-Value-of-a-Sinewave-1920x1080.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto\" \/><figcaption>RMS value of a sinewave is 0.707x the peak value, source: Wikipedia<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is an Upward Compressor?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Available <\/strong>in <strong>digital <\/strong>and <strong>analogue compressors<\/strong>, as well as being achievable via <strong>parallel compression<\/strong>, <strong>upward compressors boost <\/strong>the <strong>amplitude of a signal that sits below a set threshold and keeps the amplitude the same above the threshold<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To explain this, we want you to <strong>take everything you learned about ratios<\/strong> in our first article and <strong>flip it<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"451\" height=\"391\" src=\"https:\/\/mixxed.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/21-Ratio.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1704 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/21-Ratio.jpeg 451w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/21-Ratio-300x260.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto\" \/><figcaption>Source: mynewmicrophone<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Above is a <strong>standard 2:1 ratio on a compressor<\/strong>, as we have explored before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"451\" height=\"391\" src=\"https:\/\/mixxed.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/0-5-1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1705 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/0-5-1.jpeg 451w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/0-5-1-300x260.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto\" \/><figcaption>Source: mynewmicrophone.com<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the <strong>above is an example of upwards compression<\/strong>. <strong>0.5 is the inverse of 2<\/strong>, and <strong>you can see the level of amplification is equal <\/strong>to the <strong>level of attenuation in the first diagram<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, onto the good stuff!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Types of Audio Compressors and Their Applications<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Compressor Plugins<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Up first, we&#8217;re going to jump into the digital realm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Probably the <strong>most common compressor <\/strong>known amongst budding producers, <strong>compressor plugins <\/strong>are <strong>pieces of software <\/strong>that <strong>use binary code <\/strong>(<strong>1&#8217;s &amp; 0&#8217;s<\/strong>) to <strong>produce dynamic range compression effects with digital audio signals <\/strong>&#8211; <strong>usually inside a DAW<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Compressor plugins are a mixed bag. You will find entirely new, innovative, compressor plugins<strong> <\/strong>that are made to be their own thing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the flip side, you will also find compressor plugins that have been made to emulate real hardware. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.waves.com\/specials?gclid=Cj0KCQjwvO2IBhCzARIsALw3ASr_DNf-zXMRAiNjABrNIoikrDqVKMCqiPdtXWNPLNhn7jEXdrw2bsQaAjaqEALw_wcB#sort:path~type~order=.default-order~number~asc|views:view=grid-view|paging:currentPage=0|paging:number=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Waves<\/a><\/strong>, for example, recreated the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kmraudio.com\/universal-audio-1176-ln.php?infinity=ict2~net~gaw~ar~298942753425~kw~~mt~~cmp~Universal%20Audio%20CW&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwvO2IBhCzARIsALw3ASqkQ4MJB8NlioOBsPEY-hNCEuLBCVSSnPcmIPBR-N_ZmaK8xkldt9IaAnQcEALw_wcB\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Universal Audio 1176 compressor<\/a><\/strong> (a <strong>FET compressor<\/strong>, which we&#8217;ll discuss later) as a digital plugin: <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.waves.com\/plugins\/cla-76-compressor-limiter?wgsf=1&amp;fo_c=1580&amp;fo_k=7ee11e4e6fd2570d27d2ec4b99b12d85&amp;fo_s=gplach&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwvO2IBhCzARIsALw3ASqW982531aIIfdpQzmhPJ2l-Tn2KvBSBljZBlqMLTd1RvHe4ockEU4aAjenEALw_wcB#intro-to-the-cla-classic-compressors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CLA-76<\/a><\/strong> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.waves.com\/plugins\/cla-76-compressor-limiter?wgsf=1&amp;fo_c=1580&amp;fo_k=7ee11e4e6fd2570d27d2ec4b99b12d85&amp;fo_s=gplach&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwvO2IBhCzARIsALw3ASqW982531aIIfdpQzmhPJ2l-Tn2KvBSBljZBlqMLTd1RvHe4ockEU4aAjenEALw_wcB#intro-to-the-cla-classic-compressors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Compressor<\/a><\/strong>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mixxed.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Waves-CLA-Mixxed-Blog-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1696 lazyload\" width=\"568\" height=\"319\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Waves-CLA-Mixxed-Blog-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Waves-CLA-Mixxed-Blog-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Waves-CLA-Mixxed-Blog-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Waves-CLA-Mixxed-Blog-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Waves-CLA-Mixxed-Blog-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Waves-CLA-Mixxed-Blog-640x360.jpg 640w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Waves-CLA-Mixxed-Blog-320x180.jpg 320w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Waves-CLA-Mixxed-Blog-480x270.jpg 480w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Waves-CLA-Mixxed-Blog-960x540.jpg 960w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Waves-CLA-Mixxed-Blog-1280x720.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Waves-CLA-Mixxed-Blog-1600x900.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Waves-CLA-Mixxed-Blog-1920x1080.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto\" \/><figcaption>Waves&#8217;s CLA-76 compressor plugin, the their plugin counterpart to the UA 1176 analogue compressor, Source: Waves<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Another great example is the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vintageking.com\/fairchild-660-670-compressor-limiter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fairchild 660\/670 Compressor<\/a><\/strong>, which is a <strong>tube compressor <\/strong>(more on these later too), which has been recreated as a digital compressor plugin by Waves: the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.waves.com\/plugins\/puigchild-compressor?wgsf=1&amp;fo_c=1580&amp;fo_k=9ab0a654d97874293795886a8d574be2&amp;fo_s=gplach&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwvO2IBhCzARIsALw3ASrMApbBu5VIyUV6hDRlwAjBVE_vvkEnhGCxzGz2H4ocRCp7Y4i9KeAaAtf-EALw_wcB#jack-joseph-puig-puigchild-compressor-limiter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">PuigChild Compressor<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>All DAW&#8217;s <\/strong>have their own <strong>stock compressors<\/strong>. Some have <strong>limited capability<\/strong>, but <strong>some have a lot of variety <\/strong>in options. But you should know there are lots of third-party compressor plugins on the market.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Are VCA Compressors?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Analogue voltage controlled amplifiers <\/strong>(<strong>VCA<\/strong>) compressors <strong>split the input signal <\/strong>into a &#8220;<strong>detector path<\/strong>&#8221; (which is what <strong>controls the compression<\/strong>) and an <strong>output path<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With <strong>low levels of distortion <\/strong>and offering you <strong>full control over its parameters <\/strong>such as <strong>attack and release<\/strong>, <strong>VCA compression <\/strong>gives you the <strong>ultimate transparent sound<\/strong>. However, it&#8217;s important to note that <strong>when the control voltage changes <\/strong>it can <strong>leak into the output signal<\/strong>. This usually <strong>doesn&#8217;t cause any noticeable issues<\/strong>, but it can sometimes <strong>add noticeable colouration <\/strong>to your <strong>sound<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Along with <strong>FET compressors<\/strong>, <strong>VCA compressors <\/strong>are some of the <strong>most popular compressors out there<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can <strong>manipulate the detector path <\/strong>with your <strong>compressor parameters<\/strong>, and the <strong>detector path operates <\/strong>as the <strong>voltage controlled amplifier <\/strong>for the <strong>output path<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can <strong>compare the detector path to a fader on a physical console<\/strong>. Once the <strong>input signal surpasses your threshold<\/strong>, the <strong>fader comes down<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Due to their <strong>transparent sound<\/strong>, they are <strong>perfect for high transient sounds <\/strong>like <strong>drums <\/strong>or <strong>synths<\/strong>. As well as this, they are a <strong>staple for mastering buses<\/strong>!  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A renowned VCA compressor is the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebay.co.uk\/itm\/284103277015?chn=ps&amp;norover=1&amp;mkevt=1&amp;mkrid=710-134428-41853-0&amp;mkcid=2&amp;itemid=284103277015&amp;targetid=1281002130898&amp;device=c&amp;mktype=pla&amp;googleloc=1007179&amp;poi=&amp;campaignid=9445985920&amp;mkgroupid=122313234363&amp;rlsatarget=pla-1281002130898&amp;abcId=578896&amp;merchantid=6995734&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjw3_KIBhA2EiwAaAAliiixJB1WhUxHO0ScuJDti55KXD6q5diCvrCc790LKEZYu2N-6MKxoBoCla0QAvD_BwE\">Brainworx Vertigo VSC<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebay.co.uk\/itm\/284103277015?chn=ps&amp;norover=1&amp;mkevt=1&amp;mkrid=710-134428-41853-0&amp;mkcid=2&amp;itemid=284103277015&amp;targetid=1281002130898&amp;device=c&amp;mktype=pla&amp;googleloc=1007179&amp;poi=&amp;campaignid=9445985920&amp;mkgroupid=122313234363&amp;rlsatarget=pla-1281002130898&amp;abcId=578896&amp;merchantid=6995734&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjw3_KIBhA2EiwAaAAliiixJB1WhUxHO0ScuJDti55KXD6q5diCvrCc790LKEZYu2N-6MKxoBoCla0QAvD_BwE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">-2<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mixxed.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Brainworx-Vertigo-VSC-2-MIxxed-Blog-1-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1708 lazyload\" width=\"597\" height=\"335\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Brainworx-Vertigo-VSC-2-MIxxed-Blog-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Brainworx-Vertigo-VSC-2-MIxxed-Blog-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Brainworx-Vertigo-VSC-2-MIxxed-Blog-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Brainworx-Vertigo-VSC-2-MIxxed-Blog-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Brainworx-Vertigo-VSC-2-MIxxed-Blog-1-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Brainworx-Vertigo-VSC-2-MIxxed-Blog-1-640x360.jpg 640w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Brainworx-Vertigo-VSC-2-MIxxed-Blog-1-320x180.jpg 320w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Brainworx-Vertigo-VSC-2-MIxxed-Blog-1-480x270.jpg 480w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Brainworx-Vertigo-VSC-2-MIxxed-Blog-1-960x540.jpg 960w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Brainworx-Vertigo-VSC-2-MIxxed-Blog-1-1280x720.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Brainworx-Vertigo-VSC-2-MIxxed-Blog-1-1600x900.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Brainworx-Vertigo-VSC-2-MIxxed-Blog-1-1920x1080.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto\" \/><figcaption> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebay.co.uk\/itm\/284103277015?chn=ps&amp;norover=1&amp;mkevt=1&amp;mkrid=710-134428-41853-0&amp;mkcid=2&amp;itemid=284103277015&amp;targetid=1281002130898&amp;device=c&amp;mktype=pla&amp;googleloc=1007179&amp;poi=&amp;campaignid=9445985920&amp;mkgroupid=122313234363&amp;rlsatarget=pla-1281002130898&amp;abcId=578896&amp;merchantid=6995734&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjw3_KIBhA2EiwAaAAliiixJB1WhUxHO0ScuJDti55KXD6q5diCvrCc790LKEZYu2N-6MKxoBoCla0QAvD_BwE\">Brainworx Vertigo VSC<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebay.co.uk\/itm\/284103277015?chn=ps&amp;norover=1&amp;mkevt=1&amp;mkrid=710-134428-41853-0&amp;mkcid=2&amp;itemid=284103277015&amp;targetid=1281002130898&amp;device=c&amp;mktype=pla&amp;googleloc=1007179&amp;poi=&amp;campaignid=9445985920&amp;mkgroupid=122313234363&amp;rlsatarget=pla-1281002130898&amp;abcId=578896&amp;merchantid=6995734&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjw3_KIBhA2EiwAaAAliiixJB1WhUxHO0ScuJDti55KXD6q5diCvrCc790LKEZYu2N-6MKxoBoCla0QAvD_BwE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">-2<\/a><\/strong>, Source: eBay <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is an FET Compressor?  <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>FET compressors<\/strong>, also <strong>analogue<\/strong>, <strong>use field-effect transistors <\/strong>at the heart of their circuitry. <strong>Field-effect transistors <\/strong>use <strong>electric fields <\/strong>(a <strong>physical field <\/strong>that <strong>surrounds electrically charged particles<\/strong>) to <strong>control current flow<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>FET compressors preserve transient information<\/strong>, which makes them <strong>very bright sounding<\/strong>, in <strong>an amazing fashion<\/strong>. They also <strong>offer speedy attack and release times<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This all makes them <strong>perfect for taming crazy sound sources <\/strong>like <strong>electric guitars<\/strong>, as well as <strong>nifty tools for parallel compression<\/strong>! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Transformers<\/strong> (<strong>devices used <\/strong>to <strong>change the voltage of electrical current<\/strong>, not Optimus Prime) are <strong>used to reduce the signal level before compression <\/strong>&amp; <strong>offer a gain increase <\/strong>once the <strong>compression has finished<\/strong>. This, naturally, <strong>adds harmonic saturation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>FET compressors <\/strong>need a <strong>low level input signal <\/strong>but <strong>require more output gain<\/strong>. A <strong>drawback with this <\/strong>is that the <strong>noise floor can be raised<\/strong>. Curious how to deal with noise floor? Click <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/mixxed.com\/blog\/how-to-minimise-noise-floor-in-audio-recording\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An example of a FET compressor in plugin form is the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?q=Pulsar+Audio+Pulsar+1178&amp;rlz=1C1ONGR_en-GBGB955GB955&amp;source=lnms&amp;tbm=shop&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjQsvrCw7ryAhXaPsAKHRV2D2wQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&amp;biw=1920&amp;bih=880\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pulsar Audio Pulsar 1178<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mixxed.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Pulsar-Audio-Pulsar-1178-plugin-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1709 lazyload\" width=\"614\" height=\"345\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Pulsar-Audio-Pulsar-1178-plugin-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Pulsar-Audio-Pulsar-1178-plugin-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Pulsar-Audio-Pulsar-1178-plugin-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Pulsar-Audio-Pulsar-1178-plugin-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Pulsar-Audio-Pulsar-1178-plugin-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Pulsar-Audio-Pulsar-1178-plugin-640x360.jpg 640w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Pulsar-Audio-Pulsar-1178-plugin-320x180.jpg 320w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Pulsar-Audio-Pulsar-1178-plugin-480x270.jpg 480w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Pulsar-Audio-Pulsar-1178-plugin-960x540.jpg 960w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Pulsar-Audio-Pulsar-1178-plugin-1280x720.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Pulsar-Audio-Pulsar-1178-plugin-1600x900.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Pulsar-Audio-Pulsar-1178-plugin-1920x1080.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto\" \/><figcaption>Pulsar Audio Pulsar 1178, Source: Pulsar Audio<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is a Tube Compressor?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>first hardware compressors <\/strong>on the scene, <strong>analogue tube compressors <\/strong>usually have <strong>slow attack and release times <\/strong>with a <strong>soft knee<\/strong>, <strong>a ratio that increases <\/strong>when the <strong>signal amplitude increases <\/strong>(known as a <strong>program-dependent ratio<\/strong>), and <strong>a little harmonic distortion <\/strong>added in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Tube compressors<\/strong> are <strong>analogue compressors centred around vacuum tubes <\/strong>(also known as <strong>valves<\/strong>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Vacuum tubes control electrical current <\/strong>flow <strong>between electrodes <\/strong>(<strong>electrical conductors <\/strong>used <strong>for contact between non-metallic parts of circuits<\/strong>) <strong>inside the sealed vacuum<\/strong>. <strong>Triode tubes <\/strong>(a <strong>tube with three electrodes<\/strong>) <strong>control the rate of current flows <\/strong>with the <strong>additional electrode known as a &#8220;grid&#8221;<\/strong>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When the <strong>input signal begins increasing<\/strong>, <strong>less current is sent to the grid<\/strong>, and so the <strong>overall signal level is reduced <\/strong>&#8211; which <strong>adds harmonic saturation<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The valve <\/strong>is the <strong>central element of a tube compressors compression circuit<\/strong>. Many <strong>compressors use tubes <\/strong>as a <strong>component<\/strong>, but <strong>mainly for makeup gain<\/strong>. <strong>Tube compressors <\/strong>are <strong>commonly used on mix<\/strong>\/<strong>master buses <\/strong>because they <strong>add warmth <\/strong>via their <strong>harmonic saturation characteristics<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For a smashing tube compressor, look no further than the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gear4music.com\/PA-DJ-and-Lighting\/Klark-Teknik-KT-2A-Tube-Compressor-Levelling-Amplifier\/2G18?origin=product-ads&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjw3_KIBhA2EiwAaAAlihDbc4X3BM69TmRMvBoHaGl39DAU2GwOmEn6YVqPYPJmaGn1T32dNRoC9zsQAvD_BwE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Klark Teknik KT-2A Tube Compressor<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mixxed.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Klark-Teknik-KT-2A-Tube-Compressor-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1710 lazyload\" width=\"628\" height=\"352\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Klark-Teknik-KT-2A-Tube-Compressor-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Klark-Teknik-KT-2A-Tube-Compressor-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Klark-Teknik-KT-2A-Tube-Compressor-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Klark-Teknik-KT-2A-Tube-Compressor-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Klark-Teknik-KT-2A-Tube-Compressor-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Klark-Teknik-KT-2A-Tube-Compressor-640x360.jpg 640w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Klark-Teknik-KT-2A-Tube-Compressor-320x180.jpg 320w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Klark-Teknik-KT-2A-Tube-Compressor-480x270.jpg 480w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Klark-Teknik-KT-2A-Tube-Compressor-960x540.jpg 960w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Klark-Teknik-KT-2A-Tube-Compressor-1280x720.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Klark-Teknik-KT-2A-Tube-Compressor-1600x900.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Klark-Teknik-KT-2A-Tube-Compressor-1920x1080.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto\" \/><figcaption> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gear4music.com\/PA-DJ-and-Lighting\/Klark-Teknik-KT-2A-Tube-Compressor-Levelling-Amplifier\/2G18?origin=product-ads&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjw3_KIBhA2EiwAaAAlihDbc4X3BM69TmRMvBoHaGl39DAU2GwOmEn6YVqPYPJmaGn1T32dNRoC9zsQAvD_BwE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Klark Teknik KT-2A Tube Compressor<\/a><\/strong>, Source: gear4music <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Are Multiband Compressors?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>We&#8217;ve discussed the multiband compression method before, but we can&#8217;t write an article about the different types of compressors and not bring it up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Available as digital plugins <\/strong>and <strong>analogue hardware<\/strong>, <strong>multiband compressors split your audio <\/strong>signal into <strong>different frequency bands <\/strong>which you can <strong>individually control the dynamic range of<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Each frequency band <\/strong>has <strong>its own parameters <\/strong>that <strong>you can control <\/strong>like a <strong>standalone compressor <\/strong>for a <strong>complete signal<\/strong>. <strong>Multiband compression <\/strong>is <strong>a fantastic tool <\/strong>that <strong>allows you to dive deep <\/strong>and <strong>control the dynamic range <\/strong>of a sound like no other method of compression.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also <strong>crossover the different bands <\/strong>to <strong>bandpass filter individual bands<\/strong>. This, however, <strong>can create crossover distortion<\/strong>. <strong>Multiband compression allows <\/strong>for a <strong>more natural sound<\/strong>, but also allows <strong>you to dissect your sounds <\/strong>and <strong>eliminate elements of the sound that you don&#8217;t want<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The example we gave in our previous discussion was kick drums. If you <strong>have a lot of high end on your kick <\/strong>but <strong>want to preserve its punch<\/strong>, you can <strong>use a multiband compressor <\/strong>to eliminate the top end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Are Diode Bridge Compressors?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Analogue diode bridge compressors<\/strong>, also known as <strong>diode ring compressors<\/strong>, <strong>use two pairs of diodes <\/strong>that are <strong>set up in a diamond array<\/strong>. However, <strong>they are not limited to 4 diodes<\/strong>, more can be used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mixxed.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Diode-Bridge.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1727 lazyload\" width=\"344\" height=\"168\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Diode-Bridge.jpeg 531w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Diode-Bridge-300x146.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto\" \/><figcaption>Diode bridge diamond array, Source: mynewmicrophone.com<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>audio signal <\/strong>is <strong>channelled through two opposite corners <\/strong>while the <strong>control signal <\/strong>is <strong>channelled across the other two<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Diode bridge compressors <\/strong>need <strong>high levels of output gain<\/strong>, but <strong>low levels of input gain<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A diode is a semiconductor <\/strong>that <strong>acts as a one-way switch <\/strong>that <strong>channels current<\/strong>. However,<strong> there is a small area <\/strong>at which <strong>its conductance varies compared to the voltage applied to it<\/strong>. This is <strong>why they can be used as voltage controlled attenuators<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To <strong>avoid <\/strong>a <strong>high level of distortion<\/strong>, all <strong>diodes must match <\/strong>and the <strong>signal <\/strong>being <strong>channelled must be balanced <\/strong>because of the <strong>pairs of diodes<\/strong>.  The <strong>signal must <\/strong>also <strong>have a smaller dynamic range <\/strong>than you <strong>may usually apply to a compressor <\/strong>because of the <strong>diodes&#8217; transfer curves <\/strong>(<strong>variation of the diode current versus the voltage across the diode<\/strong>). Basically, <strong>so you don&#8217;t burn them out<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Transformers <\/strong>are also <strong>used to set the levels <\/strong>of the <strong>control and audio signals <\/strong>which <strong>adds distortion to the signal <\/strong>&#8211; <strong>which the circuit itself also does<\/strong>. However, <strong>this distortion <\/strong>is actually <strong>harmonically rich <\/strong>and is <strong>pretty pleasant<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All of this means, however, that <strong>diode bridge compressors aren&#8217;t very popular<\/strong>&#8230; like, at all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/gb\/rupert_neve_designs_5254.htm?glp=1&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjw3_KIBhA2EiwAaAAlihAOhp0TFKC2KgWaNovBS3n1PF-oLV-7lxtBClOM_vezxYRRuAHMkxoCLmMQAvD_BwE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Rupert Neve Designs 5254<\/a><\/strong> is a leading diode bridge example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mixxed.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Rupert-Neve-Designs-5254-1-1-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1713 lazyload\" width=\"632\" height=\"355\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Rupert-Neve-Designs-5254-1-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Rupert-Neve-Designs-5254-1-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Rupert-Neve-Designs-5254-1-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Rupert-Neve-Designs-5254-1-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Rupert-Neve-Designs-5254-1-1-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Rupert-Neve-Designs-5254-1-1-640x360.jpg 640w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Rupert-Neve-Designs-5254-1-1-320x180.jpg 320w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Rupert-Neve-Designs-5254-1-1-480x270.jpg 480w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Rupert-Neve-Designs-5254-1-1-960x540.jpg 960w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Rupert-Neve-Designs-5254-1-1-1280x720.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Rupert-Neve-Designs-5254-1-1-1600x900.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Rupert-Neve-Designs-5254-1-1-1920x1080.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto\" \/><figcaption>Rupert Neve Designs 5254, Source: Thomann<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is a Pulse Width Modulation Compressor?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Pulse Width Modulation <\/strong>(<strong>PWM<\/strong>) <strong>alters the amplitude <\/strong>of a <strong>signal <\/strong>by <strong>reducing the average amplitude<\/strong>\/<strong>power <\/strong>of the <strong>electrical signal it&#8217;s fed<\/strong>. These <strong>analogue compressors <\/strong>do this by <strong>cutting the signal up into discrete parts <\/strong>known as <strong>pulses<\/strong>, and the <strong>pulses play back very quickly<\/strong>. The fun part kicks in when you begin <strong>altering the width of these pulses over time<\/strong>. This is how we <strong>perceive the output signal <\/strong>is <strong>compressed<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>pulses <\/strong>are <strong>turning the signal on and off <\/strong>&#8211; which is <strong>what&#8217;s done <\/strong>at such a <strong>fast rate<\/strong>. The <strong>average value <\/strong>of the <strong>signal <\/strong>is <strong>what&#8217;s then outputted<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>width of the pulses <\/strong>is known as &#8220;<strong>duty cycle<\/strong>&#8220;. Duty cycle, basically, is the <strong>time duration <\/strong>of <strong>each pulse on and off time<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mixxed.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Pulse-Width-Modulation-Mixxed-blog.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1694 lazyload\" width=\"428\" height=\"294\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Pulse-Width-Modulation-Mixxed-blog.jpg 650w, https:\/\/create.routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Pulse-Width-Modulation-Mixxed-blog-300x206.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto\" \/><figcaption>Duty cycle, Source: Sparkfun Learn <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In the image above, you can see <strong>three examples<\/strong>. We&#8217;ll use the <strong>bottom one<\/strong> for our explanation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can see that it has a <strong>25% duty cycle<\/strong>, and the &#8220;<strong>on<\/strong>&#8221; is smaller than the &#8220;<strong>off<\/strong>&#8221; <strong>section<\/strong>. As you have probably guessed, the &#8220;<strong>off<\/strong>&#8221; section is <strong>worth 75% <\/strong>when the &#8220;<strong>on<\/strong>&#8221; section is <strong>worth 25%<\/strong>. Now you can translate this to the other examples. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>longer the PWM is &#8220;on&#8221;<\/strong> <strong>more signal will pass through<\/strong>. Due to the <strong>quick duration <\/strong>that <strong>all of this is happening<\/strong>, there is <strong>no distortion or unwanted characteristics<\/strong>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>parameters such as attack and release<\/strong>, <strong>ratio, threshold, and knee <\/strong>all <strong>control the pulse width modulation <\/strong>that <strong>gives you your duty cycles<\/strong>. This all means that <strong>PWM compressors <\/strong>can be the <strong>fastest compressors with no added distortion<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is an Optical Compressor?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>last compressor <\/strong>on our list is the <strong>optical compressor<\/strong>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Analogue optical compressors utilise light to compress the audio signal<\/strong>. I know, they&#8217;re pretty damn cool!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They <strong>use light dependent resistors <\/strong>(resistors <strong>reduce current flow<\/strong>) that <strong>provide high resistance <\/strong>when <strong>no light is shining <\/strong>on them and offer <strong>less resistance <\/strong>when <strong>light is shining on them<\/strong>. <strong>How much resistance they offer depends on the amount of light<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>input signal triggers a light that feeds the LDR&#8217;s<\/strong>, so <strong>when amplitude increases <\/strong>&#8211; <strong>more gain reduction kicks in<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Usually <strong>only used on single tracks rather than for bus compression<\/strong>, <strong>optical compressors add very little <\/strong>to <strong>no harmonic saturation <\/strong>(<strong>unless components like tubes are added to the circuitry<\/strong>). This makes them <strong>perfect for smoothing out sounds with few transients<\/strong>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where Does Compression Go in a Signal Chain?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>You can <strong>make compression sound great on anything <\/strong>with the <strong>right use of parameters<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This means that there is <strong>no straightforward blanket answer to this question<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It can be a <strong>fantastic first process <\/strong>in a <strong>signal chain <\/strong>to <strong>make sure your amplitude levels are even<\/strong>, or it can be <strong>used at the end of your signal chain <\/strong>or <strong>even final mix down <\/strong>to <strong>glue things together <\/strong>or <strong>add some harmonic saturation<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Compression can go anywhere in a signal chain<\/strong>. It&#8217;s not black and white. It&#8217;s a <strong>creative tool <\/strong>as well as a <strong>mixing one<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It can be used <strong>before or after EQ&#8217;ing<\/strong>, or <strong>both <\/strong>if you&#8217;re feeling <strong>really experimental<\/strong>. It can be <strong>used after any process you undertake in your track<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Compression Explained <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We did it! That&#8217;s compression in a nutshell. Now you should be entirely comfortable controlling the dynamic range of your tracks and music you&#8217;re creating with samples from <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/mixxed.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mixxed<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We have <strong>explored how compressor parameters work<\/strong>, the <strong>different methods of compression<\/strong>, <strong>what it&#8217;s used for <\/strong>and now <strong>we&#8217;ve finalised what type of compressors there are<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We hope you enjoyed this series and learned everything you needed and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>See you next time!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Did You Know There Are Different Types of Audio Compressors? Welcome to the final article in our Explain Compression series! If you&#8217;re just tuning in, check out our previous articles here: Explain Compression How Do Compressors Work? 5 Types of Compression and When to Use Them What is Compression Used For? Top 5 Compressor Plugins to Help You Control Dynamics We&#8217;ve discussed how audio compressors work, why audio compression is needed, and what audio compression is used for. Now it&#8217;s time to explore the types of audio compressors that are available today and how they function. But to give you&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1716,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,19,17,323],"tags":[453,457,459,261,458,460,461,462,452],"class_list":["post-1650","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music-money","category-music-creation-tools","category-music-sampling","category-tutorial","tag-audio-compression-uses","tag-compressor-plugins","tag-compressor-vst-plugins","tag-mixxed-com","tag-multiband-compressor-plugins","tag-types-of-audio-compressors-and-their-applications","tag-types-of-dynamic-range-compressors","tag-what-are-the-different-types-of-compressors","tag-where-does-compression-go-in-a-signal-chain"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Explain Compression: What are the Different Types of Compressors? 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