Rackmount/PA compressors - HELP!

[hamerhead]

Is there 'Compressors for Dummies'-type info out there anywhere you could point me to? 

I know what compressors can do - in the right hands. I just don't have those hands, and would like to educate myself on exactly what all them knobs are for.

Or, if any of you really smart HFCers would like to impart your wisdom right here, that would be even better. I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks!

[scottcald]

Basically it's just an evening out of the dynamic range of the signal coming into it.  

Threshold is the level where the compressor kicks in.

For ratio if it's say 4:1, that's for every 4dB coming in, 1dB goes out.  

Attack is how fast the compressor starts to work

Release is how quickly it lets go of the signal once it starts compressing

Gain is to bring the level back up after being reduced.  

[hamerhead]

Oh.....well then......that doesn't seem so hard. WTF is my problem then?

Isn't there more? It seems like there should be more. There's more, right?

[scottcald]

The sort of "art" if you will is dialing it so you get what you need out of it, but not hear it working, unless that's what you want. 

This is a good short explaining video:

 

[Cboss]

Does a compressed signal sound better to our ears? Why mess with the dynamic range in the first place?

[hamerhead]

I think it's to give the voice, drums, whatever, a more defined space to sit in the mix without overpowering everything else.

[mathman]

There are famous compressors that were used on the recordings we all grew up with and loved.   There are a variety of compressors that work in similar but different ways.  They can be abused to create the loudness ways we loathe, working along with limiters.   But use correctly they can sound really good.   LA-2A, Fairchild and others were used on many recordings.  They can be great when recording vocals and any instrument with a wide dynamic range.  Used correctly they can keep the range feel but still "compress" the recording so it works better with the mix and or the recording medium.

[scottcald]

10 hours ago, Cboss said:

Does a compressed signal sound better to our ears? Why mess with the dynamic range in the first place?

Stuff a title too quiet going to too loud especially. You might clip at some point and ruin the recording.  Few of the recordings we love didn’t have compression. In the analog days, a signal was often compressed going to tape then again during the mix.  Tape is more forgiving of an overload of signal but you didn’t want bleed onto other tracks either. 

[Dutchman]

The biggest mistake people make when they adjust compressors is they use there eyes and not their ears. Watching the led's  or VU meters is only a guide of which way your going. Close your eyes and listen closely till it sounds best to you! Listen if it's pumping, slamming the door to fast leaving it open to long. You'll soon hear those things and recognize them. Then you'll be a compressor pro

[Jimbilly]

 doing sound for a battle of the bands type thing, then when the screamo band plays = panicked adjustments of the compression (probably better to just have a finger on the slider for those big sweeps in mic gain). 

I feel like I barely got some compression understanding when I was doing that volunteer 'mid size' pa management, it was mostly just to keep from blowing stuff up, I wish I could have printed out what Scottcald wrote and taped it to the rack case back then.