Compression - Posted on 2013-03-05 by Deke LeCompte

02-25-13

10AM - 12PM

Lesson 13

The few times I've dealt with compressors it was only to compress mostly drunk people who like to scream in the mic, and sometimes it didn't seem like it was enough. We used an older Behringer compressor on vocals, it did its job well most of the time. Wow, there is so much I didn't understand before now. There are still a few things I'm wrapping my head around, but for the most part it makes a lot more sense to me now. To think you can make a signal louder with a compressor was definitely confusing at first. The definition of compress is flatten by pressure, be squeezed or pressed together, express in a shorter form. So the definition still holds true, but still being able to increase volume, by boosting the output gain to make up for signal loss.

In our lesson, we went over the many parts and types of compressors. We talked about all the ones he could not show me first hand, but show examples of how they worked compared to the ones he did have. I understood the basics of gates which helped during the discussion. He showed me the expander/ gate plugin, and how and when to use them. The limiter, I'm not sure was in the combination with the compressor I've used in the past, but is definitely something we should have used on the screamers, and the ones who like to drop the mic. Definitely going to try to get my work to use them in the future. I'm not sure how many of you out there have ever worked with drunk customers handling your mics, but they can piss you off, or make your heart drop, and praying the equipment didn't break. I think they're all very cool, and it's just a matter of time before I master them all.