{"id":83642,"date":"2021-02-10T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-10T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/?p=83642"},"modified":"2022-08-15T15:09:13","modified_gmt":"2022-08-15T14:09:13","slug":"what-is-compression-in-audio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/what-is-compression-in-audio\/","title":{"rendered":"What is compression in audio? 6 ways to use compression in music production"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>Image Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@peterpalmer\">Peter Palmer<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><span style=\"color:#3366FF\"> Using a compressor will help fix mistakes in your mix. Learn how to use compressors with our top 6 tips for producers.<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>What does the compressor do in music? A <strong>compressor <\/strong>is one of the major tools available to music producers for fixing dynamic issues in a mix. It narrows the dynamic range of the sound being affected \u2013 limiting how loud a note can get and reducing the difference between the loudest and softest note in the track. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Compressors are used for many different purposes by music <a href=\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/5-mistakes-new-music-producers-make\/\">producers<\/a>, beginner and professional. Curious to learn more? We\u2019ve highlighted six of the most common ways to use compression below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3>Even out the levels of a music track with compression<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>An erratic sound performance will have unwanted dynamic variation, and loud peaks will stick out \u2013 some recorded passages are too loud, others are too quiet. As you <a href=\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/which-daw-is-the-best-for-electronic-music-producers\/\">produce<\/a> you can fix this during either the mixing or recording stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3>Use a compressor to change the dynamic range of a sound<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/get-a-free-compressor-multi-effect-or-video-course-with-any-plugin-boutique-purchase\/\">compressor<\/a> enables you to alter the difference between the softest and loudest sound of an instrument. You can make a track sit better in the mix by making the <a href=\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/free-vst-instruments-2020\/\">sounds<\/a> more consistent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3>Bring out the tone of a sound or instrument<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Compressors Explained \u2013 Sound Basics with Stella Episode 3\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IbIC7B4BU6g?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Compressors sharpen the details of the track, and <a href=\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/w-a-productions-puncher-2-lite-is-a-transient-shaper-multiband-compressor-and-parallel-compressor-for-free\/\">give it more energy,<\/a> by boosting individual <a href=\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/fenders-best-year-yet-shows-people-picking-up-instruments-more-than-ever-in-2020\/\">instruments<\/a> and sounds. You can <em>create<\/em> dynamics using a compressor, and tracks will cut better through the mix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3>Glue instruments together<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Use compression to shape multiple <a href=\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/whats-the-easiest-musical-instrument-to-learn-how-to-play\/\">instruments<\/a> collectively, for a unified result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3>Control transients<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1500\" height=\"844\" src=\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/guitar-pick-transients-compression-music-audio.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-92507 lazyload\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Transients are the initial attack of an instrument, like the crack of a drumstick hitting the rim of a snare or a pick hitting a <a href=\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/top-10-tips-to-teach-yourself-guitar-in-2021\/\">guitar<\/a> string. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They can create digital distortion during recording. Instruments that have a very fast initial signal, or attack, can easily overload the recorder. Use a compressor to control this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3>During mastering, use compression to raise the overall level of the music<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Once a song is mixed, you can use a <a href=\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/the-best-audio-compressor-plugin-for-mastering-and-its-free\/\">compressor<\/a> to raise its whole overall level, to give it a punchy or smooth quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>You don\u2019t have to use a compressor simply because you think you should. <a href=\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/royalty-free-samples-routenote-create\/\">Samples <\/a>from packs for example are often heavily processed already. As a rule, only compress a sound if you can hear dynamic problems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Got a favourite compressor that you love to use when producing? Let us know in the comments!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/routenote.com\">When you&#8217;ve finished mixing your track, come say hi to us at RouteNote. We can help you release your song to Spotify and all the major streaming services so the world can play your music &#8211; and you can get paid. Head to routenote.com and find out how you can get your music heard.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Using a compressor will help fix mistakes in your mix. Learn how to use compressors with our top 6 tips for producers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":83644,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[24798,6374],"tags":[17949,17951,4429,22422,17948,6847,22419,6085,858,845,19788,883],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v18.4.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What is compression in audio? 6 ways to use compression in music production - RouteNote Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/what-is-compression-in-audio\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is compression in audio? 6 ways to use compression in music production - RouteNote Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Using a compressor will help fix mistakes in your mix. Learn how to use compressors with our top 6 tips for producers.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/what-is-compression-in-audio\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"RouteNote Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-02-10T17:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-08-15T14:09:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/peter-palmer-OQlPahHa7Bc-unsplash-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Madeleine Amos\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"RouteNote\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/\",\"sameAs\":[],\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/#logo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/routenote-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/routenote-logo.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":1000,\"caption\":\"RouteNote\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/#logo\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"RouteNote Blog\",\"description\":\"The World of Digital Music - Distribution - Stores and Free Music\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/what-is-compression-in-audio\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/peter-palmer-OQlPahHa7Bc-unsplash-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/peter-palmer-OQlPahHa7Bc-unsplash-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1960},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/what-is-compression-in-audio\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/what-is-compression-in-audio\/\",\"name\":\"What is compression in audio? 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