{"id":87320,"date":"2021-08-19T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-19T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/?p=87320"},"modified":"2022-08-15T15:26:35","modified_gmt":"2022-08-15T14:26:35","slug":"compressor-vs-limiter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/compressor-vs-limiter\/","title":{"rendered":"Compressor vs limiter \u2013 what’s the difference?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Image Credit: Anton Ponomarev<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wondering the difference between a compressor and a limiter? Step this way for an easy cheat sheet for beginner producers.<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The difference between compression and limiting is a very common music production<\/a> question that beginner producers are too scared, or confused, to ask about. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can get complicated, so let\u2019s approach from a simplified perspective with this easy guide to audio compression<\/a> and limiters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What are compressors and limiters?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Compressors and limiters are dynamic processors, which you can insert into a track on your DAW<\/a> to affect that track’s signal. Both compressors and limiters reduce the volume of a track<\/a>, and they do this by setting a threshold beyond which the loudest frequencies won\u2019t pass. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The difference between compression and a limiter lies in the threshold and ratio parameter settings on the plugin<\/a>. Learn more about compressor parameters here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A compressor<\/a> narrows the dynamic range of a sound \u2013 the difference between the loudest and quietest parts. If there\u2019s loud notes, a compressor can automatically turn down the volume of any that go above a set threshold<\/strong>. It does this according to whatever ratio<\/strong> you set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Image Credit: Image-Line<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Signals above 0dBFS can cause distortion and hard clipping<\/a>, so generally you don\u2019t want any erratic loud notes beyond that point. You could set a threshold of -10dBFS, for example, keeping optimum loudness but preventing peaking. The ratio is by how much the compressor will turn down the volume, by percentage \u2013 for every dBFS over the limit by how much it needs to be reduced by. <\/p>\n\n\n\n