Compressors - Why?

[SuperJunior]

What are outboard compressors used for? I haven't found myself needing one yet in home recording but almost every studio I've seen has at least one.

What are they for?!

Cheers
Joe

 

[AlexW]

I use one when tracking vocals, to help limit overs on singers with a wide dynamic range.

 

[Farview]

It can help beef up a sound. It can also help things gel a little better. It will limit the dynamic range of a sound to make it seem louder.

 

[Massive Master]

And you can never have too many...

 

[bigwillz24]

I use one to keep from clipping the converters then i compress again with plugins.

 

[4-Man Takedown]

It can help beef up a sound. It can also help things gel a little better. It will limit the dynamic range of a sound to make it seem louder.

Agreed, although I have no outboard compressors, my plugin compressors just make things sound better in the mix, mainly since it helps keep whatever you're compressing at an even level throughout the song...while it doesn't work on everything it helps me often in bass and vocals, my drums tend to sound good with a heavily compressed aux send mixed just under the main drum mix. YMMV... though I don't think you'll find many pro studios withouht compressors.