grimy paco said:
yes I relize not all recording is common but as an example if I set my THRESHOLD to -50 dB it really would not matter what my other setting were because my distortion level will never be met to start COMPRESSION.
Assuming this is correct and please no remarks about assume we have all heard them before USAULLY at what level does a recording start to distort if figuring the TRIM on my recorder is set at moderate level.
If I increase the trim I should increase or decrease the THRESHOLD???
If I can comprehend this question it will start to make a little more sense.
THANKS
Whew! This isn't going to be easy...
Grimy, since you were not kind enough to post where you are from (location: ______!) I'm going to assume that maybe we have a language barrier operating here. If not, forgive my assumption...
The reason why I say so, is because you are using terms in ways that don't quite make sense, so your overall questions make very little sense.
For example:
"...if I set my THRESHOLD to -50 dB it really would not matter what my other setting were because my distortion level will never be met to start COMPRESSION."
First of all, a threshold setting of -50 would mean that all but the very softest part of your mix (like maybe the very end of the final fade) WOULD be getting compressed, because there is very little in the average mix that would register less than (-50)dB.
Secondly, compression has nothing to do with whether your signal is distorted or not, other than the fact that it can prevent distortion further down the chain by lowering both peaks and/or average levels. If the signal is distorted before it reaches the compressor because you have your preamp trim too high, the compressor cannot remove it, and it will only add to it if you misuse it.
So let's go back to square one: threshold is the level where the compressor starts to work. Anything below the theshold is uncompressed (although still subject to make-up gain). Anything above the threshold has a volume slope that is decreased by the amount determined by the ratio setting. Thus a 8 dB increase above the threshold point on the input signal will output at only 2dB above the threshold if you are using a 4:1 ratio. (8 divided by 4 = 2). The compressor has no way of knowing if the input signal was distorted or not - it will treat it the same either way.
The other important factor that must be considered in this equation is attack time. Attack time is like predelay on reverb units - it is the amount of time from the start of a signal before the compressor actually starts to work. The shortest attack time is often around 2ms. The longest might be around 100ms. If the attack time is too long, too much uncompressed material might get through to make it effective. If it is too short, everything gets compressed and the material might sound too squashed. We won't even get into release time at this point, which can be used to avoid (or create) "pumping" artifacts.
So balancing attack time, threshold , and ratio (as well as release time) is an interactive process. How they are set will determine what it is the compressor will do. A very short attack time (2ms) might work best with a high threshold (-5 to -10 dB) to clamp down hard on the loudest peaks. The more outrageous the peaks, the higher ratio will be needed at any given theshold.
But first you have to figure out why you are using the compressor and what you want from it:
Is it to act as a limiter to prevent digital distortion?
Is it to increase sustain on bass notes?
Is it to even out a performance by decreasing dynamic range? (Like making all the kick attacks the same volume.)
Is it to make a certain track stand out in the mix?
Is it to make a certain track lay back in the mix?
Is it to make an instrument sound "punchier"?
Is it to make an instrument sound smoother?
Is it to make a whole mix sound louder?
Is it to make a whole mix sound fatter?
These are all possible ways to use a compressor - and would each have completely different settings. Many others in above posts have already given you a lot of this same information, but you don't seem to quite have a grasp on it yet. This is not mean as an insult - compression is a bit tricky and can take a while to understand.
But as you can see, the complexity and variety of possible uses precludes a "one size fits all" answer to your questions.
) 