AUDIO
WHICH COMPRESSOR SOUNDS BEST?
COMPRESSING AND LIMITING OUR SELECTION | Jeff Hawley
A
quick
perusal
of
sweetwater.com
for reduce anxiety and stress. I think about this the right sort of decision-making questions
dynamics software yields over 200 results, book often as I’ve got ‘cereal’ on the grocery and maybe aren’t the questions we really want
ranging from $30 to $350. There are over 100 list and walk down the grocery store aisle with answered. Without getting too philosophical
hardware compressor options listed, starting so many different cereal options. It can also here, I would propose taking a moment and
at $150 and peaking (no pun intended) near certainly apply to the wide array of compressor asking just what ‘perfect’ compression would
$10,000. All of the major top-tier live console options. even sound like? Put more rigorously, “does
options also provide a choice of proprietary ‘in
‘perfect’ compression even have a ‘sound’?”
the box’ compressors, emulations of classic The good news is there are ways to manage the compressor designs, and an interface to option overload. In cases like the cereal aisle Back to more practical matters, one helpful way
external hardware and software compression. and compressor search it helps tremendously I’ve found to drastically chop down and refine
In short, the options are nearly endless. This is to have at least some initial filter or goal in mind. our range of options in compression models is
a good thing, right? Maybe something like ‘only things with lots of to determine whether we want a compressor
chocolate or only things without too much that clearly imparts a particular character
I came across a great book years ago called sugar’ [good luck!]. In Schwartz’ model, this is or ‘effect’ to the sound or one that most
The Paradox of Choice — Why More Is Less, the initial step in making a decision—figuring transparently controls levels and gets out of the
which made me rethink the expansive nature out your main goal. way. Am I looking for a cereal that is healthy
of consumer choice. Author Barry Schwartz
and high in fiber or a morning sugar rush? More
details the psychology behind making decisions I’ve heard many an aspiring audio engineer succinctly, “is my main goal to tame levels or to
when presented with so many options and he ask some form of “Which compressor sounds impart a certain sound?”
arrives at the paradoxical conclusion that having best?” or “What is the perfect compressor?” I fewer choices can bring greater happiness and think this is where we go wrong as these aren’t
150
December 2019
While there aren’t hard and fast rules when we
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