Dynamic Processing

Question 1

What is a compressor?

Answer 1

A dynamic processor that results in higher lows and lower highs for a more consistent sound

Question 2

What are the parameters of a compressor?

Answer 2

Threshold, Ratio, Attack, Release, Make up gain and Knee

Question 3

What is the threshold of a compressor

Answer 3

The threshold is a limit set that when passed by the level, the compressor activates

Question 4

What is the ratio of a compressor?

Answer 4

How harshly the sound is reduced, for e.g. a ratio of 4:1 means for every one db passed, 4 db are reduced

Question 5

What is the make up gain?

Answer 5

The make up gain is where additional volume can be added to the track. It makes for a thick sound once the dynamic range has been compressed

Question 6

What is the attack of a compressor?

Answer 6

The speed at which the compressor activates after the threshold is passed by a signal

Question 7

What is the release of a compressor?

Answer 7

The speed at which the compressor stops applying gain reduction after the signal retreats below the threshold.

Question 8

What is the knee?

Answer 8

The knee is how the compressor reacts to signals once the threshold is passed.

Question 9

What is a FET?

Answer 9

• Field Effect Transistor
• Very fast attack and punchy tone
• Great for parallel compression and on quick transients
• Not the most transparent form of compression

Question 10

What is a VCA?

Answer 10

• Voltage Controlled Amplifier
• Aggressive gain reduction
• Good for smoothing out loud spikes
• Versatile
• Not good for adding warmth or colour

Question 11

What is an OPTO?

Answer 11

• Optical Compression
• Slow and smooth
• Adds warmth
• Not great at controlling hard transients or achieving aggressive compression

Question 12

What is a multiband limiter?

Answer 12

It splits individual signals into different band and limits them individually before they are summed up again.

Question 13

What is a noise gate?

Answer 13

• A noise gate are extreme expanders
• They have a ratio set as close to 1:infinite as possible and any signal is reduced to silence when it passes below the threshold
• They can be used to remove background noise