I admit i'm... Mr Preset

[hearttimes]

Oversimplified but some general ideas:

threshold = the level at which the compressor does anything.
if it's set to -20dB, for example, and your signal is -25, then the level has not reached the threshold, so nothing happens. if your level hits -15 then you are over the threshold by 5 dB and the compressor is working. this is a clear example of why compressor presets are generally unusable without tweaking. most likely, for example, your kick drums are recorded at different levels from song to song, so the threshold would need to be adjusted differently for each track.

attack = how quickly does the compressor react once the threshold is reached.
a 0ms attack means that the compression starts instantly. a 10ms attack means that, for instance, the first 10ms of a kick drum will be unprocessed, and the compression will then begin.

release = how long the compressor works after the sound has fallen back below the threshold.
let's say it's a snare hit. and the compressor knocks the snare down 3dB when it hits. does the compressor stop working in the time between the next snare hit? or does it stop working immediately after the first few ms's so that only the first half of the snare hit is compressed.

ratios 1:1, 8:1 etc = how strong is the compression once it crosses the threshold.
the higher the first number of the ratio, the more compression occurs. there are many graphs showing the results of this, but suffice to say, as a beginner, the higher the ratio, the more compression is going on.

i tried to keep it in elementary english terms.

the bottom line is compressor presets are fairly useless, but if you are going to try them start by adjusting the threshold and seeing what you can make happen just with that.

best wishes to all on the forum.

Originally Posted by dylansmale

I think some simple instructions would be more useful like what do all of these knobs do?

hell, even I don't really know with compressors. If some would explain what threshold, release, and the 1:4, 1:8 type measurements do, I would be thankful, but I have yet to hear what they do in elementary English terms. haha