Limiters & Compressors

Advantages of Using a Limiter

Which Limiter Should You Choose?

Here you will find our entire selection of limiters and compressors. An audio compressor or an audio limiter is an automatic volume control that reduces the volume when the input signal becomes too high.

Advantages and Disadvantages of a Compressor

The compressor is a dynamic audio tool whose main purpose is to level out different levels in sound pressure, so the sound source becomes more consistent in its volume, making it easier to place in a mix. The compressor can therefore contribute to better text comprehension in both speech and song, and it can also mean that instruments in the mix become easier to define, both in the mixing process for the sound engineer and later for the listener. The compressor can also be used on an entire mix to control the peaks in the mix, thereby achieving a higher level on the entire mix and a more compact, cohesive sound image.

It sounds like all positive things, but the compressor also has its downsides. When the sound pressure is compressed and leveled, it becomes more tiring for the listener to hear, because the sound pressure becomes intrusive and unnatural. In a musical context, the definition of swing or groove is how each beat or tone is played by the musician, both in terms of timing and certainly also in terms of volume. Therefore, excessive use of a compressor can be a "swing killer" and mean that the music ultimately becomes stereotypical and less interesting to listen to, even though both the intention and execution from the musician's side were quite the opposite. Heavy use of the compressor will also, for better or worse, highlight the ambience in a recording and increase the background noise from microphones and other equipment.

You can use the compressor in two different ways. It can be used as a transparent leveler, where the drawbacks are minimal, and the compressor practically only smooths out the sound level slightly. Or it can be used more effect-oriented, where the compressor contributes to creating a specific, desired, and characteristic sound. Of course, there is also a large playing field between these two extremes, so it is by no means either-or.

When you work with and set the compressor, it can be difficult as a beginner to hear exactly what the compressor is doing. Therefore, it is important to focus on listening to differences in volume. When a compressor is working, the weak and strong parts of the recording will be less pronounced, and the volume more even. Remember to consider what you want to achieve with the compressor before you set it; and keep that in mind when setting the compressor.

The use of a compressor is also largely genre-specific when we talk about music production. In classical, jazz, and partly folk music, there is only limited use of a compressor. Here, the interest is in the pure, acoustic sound, and the intentions that the musicians have placed around volume for each tone and nuance are not up for discussion. In live contexts, soloists within these genres can have a very varying distance to the microphone, and here the compressor can help if the signal suddenly becomes very high because the soloist is too close to the microphone. In this case, the threshold is set so high that the compressor only engages if there is an accident regarding the distance to the microphone.

In pop, rock, electronic, and commercial music, the agenda around the compressor is entirely different. The compressor is used so extensively here that it helps define the sound within the genre. Especially in the last 20 years, the compressor has become such an important tool that many working with sound engineering apply it to virtually all instruments and sound sources (in some cases quite uncritically).

In a compact sound image with many tracks and instruments, the compressor is necessary to make it possible to hear and define the many roles that the different instruments have. If the instruments have a large dynamic variation, the weakest parts will disappear in the mix due to the overall high sound pressure and the many pieces of information the listener has to relate to. When you apply a compressor to an instrument in such a mix, start by listening solo to the instrument, set the parameters correctly in relation to what is being played, and then listen to the instrument in the overall mix. Then try to adjust the compressor so that there is still dynamic variation, but at the same time, the weakest tones/passages do not disappear in the mix. In slow music with more sparse instrumentation, you can hold back on the compressor and only use it on the most obvious sound sources.

The Relationship Between Limiter and Compressor

Ratio is a fractional value, and it determines the degree of attenuation that occurs with the part of the sound that exceeds the threshold value in volume. For example, if a value of 2:1 is chosen, the volume above the threshold value will be reduced by 50%. If, on the other hand, a ratio value of 5:1 is chosen, the sound is reduced by 80%, and only 20% of the volume above the threshold value is maintained. One could say that the sound pressure ceiling becomes more and more impenetrable as the ratio value increases. When the ratio value is 10:1 or higher, the compressor changes its name and becomes a limiter. A limiter is therefore a compressor with a defined and fixed volume ceiling.