Compression Punch

In addition to balancing levels with a compressor, you can also use a compressor to add punch, energy, and excitement to your tracks. To achieve this, the process is a little different. Rather than turning down entire notes in the way that you do when balancing signals, you instead use the compressor to alter the dynamics within individual notes. This is achieved by altering the relationship between a note’s attack and decay. This is known as ‘reshaping’ the note’s ‘envelope’.

In order to give a track more punch, energy, or excitement, you need to emphasize the note’s attack. This is achieved by setting your compressor so that it retains the note’s natural attack, but attenuates its decay. To do this, you need to set the compressor’s attack slow enough to allow the note’s natural attack through largely uncompressed. You should then set the release slow enough to ensure that the compressor attenuates the level of the note’s decay, but fast enough to ensure that the compressor resets before the next note comes along. That’s because you will want to let the next note’s natural attack through largely uncompressed as well. This process enables you to make drums more punchy or to give guitars and basses more energy and excitement.