2. Two-stage compression

Without compression, the soft parts get lost under the guitars and the loud ones jump out. A rock or metal vocal almost always takes quite a lot of compression, and the way to keep it from showing is to split it up.

Two compressors instead of one

If a single compressor has to solve everything, it works hard and you can hear it. With two, each one does little.

What to listen for

• Too little: some words disappear under the band.
• Right: you follow the lyrics effortlessly and the voice feels stuck to the front.
• Too much: breaths and room rise, sibilance gets exaggerated, and the voice sounds flat or pumps.

Always compare at the same volume. Set the output gain so the bypass doesn’t change the level: otherwise, the louder one will always seem better.

Try it

Load your vocal, bring the threshold to about 3 dB of reduction, and alternate between fast and slow attack. With fast, the consonants lose their edge; with slow, they come back.

Playground · Compressor

▶ Play

No compressionWith compression

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• •▶ Play — plays the audio in a loop.
• •No compression / With compression — switch between the sound with and without compression to compare, at the same volume. The segment with the lit border is the one you're hearing (“A/B” comparison).

🔊

🎧 Audio to processiChoose which sound goes through the effect:

• •🎸 Bass — a synthesized riff with dynamics: ideal for hearing compression.
• •📢 Pink noise — an even sound across the whole spectrum: ideal for “seeing” the EQ.
• •🎵 Load your audio — your own file (MP3, WAV, OGG, FLAC, M4A…); it's processed locally in your browser and isn't uploaded anywhere.

🎸 Bass📢 Pink noise🎵 Load your audio

Gain reduction (GR)0.0 dB

Dynamics (peak level)Zoom-20-40-60-80 Input Output

See how the output line (orange) stays more even than the input line (gray): the compressor brings loud and soft closer together. The more you compress, the flatter it gets.

The compressor evens out the volume (it lowers the loudest parts). Move each control and watch the GR bar above:

ThresholdiThe level at which the compressor starts to act.

• •↓ Lower it — more signal crosses the threshold → more compression (the GR bar rises) and the sound evens out.
• •↑ Raise it — only the loudest peaks get touched.

It works with the Ratio: the threshold decides WHAT gets compressed; the ratio, HOW MUCH.-24 dBRatioiHow much what crosses the threshold gets reduced.

• •2:1 — gentle.
• •4:1 — classic and versatile.
• •8:1 or more — aggressive, nearly a limiter.

More ratio = “tighter”; too much sounds crushed and lifeless.4.0:1AttackiHow long it takes to react after crossing the threshold.

• •Fast (1–10 ms) — grabs the initial hit: more controlled, but it can take away “punch”.
• •Slow (30–100 ms) — lets the attack through: keeps the punch.

On bass and drums it defines much of the character. It interacts with the Release.10 msReleaseiHow long it takes to let go when the signal falls below the threshold.

• •Short — recovers quickly; it can “breathe/pump” with the rhythm.
• •Long — more even and transparent.

It's worth syncing it with the groove. Together with the Attack it defines the “movement”.180 msKneeiHow gradually compression comes in around the threshold.

• •High knee (soft) — starts little by little: natural and transparent.
• •Knee 0 (hard) — starts all at once: pronounced and aggressive, limiter-like.

24 dBMake-up gainiRecovers the volume the compressor took away.

• •Raise it — until the compressed version sounds at the SAME volume as the original.

That makes the A/B fair (otherwise, the louder one always seems “better”). It doesn't add compression, only level.0 dB

A recipe to hear it clearly: source 🎸 Bass, ratio 4:1, and lower the threshold until you see 3–6 dB on the GR bar. Turning the compression on and off you'll notice the bass gets more even and “glued”.

Growled and screamed vocals

A screamed vocal already has little dynamic range and a lot of energy in the mids, and it usually handles more compression, with a more obvious sound: there it can be part of the character. Use the same structure, with more reduction on the first compressor, and process them on a separate track from the clean vocals.

Common mistakes

What NOT to chase yet

Quick path: compression

Expected result