WHAT A COMPRESSOR-BASED EFFECT ACTUALLY DOES TO THE SOUND

[♔Chello]

WHAT A COMPRESSOR-BASED EFFECT ACTUALLY DOES TO THE SOUND

Many sound engineers have talked about this, but they haven't really said the most important thing.
We've been told that a compressor reduces the dynamic range by compressing the distance between the lowest and highest levels, resulting in a higher sound pressure.

Put another way, peaks are removed, which theoretically means that a song can be turned up a lot louder without distortion.

However, little is said about which distortion is involved.
In my world of sound, this is a broad term, which includes conditions such as perspective; changes in the position of an instrument are also a form of distortion, and occur even with moderate use of compressor-based effects.

Imagine a symphony orchestra, where the violins are too weak and are treated with a compressor-based effect:
They will be heard at the same level as the rest of the orchestra, until a certain sound pressure occurs - then they will appear even worse than they did at first without the effect.
Even at a moderate level, their position in the soundscape is also shifted.

In addition, details are masked as a result of the compression - again; distortion.


Most people will probably never be able to perceive that these conditions occur, but those with a certain relationship with HiFi and State of the Art sound will hear it.