question about understanding compression

hi guys and girls,
Compression i have struggled with for years to try and understand and now matter how many tutorials and advice i find i always dont quite seem the point of compression...of course there is one other wise it would not be used, i only ever hear after compression is used on a track that the volume is louder..but compression has many functions..i want to ask is it possible that i can not hear what compression does due to the fact i am tone deaf?..meaning i can hear of course tones and appreciate music but i could not tell you for the life of me the difference between a A or G...any thoughts on this guys?
regards Peter

You're probably not sure what to listen for.
Compression is commonly used to control / alter a track or mix's dynamic range so that quieter sections are louder and louder sections are quieter.
 
For example even if the mix is at a steady volume a vocal track may have trouble staying on top of a mix in some sections and be too loud in others due to the singer's breathe control, energy levels and changing mic position (moving in & out).
By using compression you can even out the dynamics of the track making the performance sound more consistant.
 
 

Check this thread out:
 
http://forum.cakewalk.com/When-do-you-use-Release-on-a-compressor-m3563936.aspx
 
I have done a good explanation on how to set them up. But yes I agree they can certainly be one of the more subtle effects for sure.
 
What is interesting though is once you put a VU meter over a track (especially one that has got nice ballistics e.g. either a real one or a meter like the Klanghem) the moment you insert a compressor the VU changes its movement big time. It may not be so audible but it is certainly visible. 

thanks for the feedback..this is a great community for help and reading these reply's has givin me more insight then years of looking at youtube..
ps. i am trying to build a profile and avatar so bear with me...regards Peter

Arrt attack release ratio threshold

peter47
thanks for the feedback..this is a great community for help and reading these reply's has givin me more insight then years of looking at youtube..

If you're going to youtube for insight into how/why audio compressors work, that's probably part of your problem. There are tons of videos on youtube which demo the sound of an audio compressor. And in most of them, the audio with the compressor bypassed sounds almost exactly the same as the audio with the compressor engaged. 
 
I believe this is because the audio in every video uploaded to youtube get processed through youtube's own compression algorithm. You're not going to hear much a difference after that because now all the audio in the video is being compressed. The audio with the compressor engaged will just be compressed a bit more than the audio without.

If you want to really understand what compression does to audio, you need to find a how-to source where you can download raw wave files of the audio before and after compression is applied. Otherwise the differences will be much more difficult to hear.
 

yes indeed youtube is proberly not the best way of "hearing" compression demonstrated and most times i can not hear a bit of difference only that it sounds louder,however i have seen a few groove 3 vids which are to some extent helpfull i think the only sure fire best way to learn the "beast" that is compression is to try it out for yourself having said that i have mentioned in op i am tone deaf but this music prodution hobby is a lot of pleasure for me..most of the explanations here have indeed been very helpfull and i will continue to dig deep into your minds!!!
is stamp collecting an easier hobby???
regards Peter

Jeff wrote a great description. Sure helped me to understand more what compression is and what it does:
http://forum.cakewalk.com/FindPost/3564426