Hi All
 
Can anyone tell me what is the difference between a Levelling Amplifier,and a Compressor.
 
Is either better than the other,and what are they used for?
 
We are talking Plugins.
 
Thanks
 
Alan
 

http://www.sweetwater.com/expert-center/techtips/d--05/10/2004

I recorded an audio track and the level was quite a bit lower than the soft synths and I used the leveling amp to bring it up into the mix.

I usually use compressors but they seem to change the music more, which is usually a good thing.

I use compressors to get it so everything is louder than everything else.

Well you use them to bring up the soft stuff to where you can hear it and tone down the loud stuff so your mix is always as loud as it can be, no dynamics.

That's kind of how music is mixed now, so that you can hear it in the car, soft stuff just doesn't get heard.

 

^^^ How not to mix

Well, it doesn't have to be this way.  Certainly, some styles of music rely less on dynamics, but not all.  Sometimes it's just bad technique that destroys dynamics.  Go over to the song forum and have a listen, and you will hear many styles of music that are dynamic and loud at the same time.  A lot can be learned there from some of the masters of this forum.

tacman7


I recorded an audio track and the level was quite a bit lower than the soft synths and I used the leveling amp to bring it up into the mix.

I usually use compressors but they seem to change the music more, which is usually a good thing.

I use compressors to get it so everything is louder than everything else.

Well you use them to bring up the soft stuff to where you can hear it and tone down the loud stuff so your mix is always as loud as it can be, no dynamics.

That's kind of how music is mixed now, so that you can hear it in the car, soft stuff just doesn't get heard.

tacman said: "I use compressors to get it so everything is louder than everything else."  I know what he means, but it's a funny quote.  Next time I am working with the rock band I produce I will tell them everything is louder than everything else.  I like that.

First time I heard that expression was on Deep Purple's "Made In Japan" released in 1972

Old jokes never die, just find new audiences.

Bristol_Jonesey


^^^ How not to mix

Sorta makes sense though...
 
Young people don't sit around concentrating and listening to music in their homes much anymore. They use it as a background for working out, travelling, doing house chores and so on. Everyone who's ever listened to a classic (non-remastered) album on a bus or when walking alongside traffic knows that most of the time, only the snare and vocals cuts through the noise.
 
Killing the short-term dynamics at least allows the listener to hear what's playing between the snare hits.
 
Sven