How To Use Compression | What EVERYONE Needs To Know
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- Опубликовано: 22 янв 2025
- Compression can be one of the more confusing things to understand when you're learning about audio and recording, and for guitar players learning how to use your compressor pedal can be overwhelming. Today's video will teach you everything you need to know about compression and how to use a compressor.
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this is like the 100th video I've watched on compression but i feel like i always learn something new
Thank god it’s back, was so bummed when the vid originally disappeared
So glad this video is back. I started watching it yesterday, and it disappeared.
Compression is a tool I use regularly
The many comments here saying they can't hear it (& I totally get that) just prove that compression is so much a 'feel' thing. Borrow a pedal (or two) & try them out - it will be a revelation. For years I never 'got' compression either, then within a year it was on my board (a Wampler, in my case) and always on. A good compressor will completely change how you play, and the things Rhett talks about here will gradually become clearer.
Some helpful timestamps
6:48 - 2:1 ratio
7:00 - 4:1 ratio
7:13 - 10:1 ratio
7:30 - Nuke ratio
8:49 - attack set to 0
9:04 - attack set to 5
9:20 - attack set to 10
10:54 - release set to 0
11:08 - release set to 5
11:22 - release set to 10
👍👍👌👌✔️✔️
Legend has it that he compressed the rest of the video so hard that it created a black hole and was never recovered.
RIP Rhett Shull, we’ll miss you dearly.
😂
He could still be alive. Once our rockets are advanced enough we'll go search for him and bring him back.
RIP rhett
Lol
If you think about it, CERN is bassically just a really big compressor.
To be honest, I could understand all the theoretical concepts easily. But I swear I couldn't hear a very big difference. Probably because RUclips is also compressing the audio. However it would really help if you did this with the tracks lined up one after the other because in the small gap between tone changes, the ears 'forget' what the previous one sounded like.
Agreed. It just takes a fraction of a second for the ear to "forget" and miss the difference at such subtle levels.
Indeed, things would be better audible if he was playing with a backing track. You'd hear the quiet notes disappearing among the sound of the other instruments, but with the compression on, even the quiet notes could still be heard clearly in the mix if the compressor is working hard enough. Which is also why it's use don radio broadcast voices: if you listen to the radio announcer and there is some background noise, softly articulated words or syllables would be hard to make out, so the compressor brings all of the voice to about the same volume.
Another issue is that when you upload a video to youtube, youtube itself automatically applies some compression to the audio.
@@sixto782 I observed this in the Rick Beato String Gauge video. I couldn't tell the difference when the parts were being played, but towards the end of the video when the parts were played one after the other, I was able to appreciate the difference.
I'm glad it wasn't just me. I couldn't hear the difference either.
@@craig7887 I guess people with more trained ears are more adept at hearing it and kind of distinguishing the sound profile. For instance I could never tell the difference between something like a blackstar amp and a Tweed amp. I could only understand the difference after I used both of them side by side at a store and compared the sonic differences. For me, it's a very hands on thing.
Compression is such a cool effect, thank you for going so detailed into what makes it so great
Good explanations. Unfortunately, RUclips's own audio compression makes Rhett's audio demonstrations almost useless. I can guarantee that, in person, he was hearing MUCH more variation in sound than we are.
Is that what it was? I was questioning my ears and musical aptitude so hard, because most times I couldn't hear any variation.
@@FretLevelMidnight Nope, you're good; lots of sonic subtlety is lost over RUclips. Hey! I recognize your handle from Phil McKnight's livestreams!
Yes, we've been working to get a RUclips livestream to sound as good online at the same time as the live performance going through the PA in a space designed with great natural acoustics before electricity. Live sound mixing is much harder to do well, since that "studio time" is lacking.
It all sounds the same on my iPad
Exactly lol
You can't hear the compression like one person said due to you tube compression so I quickly got my board running and made the same adjustments as you were making them and was able to hear the changes on my setup. One of the best video's on Compression I've seen. I learned like you. The long way just testing different settings. Nice video Rhett.!!!.
Thanks for this, so far my approach to compression has been to turn the knob until I can hear the difference, then back it off a little.
Thank you Rhett. Compression has always baffled Mose and I.
beets beat compression!
I use a compressor at the beginning of my chain, it really tames my wah pedal, distortion and delay pedals, I can also use the compressor to help the delay carry longer after playing a note.....add in reverb with a strat and its very atmospheric
This is absolutely the best explanatory video on compression ever! I finally understand how all of the compressor settings work in practice. Thank you!
In our band, one of our guitarrists plays mainly single coil guitars. And for the recording of the record we are releasing now he decided to buy a compressor. One of the best decisions he did to his tone. Especially on Stratocasters, the compressor is pure magic in low gain sounds!
yea man. i play a strat and always have a compressor. really helps to cut through and give great tone.
I admit I was reluctant to watch a 24 minute video about compression after thinking I have it mostly figured out, but this was incredibly helpful. Thank you so much for taking the time to thoroughly explain it in different scenarios. Well done sir. 🤘
Just realized I've been using compression the wrong way, I've seen several videos on compression but I was still getting it wrong. This video was really helpful, thanks for going into detail Rhett.
How were you using it?
I use a vintage BOSS CS-2 at the front of my signal chain and my playing leans towards the Andy Summers/post-punk textural style with lots of clean tones. The compressor makes single-coil pickups punch and thickens up flanger/chorus/signal processing effects wonderfully. Downside is distortion and overdrive tends to be essentially non-varied in volume and not all that touch sensitive. If you're a blues guy- don't even bother with compression because it will rob you of that dynamic touch and finesse- but if you are looking for that big, punchy, processed 80's clean-toned guitar sound ala The Fix or The Police- the compressor is the perfect pedal.
Can you imagine Mark Knopflers' Strat tones on "Sultans . . ." without compression? How about Trevor Rabin's killer clean tones on Yes' "Owner Of A Lonely Heart"? That's the beauty of compression.
Not that I heard much difference between any of the settings (an oscilloscope could probably show it), but saying compression boosts the quiet and mutes the loud seems to be the best explanation.
Pretty damn good explanation Rhett. As clear and concise as I’ve seen anywhere. I’ll be sending this off to a couple of my less-experienced students and clueless friends who think they’re engineers. Thanks for posting.
It takes everybody a long time to grasp. This is the first time -- in print or real world or infoweb or whatever -- that I've seen a clear explanation of how to get those long sustain effects out of a compresser: namely, compresser to overdrive, and I've been playing for years. Many thanks, Rhett.
I. NEEDED. THIS. Compression has always been a huge hurdle of knowledge I could never grasp. I'm very glad it was exampled with the electric and the OD setup for lead-style playing. I've never used comp, but I've felt like I needed it for something. I'm very thankful for this video.
the fact that you actually let us listen to it helps
I listened to a drummer doing compression in post and the differences were so much more apparent with percussive playing..
Really love the color of that Strat.
Looks like an American Professional II in Mystic Surf Green. Just bought one myself and loving it, although seeing Rhett's makes me think maybe I should have gone for the rosewood fretboard.
@@yessitsme6884 Naaah, maple is fine. I prefer it myself and I think it looks great matched with this body color. (I do like the fact that Fender makes sure to get pretty dark rosewood for its professional line though. It looks great).
@@arn999 Maple was my first choice. Had a Mercury finish one initially which I really liked but it only came with rosewood and that was just too much dark (dark body, black pickguard, rosewood neck...). I would have liked the Maple fretboard on the Mercury finish but they only make that in lefty for some odd reason. I do really like the maple fretboard on the Mystic Surf Green... but then I do really like Rhett's Strat in this video. I should have kept the Mercury one and swapped the necks!
Compression has been a question in my head since I started playing guitar 12 years ago, thanks for sharing knowledge Rhett
Man I thought I knew how to use compression, I knew nothing ! Great video and classroom on this subject ! I learned a lot , this has changed how I approach this effect. Another gem Rhett. Cheers!
What is labelled as "Attack" on rackmount compressors and stompboxes are two entirely *different* things. If accompanied by a "Release" control, then yes, an Attack control really does adjust the onset of the gain-reduction. On stompboxes, however (and I can't speak to Josh's unit, but I imagine his is like this ) the "Attack" control adjusts how quickly the gain *recovers* after being temporarily pushed down by an incoming transient. To my knowledge, fender's The Bends compressor is the only one that *properly* labels this control as "Recovery".
But WHY is it regularly mislabelled "Attack"? If it takes longer for full gain to be restored after a picked note has pushed it down, the pick attack of any subsequent notes that are picked/strummed quickly before that full recovery will be sort of suppressed, because the gain hasn't come back up yet. If the circuit allows for the full gain to be resumed more quickly, then the attack of subsequent notes will be more audible, because it will be at full volume, not at a reduced volume. So variations in gain-recovery time allow for pick attack to be more easily heard..IF you are picking notes quickly. But it does not change how quickly the gain reduction *begins* , which is what Rhett's rackmount unit does.
The audible impact of varying recovery-time will depend on how fast you are playing. If you're mostly holding notes for sustain purposes, then a slow gain-recovery will help to create the illusion of better sustain. But varying the attack/recovery control won't seem to make any audible difference to you in the music store. However, try some chicken-pickin' and you will definitely notice the difference in brightness and clarity of what you pick as the gain-recovery time is progressively shortened.
Among guitarists, the old MXR Dynacomp and its derivatives were preferred for people who liked slower soulful solos where they would hold notes, while people who liked to throw lots of notes into a solo tended to prefer the Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezer. The original Dynacomp was set for a long gain-recovery time, while the Squeezer had a much shorter one.
Best in depth explanation of compression I have seen on RUclips …nice work Rhett !
This is best explanation of compression I have ever seen and I’ve seen too many videos explaining compression. Even better to have context of pedal.
That was a very helpful explanation of how to rightly use compression. Thanks Rhett!
Spending one day with an LED triggered compressor is worth a lifetime of fiddling with a Boss CS-3 or DynaComp at home.
Playing a lot of solo acoustic has helped as well. You are the band. No crutches.
Great video.
*Immediately wants to go and play with the previously-unused compression module in his cheap-ass Zoom unit*
The best RUclips videos always make me want to dash off and try something new.
Cheers, Rhett!
Keith Williams and Rhett are favorite guitarist shows on the tube!! Excellent work
Very informative video on compressors. I have one on my pedal board but I am going experiment with my compressor now that I know better what it does.
This was very well explained and interesting to watch. You also have an excellent speaking voice. Subscribed!
Excellent video. Very informative. I saw your band for the first time .. fantastic group of musicians .
I think, this lessonabout compression is the best, I ever heard.
Literally couldn’t hear a difference from my TV. I definitely need to rewatch with a headset! Cool video, Rhett.
This is your best video in a while. All the other videos are still great, but i really enjoyed this one
I've watched a lot of people a lot of reviewers doing the same compression review I think you do it the best you explained it perfectly you did your job thank you for all the information it's greatly appreciated and I now finally understand compression so thank you very much and you have a great day
watching you step up through the compression ratios really showed how much compression comes with youTube as standard.
First off, I love your vids, I've learned a lot from them. But I have admit, I'm relieved that I'm not the only one who couldn't hear much difference. BUT...now I'm going to experiment with my compressor to find out how I can best apply to to my style of music. So, thanks!
WOW... Thank you for this. I never understood some of the terms used in my comp. Thanks again!!
This excellent episode just reminded me again that while rhythm and musicality are of supreme importance it is also the beauty of "tone" and timbre that please and inspire. Compression can help with that, of course.
Ive watched many compression explanation videos, but yours is by far one of the best examples. I had to laugh when the audio was surgically dropped for half a second immediately following you hitting the guitar on the desk. lol I imagine there was a choice word uttered at that moment. :)
My Sunday night unwind...thanks Rhett. Always making great material. Very useful!
Thanks! When I started out playing the guitar again two months ago I got me an SG copy, a cheap 5W Tube amp, a chinese compressor and a chinese Klon centaur.
Great video! I actually really needed it. I watched Rick’s video on it but it still didn’t click 100%. This cleared it up for me. Thank you!!!
Lol - guess I'll have to re-watch this with headphones on because it all basically sounded the same over my PC speaker!
Probably it won't change much with headphones. It's really subtle to say the least.
i know what to look for, listening on a very good headphone set and it all sounds the same. Guess it is the video upload compression that screws the sound. At least at acoustic guitar... Anyway, explaining is great.
Glad I'm not alone with this. I felt like an audio-philistine that I couldn't hear ANY difference even on the NUKE setting, and this is on studio monitors.
@@fathuman Yep, me too. I even listened several times and just figured that i have no idea what to listen for!
I have what I consider to be a very high end sound system and I could barely hear any difference at all lol
I ordered a Really Nice Compressor on Reverb the other day, so this video was super helpful. Thanks!
You are so bloody good Rhett - always fabulously articulate - thanks man, really appreciate this kind of knowledge 🙏
Thank you for showing this with acoustic guitar. It seems like every compression video I watch only shows how you can get that pumping sound on drums. Trying to find quality videos like this that deal with acoustic guitars is hard. The fact you used the same mic I have was also a bonus! 👍 thanks again Rhett.
Great explanatory video. I have struggled with compression for while. You made it simple, thank you very much. Very professional.
Hey, so I was an compressor always on kinda guy and recently I re did my board and turned it off yesterday... wow man you are so right... then I was
Kick it on for leads and some parts and what a game changer
Thanks
Compression is scary because all the pedal bros (tps, jhs, etc.) say it’s essential but for the longest time I had no idea why people even used it
It’s absolutely *not* essential, trust me. That being said, I have one on all three of my boards because they’re so useful. Compressors do two things as far as I’m concerned...they “control your level” like everyone says but more importantly, they make your guitar feel easier to play. Nothing makes your guitar rig more forgiving than reducing your dynamic range. That’s why certain things are so much easier to play with an overdrive on. Compression is the EXACT same thing in principle, but far less extreme and more controllable. Think of it as an overdrive pedal without the dirt...that’s all.
Somehow it makes everything feel buttery as you play it. Too much though and to me it starts to feel weird and mushy.
I feel its essential when you are used to it. I play in a reggae band and compression is essential as you play mostly clean licks and muted pickings. It just even outs the guitar sound. Without compression. I would have to make so much adjustment as the muted picking will have a lower volume compared to the soloing...perhaps thats just me...
@@gianinavette9235
For that sound, compression almost is essential. Those Michael Jackson records and Reggae tracks with single note guitar lines...if the guitars didn’t have a little squish to help them sit like a percussion instrument, it just wouldn’t sound right. You could get away without compression but your picking hand would have to be far more consistent than mine is...that’s for sure.
That overdrive and compression combo made the Strat sound like a Gibson Les Paul. Now that's a sound I dig.
Okay you're the first person I've seen explain ratio well. thank you so much.
Great video Brett. You can never get enough instruction about compressors!!!
I like the way that you went through everything step-by-step very thoughtful it gave me a lot of insight as to how do use a compressor properly how to start out with it turn down and gradually with the amplifier and the compressor gradually bring it back up until it sounded right where you wanted it to that would’ve taken me a while to figure out like it did you so thanks I really appreciate that brother ,Peace.
Great, clear, easy to understand video. Thank you! BTW, another reason compression (limiting) was used in early radio was to keep the signal from being knocked off the air by over modulating it. The FCC was picky about that sort of thing!
I could hear the differences through my iPhone 😂, it was subtle but heard the difference , nice Melissa playing Rhett, as alway your videos are awesome and I always learn something new from your videos
Yes, It may be difficult to tell but you can pick up on the info. Was looking for side chain to emphasize certain frequencies on guitar leads, The compressor causing the opposite, expanding tones even to vary and adjust automatically even a varying rooms and halls. Zappa came out while the auditorium was filling seats and played certain notes to match tones. I think he had a parametric on his guitar. Just wanting to see if comps would work. Hey, got to give a star for using standalone hardware units.
Thanks that helped. I started playing in the 60s when every time we wanted to tweak our tone we bought a whole new amp. lol The result being a lack of tech understanding. If Bands were lucky back then they had one guy that was an electrical engineer or at least had a seat of the pants ability to know what helped and what did not. Thanks for the simple explanations. You make sense.
finally, somebody takes the time to really explain it.
Thank you @Rhett Shull
Another "What is compression?" video and I'm still not 100% sure that I hear it. I get the concept, I just can't hear it. Some suggestions from a noob:
* Run the guitar straight into a looper pedal, record a 3-second phrase, and then click the compressor on/off as *exactly* the same input loops through the signal chain. (Apparently I have the same audio memory as a goldfish. Any more than 5-10 seconds of noodling and I forget what the previous noodle sounded like.)
* Plenty of comments below about RUclips's compression. Release some mp3's for us to download?
Love this channel!
Superb video, nice clear explanation of what the component elements of compression are
Thanks Rhett
My JHS V3 Pulp n Peel has been on everyday since 2011. Yes, the buffer has died and it has become in itself a white noise generator. And yes, I have used it in the studio anyways.
Love my v4 pulp n peel. Need to put it back on the board.
Great video Rhett that's a much better explanation than I've ever heard about compression mysteries solved👍😎👍
Hooo.
So cool...
Thank you for the video.
I really want to take some of your courses..
I would be glad if you had one about controlling the volume and tone on electric guitar...
Yes, I was looking forward to watching this! Glad it's reuploaded :)
Great video and explanation. I've always found Compression a very handy tool for recording situations. But I rarely used it when playing live. I just think it sucks much of the rawness out of live playing because it can really screw up the dynamics of the sound. The only time I ever saw it of any value in a live situation was when using 12 string acoustic or electric guitars where properly set up compression would enhance the jangle and chime of those instruments. One guy I know used to say any guitar player who used a compressor live was simply handing over the playing skills to the compressor device. LOL
I picked up the Keeley Aria. Compressor + Red Dirt overdrive, I think. Really handy for slide guitar at lower volumes. And quiet. Great video!
Thanks Rhett. I think some compressors seem to work better with one overdrive and another might work better with a different overdrive. They can make the notes really sing as you demonstrated near the end.
I have a Boss compressor. I use it to boost for solos and to sustain feedback. Works a treat.
With analog recording, it was important to keep levels compressed before recording, in order to get a good signal to noise ratio. In the early days of digital recording, it was good to compress before recording to maximise the bit depth of the recording. But with low noise preamp in our audio interfaces, and now 24 bit recording is standard, there is less reason to compress before recording, compressing in the box will lead to excellent results.
Great explanation! Really cleared some misconceptions I had. I play bass and one compression pedal I like is the Blackfinger by EHX. It uses two 12ax7 preamp tubes to accomplish the job. You can increase the gain at the pedal and get some distortion into the amp. If your using a class d amp it will warm it up and sound a bit like a valve amp. And the schematic on it shows it’s running around 300 volts at the tubes plate.
Always love ya videos, Sonic Brother.
Good luck with that posh Firebird; Hope you get that (keep us all updated)
Yes, quite informative. I've had one for years and never used it, because I couldn't figure out how to set it.
This video came just in time. I just got the Orange Kongpressor this week.
Been learning how to use compression in recording and on guitar more this past year, thanks for this refresher course!, I’m about to mix a song with some edge of breakup guitar, and wondering how to get the sound in my head, I think I need to add some compression lol! 🗜🎸
This video was very well done. I wish this was around when I first started learning about compression. It would have saved me so much ass pain. Thank you for your efforts, clear and concise explanations, and examples. Great work Rhett!
I think of the beautifully compressed Strat tones on those old Al Stewart records.
It's back!
I could barely hear the difference until the single note examples at 15 minutes. Thanks!!
As far as I’m aware, compressors only reduce the volume of anything over the threshold, they amplify the whole signal on the way in, but not as the volume drops below any point.
It has taken me a long time but I'm finally starting to understand this concept.
Cool, and ambitious. Compression seems to be more of a "concept" that can be adapted to different situations than a systematically applicable principle. But you clearly lay out the different key parameters, which is a great starting point for any novice. Thanks for that.
The second effects pedal I ever got was a Boss Compressor. The first was a Tube Screamer clone. Whether you use a pedal or rack processor, compression is a MUST!
What a good video. Great resource here! Thanks Rhett
Nice video - simple and straightforward - well done...as usual!
Great one!
Compression is one difficult process to understand, indeed...
It only comes down to practice and use on various aspects of music making, whether it be performing, mixing etc.
Nice seeing a guitarist's point of view on that!
I couldn't hear the difference during the Acoustic demos. I understood what the concepts were about, I've used compression a lot. This was still really good.
Great job Rhett - explaining this. I've taken audio engineering courses, where it was = not as-Easily-digestible as this. Enjoyed it.
Great video and your explanation was very detailed but I still don't understand it. It could be my laptop speakers but it sounded the same to me. Maybe I need to get one and play with it.
Very well explianed-I could hear the differences-Thank yoi!
This is really helpful Rhett ! As someone who avoided home recording, and focused on performance and teaching, a lot of these recording concepts were lost on me when I was forced into livestreams/home recording during the pandemic. Compression is one of the more elusive concepts. I will say, I really have a hard time using compression with guitar, as I like dynamics too much (and even in these videos I preferred your tones before the compression was turned on). Am I the only one?
Great Video on Understanding The Theory of Compression Rhett ☺😎👊💯
I think compression is great for clean guitar sounds. I play a lot of jangle pop and I noticed when I use compression that I get more sustain especially from higher strings. Roger McGuinn from the Byrds used a lot of compression to improve the sustain of his guitar too.
I think it's especially nice for low output pickups. The clean channel on my amp is really sensitive to volume adjustments, and wildly different between my guitars with low vs high output pickups. Compression is a godsend for me (and an EQ, only way for me to get the chimey cleans I like).
@@DCJayhawk57 Agree.
Great video Rhett Shull! Very clearly communicated and concise explanation. If you get around to doing another compression related video down the road maybe you could demonstrate what it's like to place a compressor AFTER a first stage overdrive pedal. I'd be interested in your take on demonstrating that. It seems to give *some* of those touch dynamics back that having a compressor first in chain takes away. Similar to compressing a guitar track in post. Kinda. I'm not an always on comp user but when I do use it I prefer it right after my lowest gain overdrive. Best of both worlds when it serves the song. Usually a Greer Lightspeed or a JHS Morning Glory is the first thing my guitar hits, then a Thorpy Fat General that I engage as needed. Cheers!