Attack Release

The power of a compressor really comes into its own as we start to adjust the attack and release time. It’s critical to remember that the attack and release times are all about what happens as the compressor turns itself on and off. And to do that, we need to make sure that we have the threshold set correctly.

To begin, it’s important that we set the attack and release times as fast as they can go. We also want to dime the threshold and the ratio. That means it won’t kick in at all, but if it does, we’re definitely going to hear it.

Remember that if you’re using an 1176 type plugin, the attack and release are inverted. Now we’re going to start bringing the threshold down. And what we’re looking for is this.

We want to find the spot where we tickle it. We want to see it going on and off. With the compressor set up in this way, you now have a fighting chance at hearing what the attack and release are actually doing.

If we turn the release up so it’s long, notice how it never makes it back in time for the next word. A good rule of thumb here is to set the release time so that it makes it back to zero in time for the next beat. The attack is a little harder to understand, but if we slow it down, it’s not going to catch the front end of each word.

Learning how to work with attack and release times takes a little finesse, but you don’t have a fighting chance at hearing what you’re doing until you learn how to tickle that meter like I showed you. Stay tuned because we’ll continue with this. And if you want someone to go over it with you in person, or if you or someone belongs in a Beat Kitchen class, share this post.