| Created: | Sep 2026 |
| Reviewed: | - |
| To do: | Mostly everything. This page needs splitting by sub-type or Stock vs Third Party; or mechanics (Tube/FET) |
Compressors generally will reduce volume over a certain threshold. The mechanics as to how this is done varies, e.g. by tubes or FET (or in our case, the VST modelling of this hardware.)
There are variations where the compression is very high, such that the volume is limited, these are known as Limiters!
There are variations where the loudness can be increased by undertaking compression and gain in the same unit: raiser and maximizer are in this category.
Expander will raise volumes in quieter passages.
Squasher will both compress and expand.
There are also Clippers that work directly on the waveform: they suppress trasnsients allowing volume to be pushed; they can distort if the waveform is clipped too much. n.b. SoftClipper isn't obviously a "clipper" in that it applies Saturation, rather than affecting the waveform.