What is compression in audio mixing?

Answer 1

When you compress an audio track, it brings up the volume of the quietest moments while lowering the loudest moments. It essentially squeezes the signal so that an instrument can be perceived in a more pleasing way to the ear. When applied properly, compression can bring something forward in the mix while smoothing out the sound.

A general tip about compressors: think of it like adding spice to your cooking. No need to dump all the salt you have on your chicken! Instead, sprinkle a touch of salt and then continue cooking. Perhaps you'll add a little more when you feel it needs it. In more direct terms, don't overdo it! If you do want a lot of compression, try using several compressors in a row so that one isn't doing all the heavy lifting. :)

Answer 2

Compression is the leveling of an audio signal in order to make the quietest parts of the audio and the loudest parts of the audio relatively the same level. Compression basically evens out the levels on your audio. It does this by lowering peaks above a certain threshold (downward compression) or by raising audio below a certain threshold (upward compression). This allows you to make your tracks overall louder, or you can be compressing a peak just because you don’t like how high the volume is at a certain point. There are many ways to creatively use compression to shape sounds, or just using your compressor as a mixing tool.