## Punishment Analogy - Consequences In our punishment analogy, crossing the line means you've done something wrong. But in real life, crossing the line doesn't always lead to consequences. Imagine being told, "You crossed the line," but then hearing, "But you're off the hook this time." In this scenario, there's no penalty for being too loud, and the audio remains uneven and unruly.  Analogy aside, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. As you've seen in the dynamic range section, dynamics are sometimes very appropriate. However, there are times when we seek the evenness that a compressor offers. To ensure the compressor is actually working, the threshold needs to be set so that the signal crosses the line, and **the ratio** needs to be set to determine the level of punishment. ## Ratio and Slope The compression graph visualizes the threshold and the ratio very clearly. The threshold is indicated by the vertical yellow line. The ratio is represented by the slope of the green line, which can be understood using rise over run. In the picture below, the green line's slope is 2/1. This means for every 2 units the input signal rises above the threshold (run), the output signal only rises by 1 unit (rise). So, the ratio is 1/2, meaning the compressor reduces the loudness of the signal above the threshold by half. In contrast, the dashed diagonal line represents a ratio of 1:1, which means no penalization is taking place. For every unit the input signal rises, the output signal rises by the same amount, indicating no compression.  ## Dyn3 Compressor/Limiter ### 1:1 Ratio We've mentioned that with a 1:1 ratio, no compression takes place. This means that moving the threshold to lower values won't cause the signal to get penalized, even if the signal "crosses the line." In this scenario, the loud signal remains completely free of consequences. Observe the gain reduction meter to see that no penalization occurs. Also, notice how the compression graph displays a perfectly diagonal line throughout, indicating no change in the signal's dynamics. ![[Dyn3 Compressor - 1 to 1 Ratio.mp4]] ### Different Ratios With higher ratios, more compression will occur. Notice how changing the ratio affects the slope of the line above the threshold. As the ratio increases, the slope of the line becomes less steep, indicating more compression. Also, observe how more penalization (gain reduction) takes place, as shown on the gain reduction meter. ![[Dyn3 Compressor - Changing Ratios.mp4]] ## What Settings To Use It's important to understand that both the threshold and the ratio impact how much compression happens. Imagine the threshold as the bar for punishment. If you set this bar low, even soft sounds will get some compression. But if the ratio is low, the compression will be gentle. This means a low threshold and a low ratio will gently compress more of the signal. On the other hand, if you set the bar high (a high threshold), only the loudest sounds will get compressed. If the ratio is high, this compression will be severe. So, a high threshold with a high ratio will heavily compress just the louder parts of the signal. When you start using ratios greater than 10:1, you enter the territory of a limiter, which is a type of compressor that prevents the signal from going above a certain level, effectively capping the loudest sounds. Use your ears, experiment with different presets, and make sure to read the Ratio section in [The Animated Guide to Compression](https://www.patches.zone/production-guides/compression-guide) for a deeper understanding. ## Compression/Expansion ![[07. Audio Effects/Compression/_attachments/image-5.png]]