Do it on the X32 · Step 8
The compressor
A compressor turns the loud parts down so the quiet parts feel closer in level. It's how a vocal stays intelligible over a full band instead of jumping out and vanishing. The full explanation → Guide, Step 8
The short version
- SELECT the channel · HOME → Dyn tab
- Ratio 3:1 to start
- Lower threshold until the meter shows 3–6 dB of reduction on the loud parts
- Attack medium, release medium (or auto)
- Make up the level you lost, then A/B it
What it's actually doing
Picture someone with their hand on a fader, pulling it down every time the singer gets loud and pushing it back when they get quiet. That's a compressor. It's an automatic, very fast version of that.
The result is a source that stays present — you hear the quiet phrase and the loud phrase at a similar level, so nothing gets lost and nothing jumps out.
This matters most on vocals, because a vocal has to stay intelligible over a band that never stops. In a worship room that's not a polish thing, it's a can-the-congregation-follow-the-words thing.
The controls
| Control | What it does | Start at |
|---|---|---|
| Threshold | The level where compression kicks in | Lower it until you see 3–6 dB reduction |
| Ratio | How hard it clamps once over threshold | 3:1 (gentle) to 4:1 (firm) |
| Attack | How fast it grabs after crossing threshold | Medium — 10–30 ms |
| Release | How fast it lets go | Medium, or auto |
| Knee | How gradually it comes in around threshold | Soft — smoother, less obvious |
| Gain (makeup) | Puts back the level compression took away | Enough to match bypassed volume |
| Mix | Blends compressed with dry signal | 100% is fine to start |
Threshold and ratio work together. Threshold decides when, ratio decides how hard. You'll mostly leave ratio at 3:1 or 4:1 and work the threshold.
Attack is the subtle one. Fast attack catches everything, including the initial hit — which can dull a snare's crack or a vocal's consonants. Slower attack lets that first transient punch through before clamping. On drums, this is the difference between punchy and lifeless.
Step by step
-
Select the channel and open the Dyn tab.
Press SELECT, then HOME, then the Dyn tab. (The DYNAMICS section in the channel strip does the same job, and its VIEW button jumps the screen here.)
-
Switch it on and set the ratio.
Start at 3:1.
-
Bring the threshold down.
With the source playing its normal loud passage, lower the threshold while watching the gain reduction meter. Stop when it's showing 3–6 dB on the loudest parts.
That meter is the thing to watch. Not the threshold number — the reduction.
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Set attack and release.
Medium attack, medium release is a safe start. The X32's auto release option is a perfectly good choice when you're moving fast, and it is not cheating.
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Make up the gain.
You just turned the loud parts down, so the channel is quieter overall. Bring the makeup gain up until it matches what it sounded like bypassed. There's an auto option here too.
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A/B it.
Switch the compressor off and on at matched volume. It should sound steadier, not obviously squashed. If you can clearly hear it working, it's probably doing too much.
How much is right?
| Source | Ratio | Gain reduction |
|---|---|---|
| Lead vocal | 3:1–4:1 | 4–6 dB |
| Backing vocals | 4:1 | 4–6 dB |
| Pastor / spoken | 3:1–4:1 | 4–6 dB |
| Kick | 4:1 | 3–6 dB |
| Snare | 3:1–4:1 | 3–5 dB |
| Bass | 4:1 | 4–8 dB |
| Acoustic guitar | 3:1 | 3–5 dB |
| Electric guitar | 2:1–3:1 | 2–4 dB |
| Keys / pads | 2:1–3:1 | 2–4 dB |
| Electronic drums | 2:1–3:1 | 0–3 dB |
| Tracks / playback | — | none |
Bass is the exception — it takes more compression than anything else and still sounds natural.
Finished audio needs none. Tracks and playback were already compressed by whoever produced them. Adding more just squashes it.
Two things you'll see and wonder about
PRE/POST EQ. The compressor normally sits after the EQ. Leave it there. The only time to flip it is when a big EQ boost is making the compressor overreact — putting the compressor first means it responds to the raw signal instead. Rare. Don't lose sleep over it.
RMS vs PEAK. RMS reacts to average level — smoother, more musical, good for vocals and bass. PEAK reacts to instant spikes. RMS is a fine default for nearly everything.
What good looks like
| Check | Should be |
|---|---|
| Gain reduction | 3–6 dB on loud parts (bass up to 8) |
| Sound | steadier, not obviously squashed |
| A/B at matched volume | better, not just louder |
| Tracks / playback | not compressed |
| Quiet passages | still audible in the mix |
If it goes wrong
- It sounds squashed and lifeless.
- Too much. Raise the threshold until reduction drops to 3–6 dB, or lower the ratio.
- The vocal still disappears in choruses.
- Not enough. Lower the threshold a bit, or raise the ratio toward 4:1.
- Drums lost their punch.
- Attack too fast — it's eating the transient. Slow the attack down so the initial hit gets through.
- It's pumping and breathing.
- Release too fast. Slow it down, or switch to auto.
- The mix got noisy between songs.
- Heavy compression plus makeup gain amplifies everything, including room noise and bleed, in the gaps. Back off the compression, or use mute groups between sets. DCA & mute groups →
- Everything is compressed and the mix still feels flat.
- Common trap. Compression on every channel removes all the dynamics that make music feel alive. Leave the light sources alone — pads, electrics, tracks. Not everything needs it.