The threshold and ratio are set. Turn the attack until the front of each hit comes through like the reference.
Drag a fader, or drag up and down on a pot. Arrow keys move the focused control one step; hold Shift while dragging for small moves.
These comparisons are practice. Your first attempt keeps its score.
Five songs a level. An average of 80 passes.
Shape the punch, then the groove.
Attack decides how much of the front of each hit gets through before the compressor clamps; release decides how quickly it lets go. Set them on a drum part until each hit and the space between them sound like the reference.
How it works
- Play the reference, then switch to Yours (keys 1 and 2, or B to flip).
- Turn the attack or the release, watch the hit change, compare again, and check when they sound the same.
- After a check, open Help me hear it: your attempt, the difference doubled, and the correction.
What to listen for
Listen to the crack of the snare and the click of the kick: a slow attack lets them through, a fast one takes them off and brings the body and room up. Then listen between the hits: a short release lets go and the room swells back, a long one holds everything down. On the top levels it works hard enough to pump, and the release is a note value at the song’s tempo: set right, it breathes with the groove.
How it’s scored
Your first check scores out of 100. Attack and release are scored in steps of their pots. On level 5, where both move and trade off, it scores how close yours sounds: the measured difference from the reference. An average of 80 over five songs passes.
Levels
Levels 1 and 2 set the attack (within three steps of its pot, then two), with the threshold at −20 dB and 4:1. Level 3 sets the release in milliseconds (within two steps), with a 3 ms attack. Level 4 works hard (−30 dB at 10:1) and the release is a note value at the song’s tempo, within one step; level 5 sets the attack and the timed release together, and passes when the difference from the reference sits 23 dB under it. It’s part of Mix Chops Pro, every level.
Use headphones or good speakers. Every setting plays at the same loudness, so louder is never the difference.
Compressed or DryHow MuchAttackRatioMatch the CompressorShape the HitParallel BlendAll compression exercisesLearn: What does a compressor do?