12/07/2026
Pag dating sa mga boton ng compressor, medyo nakakalito kung hindi natin naiintindihhan.
This video from Lewitt mics explains how. We just have to creatively understand and make use of it to shape and work on our sound.
Talking about compressors, there are a few things that need clarifications. It was not meant to balance the loudness of the sound, rather control the peaks only, and we, as the mixers, must adjust the volume to have it have the same SPL as the original sound. Ano yun? Papano yun?
Ang compressor kasi, kinoconyrol niya yung lakas na lumalabas sa output niya pag idinaan natin ang sound sa kanya. Kaya mayroong threshold at ratio. Ibig sabihin nuon, kontrol niya ang malalakas na passages ng sound, pero hindi niya itinataas ang mga mahihinang tunog na dumaan sa kanya. Tayo, as mixers, ang mag aadjust nuon through the Make up Gain, para ang lakas pareho sa original na lakas - hindi ang compressor ang gagawa nito. Yung threshold at ratio ay importante dito. Let's say you set the threshold to 4 : 1, ibig sabihin nito, pag na trigger yung threshold setting, duon lang siya gagana. If the setting is 4 : 1, for every 4 dB beyond the setting (lakas ng peak), the machine will limit an output of only 1 dB (kung ang signal is only over 2 or 3 dB, hindi aactuate ang compressing capability ng machine. Ang signal natin will be louder by 2 or 3 dB sa output, kasi hindi gagana ang compression property nito. Hindi na reach yung 4 dB threshold). Dahil mahina ito, yung mixer ang mag cocompensate ng output para ito ay pumareho sa original lzkas o volume thru the output gain. Kung ang original gain ay 85 dB, pag mag kick in ang compression, bababa ang signal, kaya dapat ipareho ang output para balanse na, to 85 dB. Manually, thatbhas to be adjusted to remain as loud, 85dB.
Originally kasi, the compressor is an instrument used to protect radio transmitters from experiencing loud peaks, which make them trip off. They were called limiters with brick wall stoppage of sound. Broadcast Engineers developed it as a protection device against peaks or extraneous signals. Wala pang mga buttons and control adjustment nuon. Ang purpose kasi is as protection to loud signals coming from source to transmitter. Later on, nakita nila ang potential ng makina to creatively control sound. Naisipan nila na lagyan ng mga controls, I. e., threshold , soft knee, attack, release, etc. Plus, napansin ng mga Radio Engineers na pwede pala gamitin itong Limiter as a sound shaper - pwede pampaganda ng sound at it can do the fader riding work for them automatically. Yun na, naging compressor na, at zrtistic sound guys saw what it can do for recording, broadcast, livecsound, etc.
Iba ibang klase ng compressor, may iba na pwede baliktarin ang function - that of an expander. Ang noise gate ay base din sa kanya, ganuun din ang ducker (pag may music background, kung yung boses dumaan sa kanya, automatic na i binababa niya yung musik para lumitaw ang boses. Ginagamit kakaladan ito sa mga broadcast announcements or live applications). Marami pang iba.
Importante na we should know and understand the functions of the outboard gear or effect that we are using, starting from its history, how it came to being, to its original use and purpose and how it is used today.
Have fun using it.
