I've always had problems setting the Attack speed when compressing my recordings (usually vocals) - I could never really hear the difference in sound when I adjusted the Attack, regardless of whether I set it to 1ms or 100ms. I assumed my ear just wasn't good enough, so I went on various forums to pick brains, but a few people told me it was because I was using software to do the job (either CoolEditPro or Cakewalk) and I wouldn't really understand what was happening until I had a proper compressor device where I could turn knobs to change the settings.

I recently bought a Joe Meek ThreeQ, and I have got it pretty much worked out in terms of using the preamp, setting the compression ratios/threshold, adjusting the EQ and the output gain, but I'm still not noticing any difference to the sound when I adjust the Attack control! I honestly can't hear any difference between having the knob fully anticlockwise at 1ms or fully clockwise at 100ms!

Is it my ear? HELP!

It probably is your ear

To train your ears, try using compression on some sources where the transients are clearer. Eg on a drum loop. A very short attack, you'll notice, will clamp down on the transient, whereas a longer attack will let the transient 'snap' through.

Just think of it as how much of the signal you let through after it has crossed the threshold level before the compressor starts to camp down on things. The release is how long after the transient the compressor starts to let go.

Educating yourself HOW to hear this stuff takes time. Plus - if you're doing it in your bedroom and a set of average speakers - you may not perceive any difference at all.... HOWEVER, that doesn't mean it won't affect your mix.

What's your listening environment? What room? What speakers?

Listen to the transient sounds (and ss sounds - they'll distort). Listen to the difference in the word "truncheon".

first - set the threshold pretty low - so it's compressing most of the time. And set the ratio high - 8:1 or more.... this way you'll be able to hear what the compressor is doing....

Fast Attack / fast release - it'll sound like tRUNCHEON.
Fast Attack / slow release - it''l sound like truncheon
Slow Attack / fast release - it'll sound like TRUNCHEON
Slow Attack / Slow Release - it'll sound like TRuncheon

Once you've established what it's doing then you can back off until you have what you need. A good way to set up a compressor IS to start with fast attack, fast release, low threshold and high ratio - to really hear what's going on (and probably what you don't want). For me - I then get the attack slower until the right amount of the "front" of the sound is coming through. Then I back off the release until it bounces the way I want. Finally I reduce the ratio and back off the threshold until it works the way it's supposed too.....

Is it not so easy to tell on vocals then?

I listen in my study. It's a pretty hard room, so it's not great. Pretty good speakers, though - Samson Resolv 65s (for variety I also try it through my Wharfdale 633 hi-fi speakers and even my Wharfedale Titan 15 PA speakers. I also listen on headphones).

Quote Polly13:

---

Is it my ear? HELP!

---

Partially -- but it's more to do with the lack of experience in knowing what to listen for, and largely the fact that vocals don't generally have strong initial transients.

The attack time controls how quickly the compressor pulls down the signal. If it reacts very quickly (fast attack) then it will squish the initial transient. If it reacts slowly (slow attack) then it will let that first transient through unaffected before concentrating on the main body of the sound.

Consequently, that attack control has an extremely subtle effect on most vocals, but can be far more pronounced when working with transient-rich signals like percussion, guitars, pianos and so on.

Software compressors do exactly the same things as hardware designs, and you certainly can hear the effetc of the attack control when using software plug-ins given appropriate material.

If the attack time is really fast -- and I'm talking here about microseconds, not milliseconds), then you may well hear the edgy transient distortion that results.

Hugh

--------------------
Technical Editor, Sound On Sound

Quote narcoman:

---

A good way to set up a compressor IS to start with fast attack, fast release, low threshold and high ratio - to really hear what's going on (and probably what you don't want). For me - I then get the attack slower until the right amount of the "front" of the sound is coming through. Then I back off the release until it bounces the way I want. Finally I reduce the ratio and back off the threshold until it works the way it's supposed too.....

---

Excellent advice.

hugh

--------------------
Technical Editor, Sound On Sound

Thanks fellers. I think the "Truncheon" excercise is probably the first time anyone has actually given me some useful, tangible advice that I could test and see any difference! Well done narcoman!

It certainly doesn't seem as critical with vocals, although I can understand how important it must be when being applied to drums/percussion.

Quote Mixedup:

---

Just think of it as how much of the signal you let through after it has crossed the threshold level before the compressor starts to camp down on things.

---

So do you need to adjust it differently if you're straight?


Martin

--------------------
YewTreeMagic

Quote Martin Walker:

---

Quote Mixedup:

---

Just think of it as how much of the signal you let through after it has crossed the threshold level before the compressor starts to camp down on things.

---

So do you need to adjust it differently if you're straight?


Martin

---

indeed.

Spot the typo...

Just make the artist sing at the exact same volume all the way through the verse!

--------------------
'You know it's a bad role when Nic Cage passes on it.'

exactly. I mean if we can type in the same font size all the way through, why not ?

Narc, I like that truncheon thing (I've never said that before - out loud).

This may sound a bit dopey but when I was messing with the JS transient killer in Reaper I was so busy listening to the initial transient and not hearing a great deal of difference that I didn't immediately notice that the rest of the sound had ballooned up to dominate the whole picture. As already mentioned, doing the same thing in a mix made the whole thing so much more apparent.

--------------------
Ohm's Law states, "Your PA isn't as powerful as you think it is".

Quote Hugh Robjohns:

---

Quote narcoman:

---

A good way to set up a compressor IS to start with fast attack, fast release, low threshold and high ratio - to really hear what's going on (and probably what you don't want). For me - I then get the attack slower until the right amount of the "front" of the sound is coming through. Then I back off the release until it bounces the way I want. Finally I reduce the ratio and back off the threshold until it works the way it's supposed too.....

---

Excellent advice.

hugh

---

Greetings from Mike Stavrou

Quote nickluckman:

---

Quote Hugh Robjohns:

---

Quote narcoman:

---

A good way to set up a compressor IS to start with fast attack, fast release, low threshold and high ratio - to really hear what's going on (and probably what you don't want). For me - I then get the attack slower until the right amount of the "front" of the sound is coming through. Then I back off the release until it bounces the way I want. Finally I reduce the ratio and back off the threshold until it works the way it's supposed too.....

---

Excellent advice.

hugh

---

Greetings from Mike Stavrou

---

Well I've been doing it that way since the 80s! You'd think Stavrou invented compression the way people quote that book!!

Quote shufflebeat:

---

Narc, I like that truncheon thing (I've never said that before - out loud).

---

I ought to pick my words more carefully!! .... it was the first "transient" word that popped into my head.... hmmmm.."transient"...

Quote shufflebeat:

---

This may sound a bit dopey but when I was messing with the JS transient killer in Reaper I was so busy listening to the initial transient and not hearing a great deal of difference that I didn't immediately notice that the rest of the sound had ballooned up to dominate the whole picture. As already mentioned, doing the same thing in a mix made the whole thing so much more apparent.

---

ha! Yeah - I visit that locale every day!!

Quote narcoman:

---

Educating yourself HOW to hear this stuff takes time. Plus - if you're doing it in your bedroom and a set of average speakers - you may not perceive any difference at all.... HOWEVER, that doesn't mean it won't affect your mix.

What's your listening environment? What room? What speakers?

Listen to the transient sounds (and ss sounds - they'll distort). Listen to the difference in the word "truncheon".

first - set the threshold pretty low - so it's compressing most of the time. And set the ratio high - 8:1 or more.... this way you'll be able to hear what the compressor is doing....

Fast Attack / fast release - it'll sound like tRUNCHEON.
Fast Attack / slow release - it''l sound like truncheon
Slow Attack / fast release - it'll sound like TRUNCHEON
Slow Attack / Slow Release - it'll sound like TRuncheon

Once you've established what it's doing then you can back off until you have what you need. A good way to set up a compressor IS to start with fast attack, fast release, low threshold and high ratio - to really hear what's going on (and probably what you don't want). For me - I then get the attack slower until the right amount of the "front" of the sound is coming through. Then I back off the release until it bounces the way I want. Finally I reduce the ratio and back off the threshold until it works the way it's supposed too.....

---

I agree, let's say I was recording a song about poultry.
Slow attack / slow release - COC...oh

--------------------
'You know it's a bad role when Nic Cage passes on it.'

Gentlemen: a momentous occasion!

While recording a vocal part today, I noticed that a couple of letter P's at the beginning of words were disappearing. I wondered if the Attack rate was set too quickly and the compression was coming straight in and killing the whole sound, rather than just compressing the excessive plosive. I wound it back from 1ms to about 5ms, and Hey Presto - I've finally made good use of the Attack control!

I'm so PPPProud of meself!

Result!

hugh

--------------------
Technical Editor, Sound On Sound

PPPerfecto!

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper...

I knew there had to be a use for that somewhere !!

Andy

--------------------
When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.