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C4 · 1.9 Dynamic Processing

Compressor Controls Explorer

Ableton Live device

Every DAW has a compressor; this one is Ableton Live's Compressor device. The concepts (threshold, ratio, attack, release) are the same wherever you find them.

Drag a cable from the floating box to a coloured zone below the image to learn what that control does.

Ableton Live Compressor effect interface showing threshold, ratio, attack, release, makeup gain, and knee controls
AExternal (Sidechain)
BThreshold
CRatio
DAttack
ERelease
FKnee
GMakeup Gain
Advanced
Foundation
Advanced

What you learned

  • ✓Identify each control on a compressor interface by name and location
  • ✓Explain the function of threshold, ratio, attack, release, knee and makeup gain
  • ✓Describe how each control affects the compressed signal