From the course: Audio Foundations: Compression and Dynamic Processing

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Demystifying compression controls: soft knee vs. hard knee

Demystifying compression controls: soft knee vs. hard knee

From the course: Audio Foundations: Compression and Dynamic Processing

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Demystifying compression controls: soft knee vs. hard knee

The kink in a compressor's transfer curve graph is known as the compression knee, due to its distinctly bent shape. The knee sits at or around the threshold point and represents how much and at what amplitude level the compressor will attenuate the signal. Some compressors allow us to change this knee from what is known as hard knee, or the full ratio of compression, as soon as the signal passes the threshold to what is known as soft knee, a more gradual form of compression where the signal is eased into the compressor's ratio setting over a larger threshold range. I say range because in a soft-knee compression curve, the threshold is no longer a single point on the graph, but begins and ends over a larger range of signal values centered around the original threshold setting, starting with a lighter ratio and working its way to the full amount as defined by the ratio control. Again, this concept is best represented by a transfer curve graph. Imagine a compressor with the ratio of 10:1…

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