The LA-2A provides two modes: compress (3:1) and limit (100:1). The fixed attack is fast, while the fixed release happens in two stages as described above, and would be generally characterized as slow. The user-adjustable parameters of an opto compressor are output gain and gain reduction (threshold).

The compressor then adds make-up gain with a tube amplifier (LA-2A) or a solid-state amplifier (LA-3A). In effect, the audio signal lights a small light panel and a nearby photoresistor senses the light and controls the behavior of the gain reduction. The magic of the LA-2A, and every other optical compressor that followed lies in an optical circuit that acts as the level control, or attenuator. Universal Audio manufacturers an extremely popular hardware reissue of the original LA-2A to this day. By the mid-1960s the LA-1 developed into the current LA-2A compressor design- which has become a staple both as recording hardware and DAW-based software.

Optical compressors date back to the 1950s when Telektronix (which eventually became part of Universal Audio) debuted the LA-1 compressor. The more purple lights, the more compression the more compression, the less dynamic range the less dynamic range, the easier to place your recorded audio in a mix.įor a more general overview of your Hype MiC's built in functions, check out this great Quickstart video: Finally, for some light reading and a better understanding of your Hype MiC, check out the Hype MiC User Guide.The LA-2A hardware reissue from Universal Audio. These different settings affect the intensity of the input signal, using combinations of the three parameters discussed in the section above. Hype MiC has 3 built in compression settings: Shape, Squeeze, and Smash! If you love that feel when a singer hits their high note and it feels like you're flying, that's the power of compression!Īll that being said, the easiest way to understand Compression is by hearing it in action:Īs you can hear, even though the peak levels of both tracks were precisely matched (in other words, the loudest note of each track was set for exactly the same level on the audio tracks’ meters) the compressed vocal had a punchy, upfront character that made it much easier to mix. This results in a much more normalized signal, where you can easily hear a whisper, and a scream doesn't blow out your ears. The whole signal now has a smaller dynamic range. This automatically adds an amount of gain to the whole signal, comparable to what is reduced above the threshold, raising everything.Ĭombining these, you can understand how the loud's are made quieter above the threshold, and the quiets are raised by the make up gain. Gain is the magic here! In most compressors you will have Automatic Makeup gain, just like your HypeMiC. So a compressor with a light ratio like 2:1 will sound more natural than a higher ratio like 5:1.

Ratio is the amount by which a signal is reduced when above the Threshold. IE - things louder than the threshold are brought down. Threshold is the level at which the compressor begins to reduce the signal. There are a number of parameters you may see on larger compressors, but we are going to discuss the main three that play the biggest role here, Threshold, Ratio and Makeup Gain.

Light compressor microphone