Compression Question

[Tabbycat]

Is the compression effect applied only to input at time of recording?
Or can it also be used to compress track(s) on playback, i.e., as a mastering effect?

[martygras]

Each channel has its own compressor along with other effects, but the audio is recorded dry.

There is also a compressor on the master bus.

These effects are only applied when either, run through mixdown or when several tracks are "bounced" by copying several tracks to the clipboard and pasted to one stereo track.

[Tabbycat]

Each channel has its own compressor along with other effects, but the audio is recorded dry.

So the Compression effect provides no INPUT limiting?

That doesn!t seem true. I can hear the background hiss increase when I raise Compression on a track before recording.

It would also suck, as input limiting is my main need for compression.

[martygras]

Each channel has its own compressor along with other effects, but the audio is recorded dry.

So the Compression effect provides no INPUT limiting?

That doesn!t seem true. I can hear the background hiss increase when I raise Compression on a track before recording.

It would also suck, as input limiting is my main need for compression.

Correct, no input limiting, but Pwnified did explain to me that once the analog signal is converted to digital, there is no chance of going above 0dB due to the bitrate, samplerate and head room available.
I didn't exactly understand it all, but that's normal for me.

As for the hiss, you are hearing the results of the compressor raising the noise floor of your live input device. All analog devices have a noise floor, some barely audible and some, like guitars pick-ups are quite noisy and may require a preamp and possibly a gate to help silence the noise.

Lowering the noise floor level has been an ongoing battle since digital home recording became affordable, and there are many steps you can take to optimize your signal to noise ratio.

Using a direct box, preamp or mixing board can all help increase your signal level. You can also try finding the frequency the noise is the most prevalent and use the parametric eq to "notch" out some of the noise.
If your input signal is too high then you can try lowering the input fader, but turn up the channel fader and turn up the master fader level just for monitoring sake.

If you are still having troubles, let us know what equipment you are using. Someone here may have better ideas than I have mentioned.

Good luck.

[Tabbycat]

Pwnified did explain to me that once the analog signal is converted to digital, there is no chance of going above 0dB due to the bitrate, samplerate and head room available.
I didn't exactly understand it all, but that's normal for me.

As for the hiss, you are hearing the results of the compressor raising the noise floor of your live input device.

Pwnfield, can you clarify this please?
My head is starting to hurt.

[pwnified]

Yes, what martygras says is correct, input is recorded straight from the hardware to file, any track effects are applied on playback. Are you using the built-in microphone? If so, make sure to turn on "Measurement Mode" in the multitrack section of the Settings (App). This will allow multitrack to use the hardware gain control and will turn off other built-in processing.

The Compressor will have the same effect, whether it's pre or post recording, in this situation. Adding track effects allows you to hear the final result and still have a dry recording to file, so you can change the settings later and always have the best sound quality. It sounds like you want to limit possible clipping on the input. A sound loud enough to clip the input (mic, preamp, or ADC) is already clipped by the time it reaches the app.

Staying in 24bit the whole way should allow slightly more headroom, but the S/N ratio and noise floor will remain the same.