Compression Ear Trainer

This is a great tool that teaches your ear to hear how a sound changes due to compression. Just click on controls with the mouse to try it out or use your computer keyboard if you want to work faster. Create dynamic envelopes, compare them to a dry reference, and even do some blind trials to see just what your ears can pick up on.

In this first step, choose your starting point for musical sound in the program feed section. Pick a piano loop, bass pulse or drum bus. These provides very different sounds and rhythms that help you become familiar with compressing on different types of music. After making your selection, click into the program feed and listen to what’s playing. Use volume slider to turn up master monitor to a suitable listening level.

How to Use This Tool

Now take a look at the detector rack for shaping compression. There are six sliders controlling the compressor’s core parameters. Input drive… Moves signal level before it hits the threshold. The threshold is where the gain reduction starts. Ratio, what amount do you want your signal reduced when it’s above the threshold. Attack time, how fast the compressor reacts to the peak. This determine what happens to the transient. Release time, how fast will the gain return as the signal falls below the threshold. Makeup trim brings back overall volume lost to the compression process.

There are also quick-load presets that load settings via the contrast contours. The buttons apply Hard Contour, Transient Grip and Silk Glue types of compression. A good start point for contrasting the dynamics behavior. Once you’ve changed one slider yourself, it will switch to custom contour so you can play around with what works for you.

The matched A/B bridge enables comparison of original signal to the compressed one. Switch back and forth from the gain matched clamp to the dry reference to hear what is different than before. The Auto match toggle forces both signals to be equally loud. This keeps your attention on the envelope instead of any change in volume. The envelope oscilloscope presents waveform of each signal side by side. Vertical meters shows gain reduction and output level in realtime.

If that’s too easy for you, try shutters pressure test. With this, waveform view is blurred and the meters are hidden. You will hear two audio passes (A and B). One pass contains no compression while the other have been compressed. Your task is to listen and decide which one carries the compression. As you go round after round, the tool keeps track of your score (accuracy) and your streak. This way, you’re forced to go by what you hear rather than what you see.

To really get into it, you’ll find that you can use your keyboard throughout the interface. For example, you can move through the piano, bass and drum source keys 1, 2 and 3 respectively. To load up the three preset compression contours, just hit the appropriate keys (Q, W, E). To open or close the program feed press G. To recall the compressed and dry signal press C and R. When in blind mode, audition the corresponding passes by pressing A and B. Stage a new hidden pair for testing by hitting H.

Monitor volume should be kept on a reasonable setting, not so loud that you tire yourself out! With the transient grip preset on, you will immediately hear what is happening with the attack and release. How does it feel for the kick drum? Is the bass sustain different? Turn the auto-match toggle switch off and manually change the makeup gain to learn more about how volume compensation works. Look at the prediction for the attack and release in the coach strip. It provides clues as to how your settings impact sound’s shape. On wider screens, click the fullscreen button to open work area. It expands so that you can clearly read meters and waveform.

If you forget which keys do what or how things are controlled then click the help button for a brief reminder. The guide panel is a short summary of how to navigate around and listen. Go through all of these settings slowly and discover them. A very slight change in any one of these settings can greatly change how it feels.

Listen to wet signal often. Compare it to the dry signal regularly until you’re able to hear very small changes. Initially, the blind tests will be challenging, but the more you do them, the more aware you’ll become over time. Begin with the presets, then work up towards adjusting for yourself once you gain a bit more confidence.

Kick open that feed, roll out some compression and get listening. You should of tried this sooner!