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How to Set Up a Compressor to a Mixer Board

A compressor is an essential tool for mixing multiple instruments, whether live or in the studio. It lowers the volume of the loudest sounds and boosts the volume of the quietest ones. It reduces the overall dynamic range of an audio signal, which is useful when mixing a number of elements together, as it prevents the mix from becoming crowded and woolly. With a multichannel mixer, it's possible to apply a single compressor unit to all the channels on an audio mixer.

Things You'll Need

  • 2 RCA or 1/4" phono cables
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Instructions

    • 1

      Power off the compressor and the mixer.

    • 2

      Locate the mixer's "Bus." Depending on the model of your mixer, the sockets may be labeled "Bus," or "Send" and "Return." The send sockets transmit a signal from a mixer channel to the device and the return sockets receive the signal back from it, allowing it to be blended back into the mix.

    • 3

      Connect the send sockets to the input sockets on the rear of the compressor. Connect the return sockets on the mixer to the output sockets on the compressor.

    • 4

      Play a track through the mixer as you normally would. To ensure the compressor is working, press the solo button on one of the channels, then turn up the "Send" control on that channel strip. Observe the input meters on the compressor for activity. Turn up the send control on any other mixer channel to similarly divert it to the compressor.

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Recording Music

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