Welcome To Vc 76; What Is A Compressor - Native Instruments VC 76 Manual

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Welcome to VC 76

The VC 76 brings one of the most renowned compressor units from the history of music into
your studio by way of the FX Framework. The VC 76 perfectly re-creates the bright and punchy
sound of its ancestor. This compressor notably achieves outstanding results on vocals and
drums, with a clear and powerful presence that lets them cut through your mix.
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What Is a Compressor?

Technically speaking, a compressor is an audio processing unit that reduces the dynamic range
of an incoming signal, i.e. reduces the level difference between the signal's quiet and loud
sections. This way, it can help to increase the perceived loudness of a signal and attract the
listener's attention.
For many studio and live music applications, the usage of compressors is inevitable: they let
you "glue" the individual instruments of an instrument group together and make them "sit" in
the mix more naturally, which is particularly helpful when mixing drum recordings. Compres-
sion can also stretch the decay phase of instruments, mostly drums, and add sustain to the
tone of electric guitars.
However, compression can be used for a wide range of applications. Here are a just few exam-
ples:
▪ Electric guitars and basses: Compression is applied to picked string instruments in order to
smooth the varying intensity of the individual strokes, thus increasing the perceived over-
all level. At extreme settings, you can get a "wall-of-sound" effect!
▪ Drums: Adding compression to a bass drum or snare track will add punch and help define
its sound in your mix.
▪ Vocals: Adding compression to vocals can make them sound more balanced by leveling
the soft and loud sounds in the voice.
▪ Mixing/pre-mastering: A slight compression applied to the overall mix (or some specific
subgroups) can add cohesion between the various instruments.
Welcome to VC 76
What Is a Compressor?
VC 76 - Manual - 5