MSP; "A Primer on Compression" - Peabody Computer Music

Tutorial 1Peak LimitingFigure 2 shows the before and after of heavy limiting on a drum track. You can see how thepop of the drums is stretched into a nearly continuous sound.Figure 2. Input + 20, threshold - 12, output 0The omx.peaklim~ object has two modes that switch response times. Mode 0 is very fast and willsuppress the shortest of transients. However, if the limiting is kicking in and out a lot, youwill hear the signal get chopped up. Mode 1 is a bit more leisurely. This will allow peaksthrough in percussion tracks, but will sound nicer with vocal or instrumental material. Thechange is too subtle to show on the meters, but you should be able to hear it.Peak limiting is often used as a safety net when recording unpredictable musicians. Manyrecorders have peak limiting built in. Heavy limiting gives a very full sound, but the increasein between- the-notes grunge makes the mix muddy. Generally, for sweetening sounds youwill want to use a compressor that has more finesse.8