Compressor, clipper, limiter: which does what
It's the question that comes up the most in my feedback. A kick that sticks out, a drum bus going all over the place, and the reflex is almost always the same: slap a compressor on it, or worse, a limiter on the master. All three tools control dynamics, but they don't do the same job at all. Mixing them up is the best way to crush your mix without fixing the actual problem. Here's how I use them, and when to pick one over the other.
1.The difference in one sentence
- The compressor reduces the gap between quiet and loud sounds. It reacts over time, with an attack and a release: it's a regulation tool.
- The clipper cuts off anything above a threshold. No attack, no release, it acts instantly. It's the ninja's sword I talk about in my pre-mastering guide.
- The limiter is a compressor with an infinite ratio: nothing gets past the ceiling. It's a safety and finishing tool, not a mixing tool.
2.The compressor: regulate, don't flatten
A compressor is there to stabilise an element so it sits solid and steady on a club system. Not to make it loud. The classic trap is an attack that's too fast: it eats the start of the sound, and your kick loses all its punch.
My starting points, to adjust by ear:
- Kick: ratio 3:1 to 5:1, slow attack (30 to 50 ms) to let the punch through, fast to medium release depending on tempo, 3 to 4 dB of gain reduction max. Often, a well-chosen kick doesn't even need compression.
- Drum bus: ratio 2:1 to 4:1, slow attack (20 to 40 ms), 2 to 3 dB of reduction. The goal is to glue the elements together. Bypass regularly to check you're not losing the groove.
- Bass: ratio 3:1 to 5:1, attack 10 to 30 ms, release locked to the tempo, 3 to 6 dB if needed. A touch of saturation on top often helps it come through without turning it up.
- Synths and leads: ratio 2:1 to 3:1, just enough to hold them in the mix without eating the overall dynamics.
Several light compressors beat one heavy one: a gentle one on the track, another on the bus, and the result stays natural. Above all, every compressor needs a real intention. If you can't say what it's fixing, remove it.
3.The clipper: the most underrated tool
It's my favourite tool for controlling transients, and it's ten times easier to get the hang of than a compressor. It cuts the peaks that go over a threshold, full stop. There are two families:
- Hard clipper: cuts clean. Rawer, more aggressive.
- Soft clipper: rounds the peaks off gradually. More musical.
On a kick, slowly raise the input gain until it barely starts to saturate. You get a denser kick that hits harder without pushing the fader. Listen in mono and at low volume so you don't break it.
On the drum bus, put it at the end of the chain, after any compression, and stay between 1 and 3 dB of clipping. It tightens the drums and tames claps or hats that are too sharp. Used instead of a limiter, it often keeps the bus more alive.
Nine times out of ten, the peaks that trigger my mastering limiter too early come from the kick. A well-dosed clipper there, and I can push the loudness without artefacts.
Good habits
Always listen in context, at low and high volume. Watch for artefacts: if the distortion becomes audible or you lose clarity, you've gone too far. And a clipper won't save bad gain staging: balance your levels first.
4.The limiter: a safety net, not a crutch
A limiter preserves the shape of transients better than a clipper, but it pumps as soon as you push it too hard. The settings to know:
- Threshold: the lower you set it, the harder you force the limiter to push the mix, and the more you crush the dynamics.
- Ceiling: the maximum output level. Set it around −1 dBFS to avoid inter-sample peaks.
- Lookahead: it anticipates peaks. The longer it is, the more transparent, but it can smooth out your transients.
- Release: too fast and the sound gets nervous. Too slow and it pumps.
In the mix, you can use it sparingly on a wild synth or FX, or on a drum bus (1 to 2 dB max). On the master bus, it's only good for one thing: testing your mix at a level close to the final result. Keep it to 3 to 5 dB of reduction, and switch it off before you export.
It's the number-one reason I send mixes back. One forgotten limiter on the master, and your export arrives stuck to the ceiling. For mastering, your mix has to stay below 0 dBTP, ideally between −10 and −3 dBTP.
5.So, which one?
First ask yourself: what do you want to control? A transient, a level that moves, an isolated peak? Only then pick the tool.
- An isolated peak sticking out (a kick, a clap): the clipper.
- An element whose level moves too much (a bass, a lead): the compressor.
- An attack that's missing or too harsh: a transient shaper, which works on attack and sustain without touching the overall level.
- An element that's too loud in just one part of the track: a volume automation. Precise, no colouring.
- Hearing your mix at master level: the limiter, then you remove it.
Does your mix have isolated peaks or dynamics that are too wide? MixCheck tells you in seconds, right in your browser.
Analyze my mix →The mistakes I see the most
- Compressing out of habit: a compressor on every track "because you should", and the mix loses all its depth.
- Too fast an attack on the kick: the punch disappears, and you try to get it back by turning it up.
- Clipping way too hard: past a few dB, the distortion becomes audible and the sound falls apart.
- The forgotten limiter on the master: your export hits the ceiling, and we're in for another round trip.
The compressor regulates, the clipper cuts, the limiter protects. Use each one for what it does best, and your mix will reach mastering with punch and headroom, exactly what I need to make it sound loud.
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