FabFilter User Forum
Makeup gain
When I apply the proper amount of makeup gain to match the average loudness from input to output, it also ends up increasing the peak level from input to output. That's not how a compressor should work and I can't figure out why this is happening for me because I see in youtube tutorials it isn't happening for everybody who has Pro C-2. Please help.
Andrew Sexton — Nov 30, 2018
That actually is how compressors work since they have finite attack time. What you're thinking of is brickwall limiter. If you still want to have no / less overshoot, you have to set the lookahead to same or longer than your attack time.
I thought compression is supposed to increase average loudness without increasing peak loudness?
Yes, but especially with longer attack times and a fair amount of gain reduction, the first peak slip through (that's what makes it punchy), however, when you then apply makeup gain, the peaks may actually get further amplified.
Ahhhhh okay I understand now