This is the microphone bible. It is a guide about microphones that I did at Barnsley college documenting how condenser and dynamic mics work, what polar patterns are, what frequency response is, what dB SPL is, the cost of each mic, the manufacturer, the diaphragm type, the polar pattern, and frequency response.
Compressors
Compressors reduce the disparity between loud transients and quiet transients, the more compression the less dynamic variation you will have.
Threshold
The threshold is the level which the compression effect is engaged at. For instance if it was set to -12dB any sound over -12dB would be compressed.
Knee
The knee is how the compressor transitions between non compressed sounds and compressed sounds. A compressor will usually let you pick between a soft and a hard knee which refers to the speed it compresses at, a soft knee will be smoother and more gradual.
Attack
This refers to the speed that the compressor takes to make the signal fully compressed after it exceeds the threshold.
Release
This is the opposite of attack. It is how long it takes for the signal to go from fully compressed to uncompressed.
Ratio
This refers to how much compression is applied to the signal, the ratio is how much the signal is attenuated by in decibels.
https://www.uaudio.com/blog/audio-compression-basics/
Equalisation
Equalisation is where you can adjust the volume of certain frequencies. You can also adjust the range of frequencies that are being effected – this is called the Q.
Volume and Panning
Volume and panning are quite simple. Volume is volume and can be adjusted using faders on your desk or in your DAW. Panning is where in the stereo field the sound is located, again this can be adjusted with a control either in your daw or on your desk.
Microphone placement
Microphone placement is very important to understand as even the smallest change can greatly alter the sound it comes out with.
Drum micing