Delayed feedback is one of the most common MSP tricks, but we all know how hard it can be to keep the echoes from building up and overwhelming everything. If you add a
omx.comp~ object in the feedback path, as shown in the
C10mFeedback patcher, you can forget about the levels and concentrate on getting the rhythm right. Compressing and gating have a lot to offer looping patches too.
This is just the tip of the compression iceberg. Most engineers practice and experiment with compressors throughout their careers, and develop a wide repertoire of tricks. Compression can add impact to sound effects like thunder and breaking glass, make a sleepy announcer sound lively, and balance the backup singers in a band. Many groups and producers owe their “signature sound” to some magic compression setting, and it helps transmit the voices of operatic tenors safely over television. In short, compression is one of the fundamental tools of modern audio technology.