Stop guessing. Start hearing.
There’s a reason your mixes don’t sound like the records you love.
It’s not your plugins. It’s not your room. It’s not your ears.
It’s that you’re making compression decisions without understanding what you’re listening for.
You’ve watched the tutorials. You’ve written down the settings. “4:1 ratio, 10ms attack, 100ms release for snare.” But when you try those settings on your snare, it doesn’t sound like the tutorial.
And you don’t know why.
IS THIS YOU?
- You’ve copied compressor settings from tutorials and they never sound right on your tracks
- You tweak the knobs and can’t tell if you’re making things better or worse
- You know attack and release do something but you don’t know what to listen for
- You’ve been mixing for years and compression still feels like guesswork
- Every time you put a compressor on something, you second-guess yourself
- You’re tired of random knob-twiddling and hoping for the best
If any of that sounds familiar, keep reading.
WHY TUTORIALS DON'T WORK
Here’s the thing about compression tutorials: they give you answers without teaching you how to think.
“Use these settings on vocals.” Great. But what if your vocal was recorded differently? What if the performance has different dynamics? What if you’re going for a different sound?
The settings don’t transfer. They can’t. Because compression isn’t about numbers – it’s about listening.
The problem is how compression is usually taught. Either it’s buried in technical jargon that doesn’t help you make decisions, or it’s reduced to “magic settings” that work on one source and fail on everything else.
Neither approach teaches you to hear.
HOW I ACTUALLY LEARNED THIS
I want to tell you a story.
When I moved to Melbourne to work at Sing Sing Studios, I was assisting a producer named Forrester Savell. I’d been in the industry for a few years at that point, mostly doing recordings. But mixing? I wasn’t great at it.
So when Forrester was mixing, I had nothing to do. I’d just sit there. Next to him. Watching him mix. All day.
Here’s the thing about Forrester – he’s a stoic. Not talkative. I’d ask him a question and he’d give me a one-word answer. “What shortcut is that?” “Command-S.” That’s it. No expansion, no explanation.
I’m a talker. So it was kind of torturous, honestly, just sitting there in silence watching someone else work.
But I learned more from sitting next to him than I had in four years of uni.
Not because he taught me. Because I watched. I saw what he reached for. I saw the order he did things. I saw how he reacted when something wasn’t working. I saw his instincts in action.
That’s how you actually learn this stuff. Not from formulas. From observation. From watching someone who knows what they’re doing and absorbing how they think.
I’ve been making records for over fifteen years since then. I’ve worked at some of the best studios in Australia. I’ve mixed rock, metal, punk, indie, electronic, hip hop – pretty much everything.
And for the last decade, I’ve been teaching audio engineering at university level. I’ve taught hundreds of students, watched them struggle with the same things you’re probably struggling with, and figured out what actually helps people get better versus what just sounds impressive in a lecture.
This course is everything I wish someone had told me when I was sitting next to Forrester, trying to figure out what the hell he was doing.
A FRAMEWORK, NOT A FORMULA
I can’t sit next to you while you mix.
But I can show you how I think. I can give you a framework for making compression decisions that actually translates to your mixes. Not recipes. Not magic numbers. A way of hearing and making decisions that you can apply to anything.
The “Why” Before the “What”
Most tutorials tell you what settings to use. I’m going to teach you why those settings do what they do. Once you understand why, you can make your own decisions based on what you’re hearing – not what some guy on YouTube told you.
The Front End / Back End Framework
Every sound has a front end (the transient, the attack) and a back end (the sustain, the decay). Compression is about choosing which part to emphasise. Once you start thinking this way, attack and release times stop being mysterious numbers and start being creative tools.
The Aesthetic Framework for Compressor Selection
Different compressors aren’t just “different flavours.” They’re different tools for different jobs. I’ll teach you to choose the right one before you touch a single knob – based on the sound you’re going for, not random experimentation.
Signature Techniques That Actually Solve Problems
Not party tricks. Practical techniques like The Power Shelf (parallel processing with EQ shelves into aggressive compression) and The Power Trifecta (three parallel buses for independent control of transients and sustain). These are the things I actually use on every mix.
BY THE END OF THIS COURSE, YOU WILL:
Listen with intention. You’ll hear a source and know whether it needs compression – and more importantly, know when it doesn’t. A lot of mixing problems come from compressing things that didn’t need it.
Choose the right tool. You’ll understand why different compressor types behave differently, and you’ll have a framework for matching the tool to the sound you’re going for. No more random plugin selection.
Dial in settings by ear. Not by copying numbers from a tutorial, but by understanding what attack and release actually do to the sound. You’ll know what to listen for.
Troubleshoot in seconds. When something sounds worse with the compressor on, you’ll know how to diagnose the problem and fix it. Lost the punch? Attack too fast. Pumping? Release needs adjusting. You’ll recognise the symptoms instantly.
Develop your own taste. This is the big one. By the end, you won’t need me to tell you what settings to use. You’ll have developed your own instincts based on what you’re hearing.
WHO THIS IS FOR
People who’ve already started mixing and are struggling with compression specifically.
You can navigate your DAW. You understand the basics of EQ. You’ve got a rough sense of how a mix comes together. But compression? That’s where things fall apart.
You’re not looking for another YouTube tutorial. You’re looking for something that actually sticks.
WHO THIS IS NOT FOR
If you’ve never opened a DAW before, this isn’t where you should start. I’m going to assume you know what a track is, what a plugin is, how to route audio. Basic stuff.
I’m also not going to hold your hand through every piece of terminology. There’s a glossary in the course – if you hit a term you don’t recognise, check there. You’re not completely new to this. We’re building on what you already know.
WHAT'S INSIDE
Module 1: Introduction & Expectations What this course is (and isn’t). What you’ll be able to do by the end. Misconceptions we need to kill before they get in your way.
Module 2: Core Compression Controls Threshold, ratio, attack, release, makeup gain, knee. Not just what they do – why they do it. The gain staging sweet spot most people miss. The level matching trap that makes everything sound worse.
Module 3: Compressor Families VCA, FET, Opto, Vari-Mu – why choosing the right compressor comes before touching any settings. The aesthetic framework for selection. A/B demos on the same source so you can actually hear the difference.
Module 4: Signature Compression Techniques Seven techniques I use on every mix:
- Series Compression – stacking compressors for different jobs
- Parallel Compression – blending compressed with dry
- The Power Shelf – parallel drums with EQ shelves into aggressive compression
- The Power Trifecta – three-bus drum blend for independent transient/sustain control
- Sidechain Ducking – bass ducking to kick for clarity
- Upward Compression – bringing up the quiet stuff
- All-Buttons-In – the classic 1176 crush
Module 5: Troubleshooting Compression Problems “I can’t hear what the compressor is doing.” “It sounds worse with compression on.” “I lost all the punch.” “It sounds pumpy.” “The low end is distorting.” Real problems, real diagnoses, real fixes.
Module 6: Starting Points Compression settings for vocals, drums, bass, guitars, mix bus – organised by what you’re trying to achieve. These are starting points, not rules. They get you in the ballpark; your ears take you the rest of the way.
Module 7: Philosophy & Real-World Application How I actually think about compression in a mix. When to compress, when not to. EQ before or after. A full session walkthrough where you can see every compression decision I made and why.
WHAT YOU GET
PDFs:
- Troubleshooting Flowchart – diagnose compression problems in seconds
- Starting Points Cheat Sheet – quick reference organised by source and goal
- Compressor Selection Guide – which family to reach for and why
- Listening Exercises – structured practice for training your ear
Session Files:
- Full mixed session from Module 7 – reverse-engineer my compression choices
- Practice stems – multi-track recordings to practice the techniques
Templates:
- Pro Tools, Logic, and Ableton files with all seven signature techniques pre-built
- Routing done, buses set up – just drop in your stems and experiment
WHO MADE THIS
I’m Dan Murtagh.
I’ve been making records for over fifteen years. I’ve worked at Sing Sing Studios in Melbourne and run my own studio, Ferntree Studios. I’ve mixed everything from metal to folk to electronic.
For the last decade, I’ve also been lecturing in audio production at Collarts in Melbourne – teaching recording, mixing, and post-production at university level.
This course is everything I teach my students about compression, structured for people who can’t sit in my classroom. It’s practical, it’s honest, and it’s designed to actually change how you work – not just give you more information to forget.
WHAT THIS COURSE WON'T DO
I want to be honest with you: this course won’t make you a compression expert overnight.
Compression is a skill. It’s not a formula. You develop it by mixing a lot of music, making mistakes, and paying attention to what works.
What this course does is give you a framework – a way of thinking and listening that accelerates the learning process. Instead of randomly tweaking knobs and hoping for the best, you’ll have intention behind your choices. And that makes the experience you gain way more valuable.
But there’s no shortcut around the experience itself. You have to put in the hours. You have to mix stuff. You have to make bad decisions and figure out why they were bad.
Be patient with yourself. This isn’t a race.
THE COMPRESSION CODE
$149
Stop guessing. Start hearing.
- 7 video modules covering everything from core controls to real-world application
- PDFs: Troubleshooting flowchart, starting points cheat sheet, compressor selection guide, listening exercises
- Session files: Full mixed session + practice stems
- Templates: Pre-built signature techniques for Pro Tools, Logic, and Ableton
FAQ
Is this for beginners? It’s for people who’ve started mixing but are struggling with compression specifically. You should know your way around a DAW. If you’ve never opened Pro Tools or Logic before, learn the basics first, then come back.
What DAW do I need? Any DAW works. The concepts are universal. I provide templates for Pro Tools, Logic, and Ableton, but you can build the routing yourself in any software once you understand what we’re doing.
How long will it take to get through? The video content is [X hours]. But the real learning happens when you apply it to your own mixes. I’d recommend working through one module, then mixing something before moving to the next. Take your time.
Will this work for [genre]? Compression principles are the same across genres – what changes is how aggressively you apply them. Module 7 covers genre considerations specifically: rock, acoustic, electronic. The framework works for everything.
What if I already know the basics? Good. We’re building on that. If you already understand threshold and ratio but can’t figure out why your compression still sounds wrong, this course will fill in the gaps.
COMING SOON
The Compression Code launches early 2026.
Get the Compression Cheat Sheet now – a free PDF with starting points for every common source and goal. You’ll also be first to know when the course is available.