When using the AudioSuite version of BF76, be sure to select a side-chain input (normally the track you are processing). The default is “None” and if you leave it set like this, there’s nothing feeding the detector and you won’t hear any compression action.
A favorite feature on one megabuck mixing console is its stereo bus compressor. With the flick of a switch, a punchy 8:1 compressor grabs the current mix producing “instant radio hit.” It’s also a handy way to make quick headphone submixes when tracking overdubs.
Shift-click one of the Ratio Push switches to enable the “All Buttons In” mode. The compression ratio is still only 20:1, but the knee changes drastically and the compressor starts (mis)behaving a little bit like an expander—watch the meter for details. Hey, try it—sometimes it even sounds good.
As on the original unit, setting either the attack or release time too fast generates signal distortion. Again, this may or may not be the desired effect. A good starting point for attack and release is “6” and “3” (the defaults), and you can adjust as follows:
When compressing, use the slowest attack you can that preserves the desired dynamic range. Faster attacks remove the “punch” from the performance; slower attacks inhibit the compression you need to smooth things out.
When limiting, use the fastest attack time you can before you start to hear signal distortion in the low end. With BF76, the attack time ranges from “incredibly fast” to “really damn fast” by modern standards. It can be hard to hear the difference.
Release times are more critical with BF76. To set release times, listen for loud attacks and what happens immediately after the peaks. Set the release time fast enough that you don’t hear unnatural dynamic changes, but slow enough that you don’t hear unnecessary pumping between two loud passages in rapid succession.