The question of whether to use a compressor live is one that I hear often. Compression is an absolute staple for mixing and mastering engineers in a studio context, or for front-of-house engineers when they need to get an overall polished sound for a band – but is it as essential when we play live?
To remind ourselves what compression actually is, Universal Audio gives the following industry definition: “Compressors and limiters are used to reduce dynamic range: the span between the softest and loudest sounds”.