Compressor

A compressor is:

1. A mechanical device that takes in a gas and increases its pressure by squeezing a volume of it into a smaller volume. Heat is generated in the gas due to the ineffeciancy of the compressor. Important kinds of compressors include: Reciprocating compressors, Centrifugal compressors, and Turbo-charger. Closely related to pumps.
2. A device or computer program that reduces the dynamic range of a signal. In audio production, a compressor is often applied to the final mix as part of the mastering process. See audio level compression.

This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.