DynamicRangeCompressor

How quickly (in ms) the compressor clamps down when a loud sound starts. Too low (< 1 ms): no transient punch, sounds dull. Too high (> 50 ms): loud transients slip through before gain reduces. 5 ms preserves punch while still catching most action scene peaks.

Output gain (in dB) applied after compression. Compression reduces overall loudness so makeup gain brings it back up. +12 dB compensates for the typical reduction at a 8:1 ratio with a -24 dB threshold, and also lifts quiet dialogue to a more audible level. Too high risks clipping on uncompressed peaks below the threshold.

How aggressively to compress sounds that exceed the threshold. A ratio of 8:1 means an 8 dB increase above the threshold becomes only 1 dB in the output. Higher = more "squashed" dynamic range. Below ~2 is barely noticeable; above ~10 sounds very processed/radio-like.

How quickly (in ms) the compressor lets go after a loud sound ends. Too low (< 50 ms): audible "pumping" — volume visibly breathes up/down. Too high (> 800 ms): gain stays low too long, quieter sounds after an action scene stay suppressed for a noticeable time. 400 ms is slow enough to be transparent on most movie content.

The level (in dB) above which compression kicks in. Signals quieter than this pass through unchanged; louder signals get compressed. Lower = compresses more content (including quieter sounds like dialogue). -24 dB is a good starting point for movies: it catches action peaks while leaving quiet dialogue mostly untouched before makeup gain.