Mix & Master
Compressor Attack / Release
Release time is the setting most people guess at. Tie it to your tempo and the compressor recovers in time with the track. Enter your BPM, pick a release division, and get a starting point.
From production experience release timing is math; the attack values and genre notes are starting points from production experience, not rules. · Methodology
Why release is the one to time
release (ms) = (60,000 ÷ BPM) × note fraction
Release timed to the beat lets the compressor recover before the next transient hits. At 128 BPM a 1/8-note release is (60,000 ÷ 128) × 0.5 = 234 ms. Attack isn't tempo-derived; it depends on how much transient you want through, so the tool gives a sensible 10 ms default you tune to taste: shorter to tame peaks, longer to let the punch through.
Attack, release, and what they actually do
Think of these as a place to begin, not an answer. Attack controls how much of the initial hit escapes before compression clamps down. A slower attack (20–30 ms) keeps drums punchy; a fast one (under 5 ms) flattens transients for a denser, more controlled sound. Release controls how quickly it lets go; too fast and you get distortion or pumping, too slow and it never recovers between hits.
Tying release to tempo is the trick that makes bus compression "breathe" with the track: the gain reduction pulses in time instead of fighting the groove. On a mix bus, aim for just 1–3 dB of reduction with a beat-timed release and it glues without anyone noticing it's there. Trust your ears over the numbers once you're in the ballpark.