See what audio effects do to a signal. The grey shape is the dry input; the ink is what comes out.
Drag and drop effects here to change their order.
Silences everything quieter than the threshold.
When the input rises above the threshold the gate opens in attack time. Once it drops below, the gate stays open for hold, then fades out over release. Range sets how far down it turns the signal when closed. Raise the noise floor and watch the hiss between notes disappear, but notice how a high threshold also chops off the tails of quiet notes.
Turns loud parts down so the level is more even.
Above the threshold, every ratio dB of input becomes 1 dB of output, so at 4:1 a peak 12 dB over the threshold comes out only 3 dB over it. Attack and release set how fast it reacts: a slow attack lets the start of each hit through. Knee eases the change in around the threshold, and makeup raises everything back up afterwards.
Adds grit and sustain by rounding off peaks.
Turn up drive to add harmonics. Put compression first for more even distortion, or put it after overdrive to tame the result.
Repeats the signal to create space and rhythm.
Time sets the gap between echoes; feedback makes them last longer. Place delay after overdrive for clean echoes of a gritty guitar, or before it to distort the repeats together.