Audio Compressor narrows the gap between the quietest and loudest parts of a track, so a dynamic album stops swinging between inaudible verses and startling choruses.

It is the plugin to enable for listening in a noisy room, on cheap speakers, or late at night when you cannot turn things up.

What it does

  • Evens out tracks with a wide dynamic range
  • Makes quiet passages audible over background noise
  • Levels out volume differences across mixed playlists

How to enable Audio Compressor

  1. Install YouTube Music Desktop App for Windows, macOS or Linux.
  2. Open the app menu and choose Plugins.
  3. Switch on Audio Compressor.
  4. Open its options entry to adjust the settings.

Frequently asked questions

Does compression hurt audio quality?

It intentionally reduces dynamic range, which is a trade-off. For critical listening on good headphones, leave it off.

Is this the same as volume normalisation?

Related but not identical: normalisation matches loudness between tracks, compression works within a track.

Audio Compressor ships with the app

Free, open source, and one toggle away — along with 42 other plugins.

Download free