http://bobmaccsblog.wordpress.com/2014/02/28/compression-comprehension/
So you’re watching the telly and you’re enjoying the programme. Then the adverts come on. They are way louder than the programme you’re watching, so you look around the sofa for the remote control. Once you’ve found it, you hold the volume down button until the adverts stop hurting. Perfect.
Then the adverts are over and the show comes back on. Except now you can’t hear anything anyone is saying because the volume is still down. So you hit the volume up button, until the volume is back where you started.
The level at which the sound makes you want to turn it down = Threshold
Looking for the remote control = Attack time
How much you turn the volume down by = Ratio
How long it takes to return the level back to where you started = Release
That’s all, just thought it was a clever analogy 