as far as I know, the attack and release settings are always the same and pretty short (read something about this topic from an official soundgym member some time ago..)

Listen for how wide the dynamic range is. Sometimes the sound doesn't sound squashed, but the dynamics are even throughout the loop. Listen for how different the snare hits, the kicks, or the hi hat hits are. When I started listening for dynamic range, I started doing much better. Hope that helps!

I also look for density. When comparing I focus the first cymbal (if available) and try to figure out which one sounds longer. That's helpful, if you don't see other orientation points

I agree with Branden. At first I was able to get through by identifying the snare that sounded longer (which worked for quite a while) but when it got more subtle, I had to try to identify which one had least difference between the loudest and the quietest (dynamic range).

And I would add that since I agree that compressor settings are more complex than just “more or less,” that game probably only teaches a certain aspect of compression. I’m no expert, but that seems reasonable to me.

close your eyes then focus on the snare sound. The uncompressed sound is often closer to your ears and the compressed sound is more in the mix.

Yes, i agree with @patrick huber. focus on snare, check how far is it away in the stereofield, pay attention to the reverb and also the attack of the snare drum. If the SD is further away in the stereo field, then its more compressed, it pushes the sound more in the back.

Alright, thanks guys! I was actually playing it with the less dynamic range = more compression theory, but it looked as if that wasn't always the case. But of course that could have been my own lack of good hearing. Gonna give it another shot soon!

+1 patrick! Dr. Compressor was my worst game until this tip. I was focusing primarily on cymbal reverb volume which was not always available depending on the random track and not nearly as consistant as the snare hit position. A combination of the two strategies has improved my scores substantially!

Thank you @Silvano Jud ! I just used this method passed the first level of Dr.Compressor finally, which I tried more than ten times before but failed... It's super helpful!

@Dian Yu, glad to help. :-) Had the same problems, now I'm on level 125 and struggling there. Just to say, everything is possible with constant training just do your homework and you will improve.

I do agree that the game would be significantly more relevent if it was about judging attack or realease settings, just hearing compression is definitly not enough

Hate this game 😆
Tried to identify compression by the snare drum before but I guess I was trying to identify wrong properties.
Also I think it would be much more useful if it had either a more detailed explanation that "try to identify a compressed sound" or it was something like an EQ Knight game where you have to choose between different compressor settings (which could utilise all the possible uses of the compressor).
But that's beside the point basically

As a teacher I can say that hearing compression is one of the hardest missions for students. My trick is to start with the compressor settings where compression is most prominent and easy to identify: very fast attack, very fast release, ratio 1/4 or higher, then take the threshold down and squash the sound. After you can identify compression with these extreme setting we can continue to the more subtle nuances. Thats what we did with dr. compression game, very short attack and release, high ratio. Start by listening to which sound is compressed with these extreme setting. There probably will be an advanced compression game when you have to identify different compressor parameters, but it will be aimed for those with more experience and can be overwhelming for beginners.

What I'm going for in this game, is the level between the drum transients and the room. Sometimes when compressed, the transients get quieter and room stays the same, and other times the room gets louder with transients stay the same. But overall the level difference between transients and room gets smaller when compressed. This typically works for me, but try the Compressor game with different mindsets and see what works best for you.
Also try close your eyes and imagine the drummers room in your head, and then pay attention to what happens with that imaginary room when switching between the two sound clips.

Compression is hard to get you ears tuned too. listen for a lift in the ambience sound in the audio source, compression brings low level room sounds out when compression is taking place.
Hope this helps!

What I look for while playing the compression game is for the snare drum and if the snare drum drops in volume and its consistent with the other snare drum, makes it easy to know if its compressed. Any other pro tips I can try to imply besides one technique?

I've been practicing with soundgym for 3 days now, and the tip about how far the snare sounds is brilliant, it's definitely the best way for me