For dynamics control during recording, the compressor is usually set to a higher compression ratio (an 8:1 or larger gain ratio) and set so that the signal doesn't exceed a certain level (usually just before clipping or distortion). Usually only a few dB of compression is added. In other cases, such as with compression ratio (2:1 or higher but less than 10:1) with as much as 8 or 10 dB used.