Here, the compressor only reacts to the low frequencies as they are the loudest. To clarify, the whole sound still gets compressed not just the low frequencies , but the compression will only activate when the low frequencies are present , which has a strong effect on the overall tone. Consider a kick sound with a soft transient and loud boom. The boom gets ducked, but the transient stays the same.
The result is a perceived loss of bass, which you can turn into a perceived increase in mids and highs with makeup gain. So we now know that compression has a relationship with frequency content. The compressor will be triggered by the loudest frequencies present but it will nonetheless affect the surrounding frequencies as well.
In this case, it can be really useful to insert an EQ before your compressor in order to remove unwanted frequencies before they are emphasized by the compressor. This can result in a smoother finished product as any unwanted frequencies have already been removed by the time the signal is compressed. But by using an EQ with a narrow Q you can remove this problem before it even becomes an issue.
Once again, there is no right or wrong, however, it is good practice to use subtractive EQ before compression. Be careful though — you need to remember that whatever you do with your EQ will alter the compression. If you did decide to come back later and boost or remove anything, this will affect how your compressor works and you will need to recalibrate it.
Using EQ after compression has many benefits. For starters, your EQ settings will not affect the compression at all and you are free to make adjustments later without changing the compressor too. The primary advantage of EQ after compression is you get much more precise control over the tone, as the compressor is not getting in the way of any boosts.
But, you should employ this technique more sparingly because overdoing your EQ can lead to a mix that sounds harsh and grating, or the opposite, hollow and dull.
An acceptable way to apply EQ pre and post compression would be to employ a single High-Pass EQ band pre compression, to sculpt your signal at a macro level before compression, and a multi-band parametric EQ post compression to really fine-tune the sound.
Carefully listening to the difference between the two positions is what will cement the sonic image in your mind and allow you to reach for the appropriate color in your mix.
Below is a rather heavy-handed EQ job pre and post compression for you to hear the difference. A common example of this is when an acoustic guitar has been recorded with a mic too close to the sound hole. A mic in this position often captures unappealing low-frequency resonances, and these can really hit the compressor hard, causing it to respond erratically to certain notes and strums and not others.
Cutting the low-frequency resonances before the compressor can help tame the low-frequency anomalies before they reach the compressor, making for more transparent and natural processing. No amount of low-frequency EQ after the compressor can do this. Another situation like this is where a singer occasionally taps their foot on their mic stand: the low-frequency thump will trigger a brief and unmusical gain dip from the compressor unless low-frequency EQ has been used to remove it first.
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