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Interesting question.
Ultimately, I think the answer really depends on the settings (esp. threshold, ratio, attack, and output) of each successive compressor. Think about it - if you squash your signal once with a low threshold and high ratio, there likely won't be anything left to compress at the next stage. So say, for example, your initial compression ratio was 25:1 and your threshold was -20dB (for simplicity, let's say a quick attack & no additional output gain). Then, at the next stage your threshold is -5dB and a ratio of 10:1 - the already-compressed signal coming through the second compressor would be below the threshold, so no additional compression would occur. Therefore, the compression would not be multiplied (i.e., 250:1) nor added (i.e., 35:1).
Now, under the opposite conditions (light compression followed by heavy compression), it would seem to me that the total compression would simply be the one that is compressing the signal the most. In other words, the total compression is equal to the maximum compression, rather than summing/multiplying. But, I'm just guessing and I'm thinking in terms of chopping off transients (which is what the ratio is really determining), rather than the overall effect on loudness, which is more related to output at each stage - I guess I've never really thought about it that much. 
Interesting.
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Last edited by cryophonik on Jul-23-2009 at 20:59
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