PURPOSE: To set freely the attack time without changing recovery time by providing a switching element charging rapidly an externally mounted capacitor.

CONSTITUTION: A signal applied to an input terminal is amplified by preamplifiers PA1-L, PA1-R and PA2-L, PA2-R in an integrated circuit IC and outputted from output terminals T4, T5, and when its output level reaches a certain level or over, transistors (TRs) Q1, Q2 of an attack time control circuit 23 are turned on via coupling circuits 21, 22, and a capacitor C1 is charged rapidly. The attack time of the automatic level control circuit is set freely from an external circuit as fast as possible independently of a detecting circuit built in the circuit IC in this way and the recovery time is set freely by selecting properly the constant of a resistor R1 and a capacitor C1 mounted externally. Then the attack time and the recovery time are set to a desired value at the same time.