One man band newbie question - Vocals and compression

fabkebab1

New member
Ok I know what compression does (reduce the dynamic range of a recorded signal). I see there are probably a zillion old posts which answer general compression FAQ type stuff .

The trouble is I have never really used one (I must have had my head in the sand) and I see that it is considered a great tool when processing vocal tracks.

But what does it really do to vocals? In what way does it improve the sound of a singer (does it make sustained notes sound better, etc?)- what are the vocal qualities which are enhanced or the vocal blunders which are surpressed with Compression?

You are welcome to listen to any of my music(posted at the bottom, vocals are pretty horrible tonally but volumewise seemed ok) and comment on how compression might have improved it. I didnt use compression on any of the music in the first link, the second link was done in a studio so ignore it as I have no idea what was done...

thanks
 
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Thanks Middleman - I went through the old posts and read them, and of course this one - I just wanted a sort of "organic" description of what compression can offer to vocals -

For example, "Compression is great for bringing out the breathing sounds between lines for a more moody sound" etc.

I guess its more about the potential of compression on a vocal track rather than a technical question (i do understand the technical bit, from looking at your links plus the others though, thanks!)
 
fabkebab1 said:
Thanks Middleman - I went through the old posts and read them, and of course this one - I just wanted a sort of "organic" description of what compression can offer to vocals -

For example, "Compression is great for bringing out the breathing sounds between lines for a more moody sound" etc.

I guess its more about the potential of compression on a vocal track rather than a technical question (i do understand the technical bit, from looking at your links plus the others though, thanks!)

Depends on the voice i guess. Some voices will benefit from compression more than others. i use heavy compression on mine (5:1). But some people advise only light compression. The way i would describe it is it evens out the variations in sounds produced by the voice, some some of the lower syllabls it brings up and also controls some of the louder notes and brings them down to an acceptable level without clipping. This combination of bringing up and taking down means it compressess the voice into the 'middle' and makes it stronger/more powerful sounding!!!

I use it when tracking in order to control peaks in my voive so I can record at a high volume level which helps me when mixing to fit the vocal into the mix. A vocal recorded at a high volume means I've got flexibility with the voice when it comes to fitting it in the mix.

Depending on your particular voice you may need more or less compression. You'll only discover what's cbest for your voice by experimenting.

Ever experience that when you come to mix its difficult to make out some of the sylabals in your lyric whilst other lines are OK, so you end up pushing the slider up and down when mixing? Compression could help to fix that.

Anyway, I'm only an amateur messing around at home, but those are my limited experiences with compression and describing what it does for the voice!
 
Hi there GlynB -
Thats exactly the sort of answer I was hoping for from this thread - A sort of "organic" answer -

Its interesting for me because I have a pretty strong theoretical background in digital signal processing (from the study of seismic waves) but its interesting how weakly I can connect it with the real world of recording music.
 
Compression done right with the right compressor will help a vocal appear more forward in the mix and sit a little more consistantly in a mix. Its a way to get the vocal to stay up front through the whole song regardless of dynamic variations of the performance. There are a lot of more subtle qualities but they would be hard to describe here quickly. I love vocal compression and actually use higher ratios than the previous poster described.

The big thing about compression is the right gear is REALLY important. A good compressor will help the vox sound big and warm and up front and a crappy compressor with the exact same settings will make the vocal sound dull and small. Try out an Alesis 3060 if you ever want a nice example of a compressor destroying a vocal.
 
i use to have an alesis 3630 and i didnt understand what the fuss about compression was. i then bought an RNC and wow its the best thing ive ever bought. the point being, if you get the right tools, you get the job done right.
 
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