What is the deal with compressors?

[ashcat_lt]

That sounds really cool. Bu I´m not getting it really. How do I ad one or two all-pass filters to my EQ? I would really like to hear what that does to the vocals of my track. I'm using Reaper with the ReaEQ plug-in.

In ReaEQ you just decide which of the bands you want to be all-pass, and then select all-pass from the drop-down menu. If you want to actually see what it's doing, click the Show Phase checkbox. It absolutely will not be particularly audible. The effect is real (a trick from broadcast to get that big full radio voice), but extremely subtle.

 

[YanKleber]

Right click on the audio item in the arrange window, I think it's under Take>Show Take Volume Envelope or something like that. Poke around in that context menu and you should find it.

Great, Ash, I found it!



And I can see AT LEAST two advantages on use it over the track automation:

1) The wave form grows and shrinks as you move the envelope dots – excellent visual aid!
2) Having the envelope tied to the take and not to the track turns easier to replicate the take in different parts of the song (I do this all the time)

 

[Farview]

Great, Ash, I found it!



And I can see AT LEAST two advantages on use it over the track automation:

1) The wave form grows and shrinks as you move the envelope dots – excellent visual aid!
2) Having the envelope tied to the take and not to the track turns easier to replicate the take in different parts of the song (I do this all the time)

#3) It adjusts the performance against itself. It can be used to keep the vocal hitting the compression in a consistent manner.

Fader automation adjusts the performance with the compression and EQ against the mix.

 

[ashcat_lt]

#3) It adjusts the performance against itself. It can be used to keep the vocal hitting the compression in a consistent manner.

Fader automation adjusts the performance with the compression and EQ against the mix.

Yeah. As mentioned above, Reaper does have a PreFX Volume Envelope which accomplishes that part, but doesn't really give the visual feedback, and isn't really "stuck to" the item the way the Take envelopes are.

 

[bouldersoundguy]

Yeah. As mentioned above, Reaper does have a PreFX Volume Envelope which accomplishes that part, but doesn't really give the visual feedback, and isn't really "stuck to" the item the way the Take envelopes are.

Ah, that's handy to know.

 

[Dicus]

Great, Ash, I found it!



And I can see AT LEAST two advantages on use it over the track automation:

1) The wave form grows and shrinks as you move the envelope dots – excellent visual aid!
2) Having the envelope tied to the take and not to the track turns easier to replicate the take in different parts of the song (I do this all the time)

Yeah, this is awesome! Love this topic, I can really hear the difference

 

[MrUserNameIV]

slow attack/fast release = aggressive
fast attack/slow release = mellow or pumping

Set the threshold till you like what you hear, adjust the knee to taste, and then ramp up the makeup gain so that it's not a lot quieter than without the compressor.

Now you can compress. . . sort of.

 

[CopparacciCleaz]

This thread will certainly sound weird for you. Even the simplest things for you are a big mystery for me.

OK, my problem here is with compressors. I cannot to learn how to use them because I simply don't understand them in a conceptual manner.

I am sure that I have misunderstood compressors my whole life. All those years I have had a compressor as a tool to make a track sound leveled, by reducing loud parts and raising the quiet ones. However every time I try to use it for leveling a vocal track it seems not to do anything. I can see the led (or the needle) of the VU bouncing as if it was doing something but for my ears it doesn't seem to be doing anything. For leveling my vocals I have used volume automation and it surely does a job that I can notice. So the question that remains for me is... what the hell the compressor REALLY does and why I don't manage to use it?

Just take a few hours and loop a drum or vocal track and literally sit there and play around with the knobs, also while reading the manual and listen to the subtle changes in your audio! Its actually pretty fun to do!