Compressor fun

Benreturns

New member
Ive just spent my saturday morning playing with my new compressor. Ive finally got it working - (thanx to all of you who helped there!) and ive been trying out settings left right and center. It does alot and im happy with it.

However, id like to know what kind of settings people out there use? Just for some ideas. For instance which is that setting that cuts off your s's? Thoo annoyin (g). Id like a powerfull vocal sound, but rounded. What settings give what characteristics?

for instance - high attack and slow release do what? vice versa? Threshold and ratio?? ive been playing but need a leg up to help with what settings typically give what effect.

Cheers
 
Yo Ben! First of all, that item that cuts off your s's is called a de-esser, and is a specialized form of EQ, not compression. I don't know what compressor you are using, but these are the basics-
Threshold, often expressed in decibels, is the point where the compressor is set to engage. A low threshold is used when you want the compressor to act a lot, keeping the signal strength in a very narrow range. A high threshold is used when you only want to control a few excursions that are really too loud, in other words, the peaks.
Ratio expresses the amount of compression that will be applied when the compressor acts. Let's say your threshold is 100db, and your ratio is 3:1. This would be fairly common for tracking vocals. The compressor does nothing until the signal reaches 100db. When it does, for every 3db above the threshold, the compressor will allow 1db. So 112db now=104db. Think of this as a soft ceiling. When the ratio is very high, say 20:1, the compressor is now called a limiter, and the soft ceiling just became a brick wall.
Attack determines how fast the compressor will act to control a signal that exceeds the threshold. With a high attack value, a fraction of a second peak may be allowed by the compressor, but if it stays there, the compressor will act. Release defines how long the compressor will continue to remain engaged once it has acted. Generally, for stuff thats very dynamic, I would recommend fast attack and release times. For stuff that is less dynamic, the reverse.
I would also recommend the highest threshold and the lowest ratio for tracking that will yield acceptable results. Once it's there, getting rid of it requires re-amping, and is a royal pain in the ass at mixdown. Unless you're using it as an effect, for a "compressed sound", the less you use, the better.
Some compressors act as a filter, and can modify sound whether or not they are doing anything. This can be good or bad. Often the difference between a good compressor and a bad one is- 1. Can you hear it when it kicks in or disengages? This is called "artifact" and pretty much sucks. 2. Does it remove sound from the signal, like an EQ, when it engages? This also generally sucks. Most cheap compressors do both of the above, and that's why they're cheap.
I use 2 compressors for very different reasons. The first is the FMR RNC. Mostly I use it because it's the only cheap compressor I've heard that doesn't scrub off highs and produce audible artifact. You don't even know it's there, but you know when it's not. The other is a Joemeek optical compressor that's built into the twinQ, a 2 channel preamp with EQ and compression. The Joemeek is an agressive compressor that often is flattering to vocals, producing just enough distortion to sound like a good old tube amp. It is also a useful filter for vocals. I often use it with the threshold (slope in Britspeak) at max, the ratio (Brit compression) at minimum, the attack at max and release at minimum.
In theory, when a compressor is set this way, it will do *nothing*, but with the Joemeek, it changes the sound just because it's turned on. What settings you use on a compressor depends on the signal, and why you're using compression in the first place. As a rule, less is better than more. Hope this helps.-Richie
 
Wow

Thats great - thanks man

Funnily enough ive heard of a 'de-esser' but never made the connection with what i was talking about!

The settings you quoted for average vocal compression i will use as a good jumping off point for my sound. I wasnt very good with the decibel technical jargon,but your description paints it just like a picture so thanks very much!

I will use my noise gate at very minimal settings just to cut certain frequuencies and the threshold/ratio as above. Attack and release I will mess about with according to the sound im after.

Thanx again!
 
Richard Monroe said:
Yo Ben! First of all, that item that cuts off your s's is called a de-esser, and is a specialized form of EQ, not compression. I


Acutally a de-esser is a specialized form of compression, not EQ.
It's just side-chained with an EQ so that the compressor only affects the sibilant range.
You can't do it with a compressor alone unless it has a built-in desser function, but you can do it with a compressor + EQ.
 
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