TO Compress or no to compress...

[NickSpringfield]

So is compression really necessary on vocals if the singer is trained and can maintain the same tone and volume throughout the whole song? I'm just wondering, because I'm expanding my horizons and trying to mix some straight acoustic songs and the singer is pretty dead on.

Now I know you'll say that if it sounds good, then don't touch it (which I don't think I will), but I'm just wondering if it's a common practice to compress no matter what or if it depends strictly on the track in question.

Thanks,
Springfield

[Massive Master]

It really depends on what the song is asking for - I try to avoid it if I can, but sometimes a little gentle leveling can be nice too...

Maybe throw on a compressor at -40 or so at 1.1:1 perhaps... Just so the vocal is almost always into it, but just a whisker.

But of course, if it sounds just right without it, leave it off.

[Chris Shaeffer]

When you have a hammer everything looks like a nail.

My opinion is that you only compress when you need or want to. If the singer is dead on why change it? If its folky acoustic then maybe compression isn't a great idea. Pop-y? Try it and see. Acoustic rock? Sure, try it. Ideally you should know what you're going for if your- and experiementing is how you find that kind of stuff out.

Take care,
Chris

[bennychico11]

Originally Posted by NickSpringfield

Now I know you'll say that if it sounds good, then don't touch it (which I don't think I will), but I'm just wondering if it's a common practice to compress no matter what or if it depends strictly on the track in question.

i keep going back to some recordings Bruce Miller did that are on his site. He recorded/mixed them with no EQ and no compression and they still sound wonderful.
a lot of it has to do with mic positioning, mic choice, and musician...but it can definitely be done if you put the time and care into it.

[bigtoe]

Originally Posted by Chris Shaeffer

When you have a hammer everything looks like a nail.

that is so true...i built up a collection of nice gear over the past decade...last night i made roughs with no compression or eq...it sounded great...DOH!

Mike

[60's guy]

I agree that if your singer has good control you probably require zero or only a very small amount of compression.

I don't recall who originally posted this, but I saved it for reference:

An important factor for having a vocal track sit well is to consider how you recorded it. If you’re like me at all, you may a tendency to move on and off the mic or turn your head. So how much compression should you use at the input stage? It varies from person to person. EQ, while important, plays a secondary role IMO, as the use of EQ will vary depending on your voice.

Here is a great read I discovered a while back on compressing vocals at the input stage. Harvey Gerst and Alan Hyatt are notable people in the recording industry.

The question was:

How DO you handle a singer that moves all over the place?

Harvey Gerst wrote:

Okay, remember that volume drops off with the square of the distance for small "point sources" (whether it's a singer or a P.A. system). It's called the "inverse square" law. Let's see how it works out in actual use:

Let's say the singer is 2" from the mic. If the singer moves back to 4", the output from the mic will drop to 1/2 of what it was (-6dB). If the singer moves back to 8", the sound will drop to 1/4 (-12dB) of what it was at 2", and 1/8 (-18dB) of the original level if the singer moves back to 16". So a 7" swing either way can make a big difference in the recording level.

Think of it this way. You are singing 2” away from the mic and getting a good signal strength from the mic into your recorder without clipping or distorting. If you move your head back to 4” away the signal strength will be reduced by ½ of what it was.

But let's move the singer back 2' from the mic. In order to double or halve the signal from that distance, the singer would hafta move in to the 1' mark or out to the 4' mark - a lot harder to do. Moving 7" back and forth at 2 or 3' will only result in a few dB or so difference in level.

In close, you need compression to keep the levels consistent; far less compression (or no compression) when the singer is further away. It also helps with the singer's head-turning problems.

But, you might ask, won't moving the singer that far back from the mic change the sound drastically?

You bet it will, and that's why I said I've learned over the years how different mics work at different distances. Figure 8 and hypercardioid mics have greater amounts of proximity effect than cardioids and wide cardioids, so I'll use those patterns if I need proximity effect at a greater than usual distance.

If there's too much room sound at that distance, I'll use a couple of sound deadening panels, set up in a "V" to reduce the effect of the room.

Alan Hyatt wrote:

I have had many issues with singers who have jumping beans in their pants. I usually can get a pretty good even recording by using a FET compressor, but I really prefer nailing their feet to the floor.

What I like about FET compressors is that they are very fast.
VCA compressors while quick, are not as fast as most FET's, and Optical is just a bit too slow for this kind of job, but a very fast attack with a ratio of about 2:1 to 5:1 has pretty much done the job for me in keeping the singer level when his beans start heating up, but each vocalist is different. So, even if the vocalist moves a couple of inches I am pretty well taken care of in either bringing up the level, or keeping it down. Since the ratio is light, you really don't hear much of the compressor at all. From there, I work with it in the mix if I need to.

Harvey is correct that proximity can be better on certain mics in different patterns, but you all have to have the experience of knowing which ones they are, and how the tend to alter the sound of what your trying to capture. Trying to keep the vocalists concentration on what they are doing is the best way, but for those who can't...FET, FET, FET!

Harvey Gerst wrote:

The singer faces into the open part of the V, like this:

o (assuming the 'o' is the singer)
V (the 'V' is the two sound deadening baffles)

At Village Recorders in L.A., they had a 3-sided 8'x8'x7' tall room, made with PVC pipes, with cool tie-dyed or paisley material around the back, both sides, and over the top. A nice Persian rug was on the floor.

I think it was set up for Christine McVey (Fleetwood Mac), since her piano was there as well. She could sit or stand in this little room (inside the studio) and do vocals without distractions, and the material was heavy enough to block some of the room reflections. It could be taken down or put up in about 15 minutes.

Alan is absolutely correct about having a fast compressor available when you can't get the distance, for whatever reasons. It doesn't solve the problem of the singer turning their head (and you hear all the high end in their voice disappear), but at least it keeps the levels steady.

It's a big problem with inexperienced singers and there's no real cure, except to point it out to them, and hope they learn.

[NickSpringfield]

Wow, fantastic information guys. I'm gonna go back to it tonight after work and mess with some stuff. That quote at the end was a good read as well. Thanks to everyone who responded.

-Springfield

[rivv3t]

I've recently been corresponding with someone who makes their living from mastering mixes and the bottom line seems to be:
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

I do all of my mixing and composing with a sequencer and most instruments have either already been compressed or touched up by the time I get to mixdown.

If compression helps, use it but it's not written in stone that you have to compress everything any more than is the order in which you perform mastering techniques. The goal is a competitive CD, right? So make it sound good, however you need to accomplish that.

Sometimes all you may need is a final EQ, maybe some high end fairy dust if you're into those sort of gadgets and ultimately limiting to get your levels hot.

Depends on the piece and what you've already done in the mix.

[60's guy]

Originally Posted by rivv3t

If compression helps, use it....sometimes all you may need is a final EQ, maybe some high end fairy dust...

Absolutely correct!