Multiband Compressor

[legacygone]

Hi all -

So I've been using cubase for over a year, but mostly as a writing tool. However, in the last two weeks I undertook a "big" project of recording my whole band. So I borrowed a friend's SX3 equiped laptop for tracking ( I plan to mix on my PC) and experimented with some plug-ins that he has.

My question is, why is the multiband compressor that comes with sx3 so powerful. I mean I tried sonus comp, sony comp, classic comp, and a few others.. and they are all very gentle and really take some paying attention to see what they are doing. But the multiband compressor boosts the volume so much before I even start changing setting. and there are no regular compressor controls (threshold, ration, etc.) Are there just preset setting, if so, does any one know what they are?

I'm just curious because I do like what it does sometimes, however I have never had to mixdown, or master anything I did in cubase and so I am not sure how this will effect thing.

[scrubs]

Dunno about that specific one, but it probably has built-in make-up gain. I know the slimslowslider c3 (another free multiband plug) has like a 12dB boost when you enable the plugin, that you have to manually disengage. Seems to follow the "louder is better" philosophy.

[noisewreck]

The Cubase Multiband is unusual in several ways. As you said it doesn't have regular threshold/ratio and such controls. Instead, you set the compression curve for each band separately (or if you chose you can gang them all together). That in itself is not that unusual, except for the fact that you can have many breakpoints on the curve, so you can have expansion here, compression there, and linear responce somewhere else. As stated, the curve allows you to set it both as a compressor and an upward expander. In the section above you set the bandwidths for each band and their relative levels. In operation that section is the same as the EQ section of QuadraFuzz. The best way to set it is to solo each band and set it's compression controls as you like, and then listen to the whole thing, and adjust the levels of each band to adjust the overall frequency balance.

There are no presets that I can think of (well, I believe it does come with presets, but they will not be useful 99.9999999999% of the time).

Experiment, listen, use your ears, repeat.

[legacygone]

Thank You, thats very helpful.

Because every little change is so drastic, does it translate well on to home stereos and such? I guess my real question is, is it valuble enough of a tool to try and master? or should I spend my time trying to master the way normal compressors work?

[noisewreck]

Originally Posted by legacygone

Thank You, thats very helpful.

Because every little change is so drastic, does it translate well on to home stereos and such? I guess my real question is, is it valuble enough of a tool to try and master? or should I spend my time trying to master the way normal compressors work?

You could use it for mastering purposes, but from my point of view a more conventional one would probably get you there faster. Plus, my overall view on multiband compression and limiting is that if your mix needs it, then there is fundamentally something wrong with the mix itself. Better to fix the actual mix rather than resort to multiband compression trying to fix tonal deficiencies that shouldn't be there in the first place.

Personally, I use multiband compression either as a special effect, or on individual synth tracks where I have things such as filter sweeps with high resonance. This allows me to control resonant peaks when the filter frequency hits some natural harmonic of the sound, in a much more transparent manner than a conventional compressor would allow.

[legacygone]

Originally Posted by noisewreck

You could use it for mastering purposes, but from my point of view a more conventional one would probably get you there faster. Plus, my overall view on multiband compression and limiting is that if your mix needs it, then there is fundamentally something wrong with the mix itself. Better to fix the actual mix rather than resort to multiband compression trying to fix tonal deficiencies that shouldn't be there in the first place.

Personally, I use multiband compression either as a special effect, or on individual synth tracks where I have things such as filter sweeps with high resonance. This allows me to control resonant peaks when the filter frequency hits some natural harmonic of the sound, in a much more transparent manner than a conventional compressor would allow.

Thank you very much!

[XLR]

The main problem I notice with multiband compressors is the sound quality of the filters they use to separate the various frequency bands. A simple test: Set the multiband compressor's controls so that the crossovers are where you'll need them but there's no gain reduction in any frequency band, and no make-up gain. Listen to a mix while A/B'ing with and without the plugin turned on. Some MBCs will make the mix sound veiled or murky just by being turned on.

Tim

[CIRO]

I agree ,Tim .A very common mistake is aplly these MB compressors (and ,worst, normal compressor) trying to give "punch" to a mix. What happens, in most cases, is the contrary,and your mix will lacks punch and dinamics (if someone don´t know how multiband parameters works , the better way is stay away... ) .
Comparing the mix with / without multiband/limiters and equalizers plug ins (exactly the same volume )is the right thing .It shows that we usually tend to "over" equalize and "over" compress, and it´s a very dangerous thing...