i can't quite grasp how to use compression...

[tocs]

i've read about it, i know what it does but i'm not quite sure when i should use it, i find it a little hard to "hear" it.

I have various compression plugins to experiment with.

when is the best time to use compression? the only time i can think of is when the volume of say a clean guitar has too much dynamic range it could be used to tame it a little.

I don't know how to use it on distorted guitars i guess it's not usually needed since it's already compressed but i hear of people using compression on guitars allot.
Is it used to kind of glue different layers of tracked guitars together?

[Harvey Gerst]

Originally Posted by tocs

i've read about it, i know what it does but i'm not quite sure when i should use it, i find it a little hard to "hear" it.

Think of it as a movable rubber ceiling that you can adjust the height and rubber hardness of. It controls how high (loudness=height) a signal can go.

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Originally Posted by tocs

i've read about it, i know what it does but i'm not quite sure when i should use it, i find it a little hard to "hear" it.

Like any tool from a screwdriver to an MRI machine, you use it when the situation calls for it .

I know that's not much of an answer by itself, but helps illuminate the answer to the second part of your statement. Don't worry so much about "hearing it" - it has been said at times that if you can hear the compression, your probably using too much. Instead concentrating on hearing it's absence and hearing when it might be needed.

One example (there are a thousand possible examples, BTW) would be when you have a particular instrument track where because of pecularities of the instrument (DI'd electric bass, etc.) or unevenness in the performance (drummer with a tentative foot, vocalist with lousy mic tecnhnique, etc.), you're just not getting a consistant volume and trying to get the track to fit in the mix is like trying to flatten an air bubble under a plastic sheet; when you get one part at the right level, another part of the same track then sticks out unnaturally.

Another symptom or example would be if you have a track that won't fit in the mix because it's dynamic range (the difference between it's loudest peaks and it's quietest troughs) is too high and you need to flatten it out a bit. This can often manifest itself as a track where to get it loud enough to hear in the mix, you have to drive the peaks into clipping, and conversely, if you keep the track from clipping, it's too quiet to hear in the mix.

There are a thousand other exaqmples, and it takes an attentive ear, plenty of practice, and maybe a little basic guidance to learn more about just how and when to use it by how much. Only you can supply the first two. As to the latter, I know someone around here has a free tutorial and reference info on compression. Now who was that again?....

G.

[cusebassman]

Originally Posted by SouthSIDE Glen

As to the latter, I know someone around here has a free tutorial and reference info on compression. Now who was that again?....

G.

Reeeeeported.

Compression is a tricky thing, because sometimes it is necessary, sometimes it makes the overall sound of a track better, and sometimes it can ruin things completely.

The instances above are going examples of when you need compression - when the dynamics are, for one reason or another, out of control.

Times where it sounds good are completely subjective. One instance is in a vocal recording I was running tests using last night. I just wanted to try out some positioning in my room and such, so I was singing the first verse and chorus of the Del Shannon tune "Runaway". The beginning is a moderate volume, but by the chorus, the notes get high enough that I have to start pushing some air. The difference isn't so major that I was good at starting volume and clipping at the end, but there was too much differential among the high and low peaks, as the track progressed. Slapped the compressor on, messed around a bit so the Threshold was only hitting the heavier stuff, and had to add make-up gain of about 3dB when all was said and done.

This made the vocal sound fantastic - it wasn't set to music, so I didn't have to worry about how it would sit in a mix, of course, but the dynamics were still there, only they now sat in a range tolerable coming out of my monitors with the volume left untouched through the track.

Of course, this is one of just many scenarios where it helps. It helps give drums a more up-front sound, since it "amplifies" what would otherwise be diminishing overtones coming from the drums. It is mentioned a lot in regard to distorted guitars since usually they want all the volume they can get, so compressing the signal means that there is more high-gain output than there is lost overtones, etc.

Situations where it is overused and/or bad? Turn on the radio. The Avril Lavigne song "Girlfriend" came on as I drove to work this morning, and it about damn near blew my ears off (I was swiching from CD where I was listening to a Bob Dylan tune from his latest album). While those two songs represent entirely different genres of music, the Dylan tune had a very nice jazz-tone to the lead guitar playing, and the player was using volume as well as tone (and the notes, of course), to make his musical point.

The Lavigne song was a constant volume, and that was loud as humanly tolerable. Again, I realise the point of the modern rock stuff isn't to be overly emotionally expressive - its more geared toward toward upbeat dancing in clubs and crap - but they also don't need to compress every last instrument flat and then crank the gain to -2dB.

I rest my case!

[flatfinger]

Here is an example of how I used it recently. Sanga song ( I'm not an accomplished singer). I should have kept further away from the mic when I was belting it out and got closer when I was doing the quiet parts. Since I was using a nice ,sensitive condesor mic, It still sounded pretty good, But that was at 85db or so monitoring level. Since I 'm not sure what level my intended audience (those with very bad taste , who listen to me sing!!!) I listened at lower volumes and when I listen carefully , words "dropped out" . Thats when I turned to Mr. compressor to bail me out!!!!!

[chessrock]

Originally Posted by Harvey Gerst

Think of it as a movable rubber ceiling that you can adjust the height and rubber hardness of. It controls how high (loudness=height) a signal can go.

Or just think of it as an adjustable rubber ...

that allows you to adjust the length of your woody.

Attack time: Controls just how aggressive your woody can get. Shorter attack time allows greater control over said woody ... making sure your woody stays firmly in your trousers.

Slow attack allows said woody a little more leway ... allowing woody greater attack and punch.

Ratio dictates just how long woody can get. High ratio means woody stays in trousers. Low ratio means woody gets to play.

.

[zed32]

Originally Posted by chessrock

Or just think of it as an adjustable rubber ...

that allows you to adjust the length of your woody.

Attack time: Controls just how aggressive your woody can get. Shorter attack time allows greater control over said woody ... making sure your woody stays firmly in your trousers.

Slow attack allows said woody a little more leway ... allowing woody greater attack and punch.

Ratio dictates just how long woody can get. High ratio means woody stays in trousers. Low ratio means woody gets to play.

.

so then what does "output gain" do?

[Archiegood]

I'm taken by the wonderful explanations you responders have provided. Bravo! Well, the woody one was somewhat confusing....

My software, Audacity, has a "normalize" effect. I'm not quite sure how that functions in relation to a compressor.

Any recommendations?

[zed32]

Originally Posted by Archiegood

I'm taken by the wonderful explanations you responders have provided. Bravo! Well, the woody one was somewhat confusing....

My software, Audacity, has a "normalize" effect. I'm not quite sure how that functions in relation to a compressor.

Any recommendations?

normalize doesn't do any compression at all. it just finds the highest peak in the track and raises the volume so that the peak is at 0.

[Archiegood]

I see......

Should I even bother using it, then?

[chessrock]

If you feel like it.

.