Someone Help me with Compression

[ShannonBook]

I have absolutely no idea what I am doing when it comes to recording. I understand that is all about my ear. I just don't know how to get what I want to hear. I would like to learn about compression as much as I can.

[Gandalf]

Southside Glen has some stuff about compression on his web page that is good. Find a post by him, look at his profile and go to his home page.

[Daisy]

What do you want to know about it?




Here's some reading homework for you ...

http://www.theprojectstudiohandbook.com/articles3.htm

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Originally Posted by Gandalf

Southside Glen has some stuff about compression on his web page that is good. Find a post by him, look at his profile and go to his home page.

Thanks G.

ShannonBook, head on over to independentrecording.net and click on the "Compression Uncompressed" icon towards the lower right of the main screen. That will open a window with a full hyperbook tutorial on introductory compression. That should give you just about everything youl need to know to get started.

G.

[SonicAlbert]

Originally Posted by ShannonBook

I have absolutely no idea what I am doing when it comes to recording. I understand that is all about my ear. I just don't know how to get what I want to hear. I would like to learn about compression as much as I can.

I guess my question is: if you say you have absolutely no idea what you are doing, how do know you need compression? There are many things you need to know before compression.

What is it you want to record, and what equipment are you currently using?

I think the biggest problem with compression is that people either use it when it isn't needed, or they use it even though they have no idea how.

Read Glenn's article. And most importantly, practice with the settings. Take them to the extreme, to where you can hear how each parameter of the compressor (attack, release, makeup gain, etc) effects the sound. Then bring it down and use common sense for what settings to use for whatever track/song you have it on.

And from my experience, don't pay attention to the meters. Just listen. Do a lot of A/B'ing with the compressor on and bypassed.

After some practice you will realize that a lot of stuff just doesn't need it, and you will know what settings to start off with and how to fine tune it by using your ears.

[ShannonBook]

Well Herb, I can see your point about many other things to learn. I am simply messing with recording by trial and error. I am recording a song that I have written on a Boss BR-1600. I have had it for about 3 years and have learned some stuff about the basics. I am simply delving into a new relm, so it would be greatly appreciated if you would just help and not make me feel dumb. Thank you.

Shannon

[ShannonBook]

Danny thank you for your info man that is definately good insight. I'll give it a try.

[RAMI]

Originally Posted by ShannonBook

Well Herb, I can see your point about many other things to learn. I am simply messing with recording by trial and error. I am recording a song that I have written on a Boss BR-1600. I have had it for about 3 years and have learned some stuff about the basics. I am simply delving into a new relm, so it would be greatly appreciated if you would just help and not make me feel dumb. Thank you.

Shannon

That was an ignorant post. "Herb" is well respected around here and what he said was meant to be helpful, if you weren't so defensive. Maybe one day, if you ever learn anything about recording, you'll think back and realize that you should have thanked him for what he said.

[SonicAlbert]

I didn't mean to make you feel dumb. The question was more literal than that, I really *was* wondering why you felt you needed compression. Why compression intrigues you instead of mic placement, preamps, reverb, effects, to name a few examples.

My questions and comments were definitely intended to help.

So I'm still asking part of the same question again: what are you recording? Voice, guitar, keyboards?

You have a good recorder there, so you should be able to do some good work.

Before compression, the first thing to work on is getting your gain staging right. This will have a huge impact on how good your recorded tracks sound. The idea is to get a good signal to noise ratio. This means that you want your recorded signal hot enough that the residual noise of the mic/preamp is very low in comparison. Two common mistakes are to record too low, meaning that the quality of the track is compromised due to a high noise floor competing with the music, and recording too hot, which leads to distortion and generally pushing the gear past it's sweet spot.

An outboard compressor can help with that if used properly, but is not necessary. And probably to be avoided until you get a little further along. Better to learn things the right way first and then add gear gradually as your needs and knowledge grows. Compression can be overdone very easily and you can ruin your recordings with it if it's over used.

What mics are you using?

[ShannonBook]

Well Herb, I am sorry for taking you the wrong way. Please forgive me. I am direct recording my keyboard. I also direct lined my Acoustic/elec. guitar. My distortion on the other hand is being done on my Spider II with Mk II 4 X 12 half stack. I am mic'ed with a SM57 it is placed about 1'.5 inches away from he right top speaker. in the upper left hand corner of the speaker. I generally set my input on the recorder to just before it peaks as to not get any clipping. Still happens some. Well any suggestions with what i have shared with ya so far?

[ShannonBook]

Duely noted RAMI. I am new around here big guy. Maybe you should let me and Herb work out our differences instead of trying to protect everyone. Thank you though. I do understand that he is trying to help from his last reply. And yes thank you for pointing out once again that I know nothing about this revelatious buisness

[mshilarious]

Originally Posted by ShannonBook

I generally set my input on the recorder to just before it peaks as to not get any clipping. Still happens some. Well any suggestions with what i have shared with ya so far?

Turn down your preamp another 6 or 9dB. There is no need for any clipping at all. That's a bad kind of compression

Next, look at each track and decide why it needs compression. Bass is a common one, especially direct bass. Especially if the performance is uneven or not punchy (that would be me). You can use the attack setting to create punch where once there was none.

On electric guitar, sometimes you need compression, sometimes you don't. A heavily distorted guitar may already have a limited dynamic range. A clean guitar might be more like the bass example above.

Vocals are commonly compressed to even out levels, and thus keep the vocal on top of the mix. This is sometimes separated by frequency range, as in a multiband compressor. Be careful here though! While a multiband can de-ess, and add excitement in the highs while keeping the dynamics of the midrange (credit to Motown), injudicious use of a multiband can quickly destroy a track or mix.

Then there is the topic of using compressors strictly for their particular flavor. I do that a lot. In fact, the color I want from the compressor is so closely associated with the source that I always reach for certain plugs for certain instruments. That knowledge only comes with experimentation. Besides, I don't know what plugs you are using, and if I did, I probably haven't used them myself!

[RAMI]

Originally Posted by ShannonBook

Duely noted RAMI. I am new around here big guy. Maybe you should let me and Herb work out our differences instead of trying to protect everyone. Thank you though. I do understand that he is trying to help from his last reply. And yes thank you for pointing out once again that I know nothing about this revelatious buisness

Your passive aggressiveness would be really annoying if it wasn't so obvious. I wasn't trying to protect "everyone" , I was simply pointing out that someone was trying to help you. But your insecurity and paranoia made you respond with a whiny, defensive post. It seems to cloud your already impaired judgement.

You must be a real blast in a relationship.

[SonicAlbert]

I agree that you should record the guitar a little softer. If you are still getting occasional distortion then you are recording to hot. The level doesn't have to be right up there touching on distortion (the bad distortion) all the time.

Your keyboard doesn't need compression, because you can easily control that with the volume control. And keyboards are generally sort of "pre compressed" anyway.

It doesn't sound like the acoustic/electric is giving you any problems. And since the keys and acoustic/electric are direct, there really isn't much you can do to mess it up.

So it looks like you are thinking of compression to tame those peaks on your distorted guitar.

My opinion would be to turn the recording volume back a bit more on the distorted guitar track, far enough down that you don't get any distorted peaks at all. You can always turn it up later in the mix, and at that point it's a clean track.

Once you've mastered that I think you can start to look at a compressor. But instead of needing one to compensate for having your recorder settings too loud, you will be looking at one for the right reasons, which are tone and character.

Do you record vocals as well, or just instrumentals?

[Ethan Winer]

Originally Posted by ShannonBook

I would like to learn about compression as much as I can.

Here's a very basic explanation:

http://www.ethanwiner.com/compressors.html

--Ethan