sonic foundry track compressor

[jugalo180]

okay i know very little about compression. when i use the suggested 6:1compression, attack, and release settings in vegas or acid on stacked vocals. i'm then stuck in the wind with the auto gain compensation, smooth saturation, and amount x:1. it seems that the auto gain is self explanitory. it boosts the compressed dynamics to the original loudness of the before compressed track, so it seems, when i view the compressed and uncompressed track in a wave editor. i've been practicing on accapella tracks from cd's. the average dynamics are around -6db's. when i view proffessional tracks stripped from cd's in the wave editor there is still some clipping. the volume is set to 0db 100% . looking at my mixes on sound forge, where should i try to get my wave to sit? -6db?

[jugalo180]

any suggestions?, anyone?

[kormaniac]

Well...I'm surely no pro, however, i think the most important thing is to get the vocals to be 'seated' right in your mix....not necessarily at 0 db 100%.

Usually, the only time I use compression with vocals is if there are some exceptionally loud bursts that need to be lowered somewhat relative to the rest of the vocal track. What i will usually do is solo the vocal track with no compression and look on the output levels of the output bus. I'll find the average volume level of the track....say its around -6db. Then, if there are parts that peak up to -3db of higher....and they sound too loud I will put the threshold around -5db and use a 2:1 ratio for starters....and maybe bump that up to 3 or 4:1 if necessary. This will cut all the volume levels above -5db. Chances are, I won't use the gain compression and i'll adjust the levels as desired with volume. Depending on the vocal bursts that go far above your average level, you may want to shorten your attack and release times to make sure you lower the quick bursts. Now, you don't want to overcompress....because then its all at the same level and you have no dynamics from soft to loud...etc. It took me a long time to really understand what was going on with the compressor....lots of reading....and lots of trial and error....hope this helps some! But overall...i think relative vocal levels to your mix is most important.

[jugalo180]

karmaniac, thanks for the generous tip. you say that you don't over compress so not to squash any dynamics, that would be like compressing the hell out of an opera song right? it takes the magic away from the song. i do hip hop so the music i do from what i have read pretty much benifits from everything being on the same level, to a certain extent of course, that's if i've been getting the correct understanding from some of these threads. thanks again for helping me out.

[kormaniac]

Well...what the compressor is doing is 'evening' out the sound level....as you compress more and more....you approach having all levels below whatever threshold level you set. However, when you have to compress a lot....you can also end up with some strange effects to the original sound....
But....if you care very little about dynamics....then you probably have more room to compress and don't have to worry about overcompressing as much.

When I first starting mixing I was waaaay over compressing things....(I was just using the compressor because...well...everyone else did!!) then I pretty much stopped using the compressor altogether...and tried to use it only if I needed to help even out the vocals. I would also use it a bit on the snare drum to make each 'crack' at about the same level.

I've found that the final song sounds better....the less effects you can get away with....Don't use the compressor...if you don't think you have to.

[jugalo180]

thanks i'll give very little compression a try.

[eclips1]

Those proffessional accapellas are mastered that your listening to. Don't worry about getting your mix that loud and always at 0. Focus on getting your mix to sound good. Use a compressor if the vocal track is uneven and needs to be more level. If every track in your song was compressed to hell like those accapellas, it would not sound right. After your mixed then you can use compression to make the mix as loud as you want, but understand, these professional CD's are using equipment you may not have to make it that loud. Finalizers and such. Waves L1 maximizer is not a bad tool.

[jugalo180]

thanks everyone.