Yamaha MD8 and compression

[nick6572]

I am new to this so bear with me please. I read about folks adding compression after they record tracks. Can I do this with this unit or am I stuck with compression per track as I record them? Can I run a compressor through the AUX input and compress during bounce?? The manual is not clear only mentioning compression on the I/O imputs on channels 1 and 2. Any help is appreciated.

[mjbee]

Originally posted by nick6572
The manual is not clear only mentioning compression on the I/O imputs on channels 1 and 2.

Compression is an effect that, almost without fail, you have to have in-line with a track. This means insert points. The MD8 has 2 inserts in channel 1 + 2 only, and you would use those for compression during tracking. Or you could use them for compression during playback (on channels 1 and 2).

Any other compression is down to you to figure out using "spare" facilities. The AUX sends are one part of this: You would have to accept that to Aux send your track to be compressed, that the fader would be up. You'd need to run the AUX send through to the compressor, and bring the return back to a spare input on the MD8 to record the result/mix the result. This is do-able, but you'd have to make 100% sure that the sent channel is only going out of the AUX to the compressor. Otherwise, your channel (before compression) ends up in with the post compression version -- what was the point of the compressor again ?

I'm trying to think how you could easily Aux-send and yet route the sound away from the mix bus, and I'm failing to think of it, so you'd struggle to use compression in a live "mixdown" situation.

In a re-record the compressed track situation, you'd find it easier to let the pre-compressed sound be panned left (e.g.) and pan the incoming compressed track right (e.g.) and only monitor the right side to hear the effects of compression.

Mike.