soft compressin songs...

[gkowal]

hey guys i have problems compressing songs..
i make hip hop beats.. this is what i usually do can somebody tell me what am i doing wrong?
i use WAVES renaissance compressor

snare, kick and hithats + percusions i compress with threshold -15db,ratio 5:0 to 8:0 and gain it to 0db

then when i have that compressed drums I add instruments which i don`t compress

and the last compression i do is the whole mix 2:1 to 3:0 with threshold 5db-9db

is that ok??

i have problems with ATTCK And Release because everywhere i read they tell me in ms and the compressor that i use uses some different numbers... attack is from 0.5 to 500 and release is from 5 to 5000

when they tell me to use attack of 5 ms what do i choose on my compressor??

[mallcore pop]

It's perfectly fine to mangle kicks and snares (snares sometimes twice, 3x through), just make sure they don't lose their impact and turn mushy and attackless (mod attack, fast release for general phattening).

Same deal with mixes, but lower threshold, lower ratio, slower release, 3 limiters and an ME :-).

[TexRoadkill]

Originally posted by gkowal
i have problems with ATTCK And Release because everywhere i read they tell me in ms and the compressor that i use uses some different numbers... attack is from 0.5 to 500 and release is from 5 to 5000

when they tell me to use attack of 5 ms what do i choose on my compressor??

Those numbers on your compressor would appear to be ms. If you want a 5ms attack then set your compressor to 5.0 As far as your settings go, who knows. It just depends on the part. Sometimes I use a slight touch and other times I pump the hell out of it.

[Teacher]

REn Comp has ARC (automatic release C....) just leave that on....and play with the attack

[vermades]

hey, new to the site, been browsing this site for awhile just found out now it had a forum ..anyhow, I'm doing urban tracks like the guy above. I have the R compressor too but have been mostly using c1 what is the big difference between the two? Seems like RC is a little more heavy on the resources.

[Teacher]

Originally posted by vermades
RC is a little more heavy on the resources.

that usually means more complex math which usually equals better sound quality. YMMV

[Morgoth]

The easiest way(but maybe not the best)to use the Waves RCL is put the Ratio on 2:1,put the ARC on and set the attack at around
halfway between fastest and slowest.

Then hit play.

Then SLOWLY pull down the Threshold to just above the level of the input meter next to it.(ie if your incoming signal is peaking at -7db on the RCL input meter,then pull the threshold down to -8db).

You should now see a slight gain reduction(which will be almost inaudible)on the orange gain reduction meter.The numbers underneath the gain reduction meter,should read no higher than 2.0db.

Adjust the Attack to suit the material,or to taste,or both

Ditto with the Ratio

.......But don't go overboard and ALWAYS keep your eyes glued to the gain reduction meter.Keep it low,try not to go over 2db of gain reduction unless you REALLY want the resulting effect.Stay on the safe side of compression,because the unsafe side can be FUCKIN nasty!

Much better to hit a track with 2db of reduction 3 times,one after the other, then to hit it once for 6db..........YMMV