Compression During Recording: Can It Mess Up Your EQ Options Later??

M

Mike Freze

New member
I hear so many people talk about using compression on vocals, bass, guitar, etc. while they record their original takes. Apparently, this keeps all your tracks smoother as you go along, with a more overall balanced dynamic range for all of the parts (especially if you "mix as you go along," track-by-track).

But if compression squeezes the dynamic range, will it also squeeze out many specific frequencies that good equipment or mics are designed to pick up during recording? Seems that one would lose some tonal qualities you wanted to capture; plus certain frequencies (or overtones) might be hard to work with if they are crunched out or set so balanced that many frequencies sound the same, at the same levels, and then you have to tweak the hell out of your EQ settings just to ge that tonality again.

Mike Freze
 
It's a can of worms... I like compression on some vocals as they go in but I like the sound of my (external compressor) Focusrite Liquid chanel, If I was using a comp in PT i would wait until I was mixing - just depends on what ya like - as long as you don't overdo it and the levels are good...
 
bruiser1964 said:
It's a can of worms... I like compression on some vocals as they go in but I like the sound of my (external compressor) Focusrite Liquid chanel, If I was using a comp in PT i would wait until I was mixing - just depends on what ya like - as long as you don't overdo it and the levels are good...
Click to expand...

These are the magic words bruiser!
 
I agree.
I think once ya get a handle on what comp does to a signal, use it as you wish.
Until then, I'd say track with it sparingly or not at all cuz once it's on there, ya can't take it off.
Maybe just comp during mixing til ya get it. Use the shit outta it. Twist the knobs to max then back em off to nothing. Tweak the hell out of it.
Just make sure you're working with a copy of the track and not the original. ;)
 
Providing you are sound checking first to make sure compression setting are what you want then I would say:

Mess up EQ options: no probably not
Change EQ Options: Possibly yes

If you don't know how to use a hardware compressor don't use one during tracking. If you do have at it. it will save time and processing during the mix
 
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