Low pass / Hi pass filters - Comp vs EQ

M

M-Bass-M

New member
Say I'm applying a hi-pass filter to a track, and I'm also applying compression, is it better to use an EQ plugin to provide the hi-pass filter, or does using the sidechain hi-pass filter on the compression plug-in achieve the same effect? Obviously this way I only have to use one plug-in.

Cheers

Mark
 
The sidechain insert affects the detection circuit of the compressor - Not the signal to and from the compressor.
 
Ah, that would make sense.

So if my understanding is correct, if there is a HPF on the compressor set at 80Hz, then frequencies below 80Hz would not trigger the compressor (subject to 6db/12db/24db slope etc)?

If that is the case, then could you notionally create a very simple multi-band compressor by chaining individual compressors together with overlapping HPF and LPF frequencies?
 
That's how we used to do it back before the multiband compressor -- A series of compressors after a crossover.

That said - It was used very rarely -- Only when nothing else could fix the issue. Just like they should be used today (they don't call them "maul-the-band" for nothing).
 
Massive Master said:
That's how we used to do it back before the multiband compressor -- A series of compressors after a crossover.

That said - It was used very rarely -- Only when nothing else could fix the issue. Just like they should be used today (they don't call them "maul-the-band" for nothing).
Click to expand...

I had a go at doing this myself as an experiment; making two copies of the track (so I had three versions of the same song) and applying a HPF to V1, bandpass to V2 and LPF to V3 at roughly 1/3 frequency content for each version with HPF/LPF matched crossovers in the bandpass version then compressing each version independantly and mixing them back together.

.....using a multiband plugin is much quicker ;)

Dags
 
M-Bass-M said:
Ah, that would make sense.

So if my understanding is correct, if there is a HPF on the compressor set at 80Hz, then frequencies below 80Hz would not trigger the compressor (subject to 6db/12db/24db slope etc)?

If that is the case, then could you notionally create a very simple multi-band compressor by chaining individual compressors together with overlapping HPF and LPF frequencies?
Click to expand...

Yes if the filters were applied before the signal reached multiple separate compressors. And you would have to run them all parallel, rather than chained, and mix them all back together. That would create a problem with phase alignment where filters overlap.

If the filters are just applied to side chain then then it's really nothing like a multiband compressor because even if the compressor isn't reacting to the frequencies filtered out of the detection circuit it's still applying gain reduction to the full bandwidth of the signal.
 
Thanks for all the replies. Don't worry, I don't have any intention to start creating my own multi-band compressors! However, it is interesting to know these things.
 
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