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davecg321
New member
How do I set this up for my drum tracks in cubase artist 8....?
JimmyS1969
MOODerator
First create a Group track. Project>Add Track>Group Channel... Name it Drum Group.
Create a FX Channel. Project>Add Track>FX Channel... Name it Drum Comp. Insert a compressor on this track.
Select the new Drum Group track as the output for each drum track in the Inspector Window. You may not want to send OH's/hh's there.
Then from the Drum Group channel, Send to the Drum Comp. Adjust levels and compressor to taste.
Hit me up if you need further details man.
Create a FX Channel. Project>Add Track>FX Channel... Name it Drum Comp. Insert a compressor on this track.
Select the new Drum Group track as the output for each drum track in the Inspector Window. You may not want to send OH's/hh's there.
Then from the Drum Group channel, Send to the Drum Comp. Adjust levels and compressor to taste.
Hit me up if you need further details man.
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davecg321
New member
Nice one that's exactly what I was looking for
bouldersoundguy
Well-known member
Just curious (I don't know Cubase)... Can't you insert plugins on a group track?
JimmyS1969
MOODerator
Yes you can...
Farview
Well-known member
Yes, the point of the FX channel is to have parallel compression. You could also do this buy setting up two group channels and setting up the aux to go to the second group channel. (putting the compressor on the second group channel)
However, I'm not sure the difference between Cubase artist and the full version. That might not be possible in Artist.
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ChadAustin
Member
Delay compensation
As you start using parallel compression, be aware of phasing / comb filtering... it happens because the compressor’s output will have a slight delay, owed to the processing time of the compressor.
We’re talking milliseconds or fractions thereof. Cubase 9 pro has a delay offset feature to combat this issue. I don’t know about artist.
As you start using parallel compression, be aware of phasing / comb filtering... it happens because the compressor’s output will have a slight delay, owed to the processing time of the compressor.
We’re talking milliseconds or fractions thereof. Cubase 9 pro has a delay offset feature to combat this issue. I don’t know about artist.
bouldersoundguy
Well-known member
Yep, I remember worrying about that. Then sometime around 2003 I discovered that Sony Vegas had plugin delay compensation and I was free to parallel compress without worry. About a decade later Pro Tools caught up.
jkuehlin
New member
Here's a fairly in-depth writeup I did on this topic a year or so ago. Feel free to follow up either thread you have questions on it.
https://homerecording.com/bbs/gener...ting-up-drum-bus-391866/3/?highlight=drum+bus
https://homerecording.com/bbs/gener...ting-up-drum-bus-391866/3/?highlight=drum+bus
JohnnyAmato
New member
When I parallel compress my drums, I usually do it from the individual tracks. I set up a normal drum bus, and route all the drum track's outputs to it, so I can process the kit a little bit as a whole; 1 or 2 db's of light compression to glue the kit together, console emulation, tape saturation, etc.
For parallel compression I make a second, new separate stereo aux (I call it DrumPC) make it's input a new stereo bus, put a compressor on it, and use sends from the individual drum elements that I want to send to it (post fader, at "0" unity gain) This gives you more flexibility in how much of each individual element you send it. (Hats, OHs, and rooms I usually don't send as much, sometimes none) Once it's all set up, squash the drums on the parallel track so you're getting anywhere from 8-12ish db's of gain reduction (sometimes more), fairly quick attack (the initial snap and punch will mostly come from your main drums), and then mess with the release times to get the right sustain. How squashed and dreadful it sounds on it's own is irrelevant. Then bring your main drums back in, turn the parallel track all the way down, and slowly bring it up. When you only hear a very slight volume increase when you un-mute the parallel, you're in the right ballpark. If the drum bus is at unity, the parallel usually can end up anywhere from -10 to -20. Experiment, every song is different, but parallel drums can give a lot more energy and feel to an overall drum sound. Remember to use a "multi-mono" compressor on the parallel track, if you have that option.
Doing it this way helps you to be able to process your entire kit on the drum bus normally, while still having more control over single elements sent to the parallel compression bus. This is just how I do it, there really isn't a right or wrong way. If it sounds good, it is good.
For parallel compression I make a second, new separate stereo aux (I call it DrumPC) make it's input a new stereo bus, put a compressor on it, and use sends from the individual drum elements that I want to send to it (post fader, at "0" unity gain) This gives you more flexibility in how much of each individual element you send it. (Hats, OHs, and rooms I usually don't send as much, sometimes none) Once it's all set up, squash the drums on the parallel track so you're getting anywhere from 8-12ish db's of gain reduction (sometimes more), fairly quick attack (the initial snap and punch will mostly come from your main drums), and then mess with the release times to get the right sustain. How squashed and dreadful it sounds on it's own is irrelevant. Then bring your main drums back in, turn the parallel track all the way down, and slowly bring it up. When you only hear a very slight volume increase when you un-mute the parallel, you're in the right ballpark. If the drum bus is at unity, the parallel usually can end up anywhere from -10 to -20. Experiment, every song is different, but parallel drums can give a lot more energy and feel to an overall drum sound. Remember to use a "multi-mono" compressor on the parallel track, if you have that option.
Doing it this way helps you to be able to process your entire kit on the drum bus normally, while still having more control over single elements sent to the parallel compression bus. This is just how I do it, there really isn't a right or wrong way. If it sounds good, it is good.
miroslav
Cosmic Cowboy
I just use one of my outboard comps that has a "Mix" knob, which is basically a built-in parallel compression setup, so I can dial in the amount of uncompressed and compressed flavor I want.
bouldersoundguy
Well-known member
When I do parallel compression I often like to omit some tracks from the parallel compression so that doesn't work for me.
miroslav
Cosmic Cowboy
What do you mean by "some tracks"...which tracks?
Farview
Well-known member
Not to speak for BSG, but I don't like to add the hat mic in the parallel compression. Sometimes I leave out the room and overhead mics too. Why I'm using parallel compression will dictate which mics on the kit will be routed to it.
bouldersoundguy
Well-known member
Usually I would just put the kick and toms into the parallel compression.
miroslav
Cosmic Cowboy
I guessed you would say something like that...I just wanted to be sure.
Yeah...I don't run the entire kit...I didn't mean to imply that in my post. It's often just the Kick and Snare...sometimes the Toms too.
I have 3 racked Overstayer comps, that all do the internal parallel compression and have the Blend/Mix knobs...two are VCA-based, but one is a FET, and that's the one that kicks ass for drum use.
JohnnyAmato
New member
I usually just use the CLA-76 for parallel. I also have all the Slate 1176s, the FG-Stress, FG-401, U73b, the Waves dbx-160, CLA-2A & 3A, but the CLA-76 seems to work the best for it. And it's pretty simple to use.
Sorry, didn't mean to list all my comps
They all have their uses though
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mixsit
Well-known member
Re 'phase issues, as stated with delay compensation never ram into issues there. However I do like the idea of including eq on the parallel path (as sometimes in the 'new york 'exciter ver?) That adding ways to further focus and warp the parallel path.
With eq being introduced, there are cautions of the eq's added phase effects.
But from what I can tell, all that really means is the combined tones are perhaps slightly different than what the eq on it's own might represent?
My setup is a dedicated sub-bus configured under the drum bus in my templates. Then both feed the master bus.
With eq being introduced, there are cautions of the eq's added phase effects.
But from what I can tell, all that really means is the combined tones are perhaps slightly different than what the eq on it's own might represent?
My setup is a dedicated sub-bus configured under the drum bus in my templates. Then both feed the master bus.
andrushkiwt
Well-known member
I usually just use the CLA-76 for parallel. I also have all the Slate 1176s, the FG-Stress, FG-401, U73b, the Waves dbx-160, CLA-2A & 3A, but the CLA-76 seems to work the best for it. And it's pretty simple to use.
Sorry, didn't mean to list all my comps
I can't commit myself to my drums... once I bounce, if I don't save the MIDI (oversight), I can't edit them any longer. Since I like to go back every couple years and redo the tunes with what I've learned, this doesn't work out well. Therefore, I leave the drums in Superior as MIDI, process them within the plugin (they've added cool and effective fx within), then again as a whole on the SD instrument track. That way, I can still process them individually and also as a whole.
So, I'll choose one of their compressors (usually the 1176 clone), throw it on the snare bus (toms, OH, kick etc) in SD, get a few dbs moving, then use another compressor (usually API2500) on the whole Superior track.
JohnnyAmato
New member
In Pro Tools, I can bounce the MIDI to audio, but still keep the midi track and just make it inactive. If afterwards an edit nags at me to do, I just make the MIDI track active again, do the edit, then just re-bounce over the previous one. This is usually just with VSTs (synths, piano, etc.) Superior I keep in the plugin also because I'm editing constantly (velocity, tweaking fills, etc.) but I do it a little differently than you. Check this out:
I route each drum to it's own aux track in Pro Tools, using the I/Os in SD and Pro Tools; the 3 kick mics to one aux track, the 3 snare mics to one aux track, then my toms group to one stereo aux track, the high hat to it's own aux track, the OHs to a stereo aux track, then whatever room I'm using to a stereo aux track (or track(s) if I'm using more than one room) Now they're always right in front of me on my ProTools mix screen, and I can use my plugins (Waves, Slate, etc.) on those individual tracks as I please. (If I want to just mess with, say, the kick "in" mic, I'll just do that in SD) Then, I route each of those aux tracks to a stereo bus to process the kit as a whole if needed. I usually just tap it (1 or 2 db's of GR) to glue the kit together some. Then I throw on tape saturation (Slate VTM), console emulations (Slate VCC)... Reverb I send to from the individual tracks.
Then I'll make another stereo aux for my parallel bus, and use sends from the individual drum tracks.
When all this is done, soloing just the SD instrument track brings silence, since they are all routed out.
Once you're ready to commit and bounce, you could one by one record them to an audio track. Time consuming sort of, but you'd be able to keep the MIDI file afterwards and just make it inactive. For example, if I was ready to commit, say I would start with the kick drum- I'd make a new Audio track, set it's "input" to an available bus, say bus 10, then route the kick track's "output" also to bus 10. Solo them both and hit record. Do this with each element of the kit, and you would have all you drum tracks as audio, but you would still have your SD MIDI track. If you need to edit, say, just a few snare hits, make the SD track active again, make your edit, then just re-bounce the snare track.