Compressing individual Tracks

[mr. torture]

Is it ok to compress individual tracks before mixdown.
Will it be a problem for the mastering house since they often compress the entire 2 track mix?
I have found that compressing individual tracks (after they are recorded)
have a better feel & sound to them. They have more of a "Commercial" Tone.
I just dont want to create problems for the mastering dude.

I am not using a ton of compression on the tracks, just enough where they start to sound good to me.

Thank you

 

[knightsy]

If it sounds good, it is good.

Or

If it doesn't sound bad, then it isn't bad.

 

[mr. torture]

If it sounds good, it is good.

Or

If it doesn't sound bad, then it isn't bad.

Thank you, That is what I needed to know

 

[knightsy]

Actually if you have a mastering engineer in mind, why don't you ask him? He will be able to give you some suggestions that will help you both out. And he won't charge you for asking. Unless he's a shark.

 

[Massive Master]

No problem compressing individual tracks. Not even a big problem with A LITTLE compression on the master bus IF IT NEEDS IT.

Just don't compress the bus for the sake of volume - If you need it "louder" then TURN IT UP.

 

[crosstudio]

if your mastering guy is a mastering guy and not a mixing guy, then you should compress the individual tracks (as necessary) so that you have a good mix for the mastering guy to work with.

 

[Ronan]

Compressing individual tracks is the way to go. By copressing the "problem" tracks individualy your mastering engineer can use less compression on the overall mix and the end result should end up sounding bigger and fuller.

This also gives you the advantage using different compression ratios and attack times on various tracks.