FALKEN
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different settings for different sounds right? too slow will actually make the music MORE dynamic... whatever sounds cool man.
R
ryanlikestorock
New member
I'm always confused when people reach for a compressor to get "more punch". By definition, the effect of compression is "less punch"... to limit the difference between peak and average level. Mix bus compression more than 1db is going to just kill the mix and less than 1db is used mostly just for colour anyway. If you have a nice colourful compressor, just set it to compress .5db for colour... otherwise you're probably just making things sound worse.
Use a compressor if you hear a problem in the mix because of too much dynamic range. Otherwise, leave it be.
Use a compressor if you hear a problem in the mix because of too much dynamic range. Otherwise, leave it be.
ecktronic
Mixing and Mastering.
Some good words ryan. I could never really see the point in compressing the whole mix, but i heard it was done quite alot, so i tried and didnt get the results i was expecting. It did pickle my head for a bit trying to work out how a compresor could possibly give more punch to anything.
northsiderap
New member
More punch anyone?
I figure if you set the attack long enough you should get a BIGGER dynamic range because of the increased audible ratio between the start of the note and where the compressor kicks in and squashes.
I also compress the final mix if I am looking for a ducking-like effect, where either the vocals or bass drum squash the rest of the mix. It's kinda nice to bus out a track, EQ it, and run it back into the sidechain so the compressor is working on only certain frequencies. It's fun to play with... Listening to each kick drum, vocal, or cymbal splash eat up the whole mix.
Sometimes its necessary to compress when there are passages where one or all of the instrumentalists freaks out and increases the dynamic range beyond the point of reasonable listening. Have you ever listened to a classical station, only to find yourself turning it up... and up... and up.... and then BAM quick, turn it down!
The noise floor makes it unreasonable to let the dynamic range sit at such a high level. Perhaps some classical stations assume that the listeners want the music untouched, or that they are sitting in a perfectly quiet room with their $1,000,000 stereo system.
I figure if you set the attack long enough you should get a BIGGER dynamic range because of the increased audible ratio between the start of the note and where the compressor kicks in and squashes.
I also compress the final mix if I am looking for a ducking-like effect, where either the vocals or bass drum squash the rest of the mix. It's kinda nice to bus out a track, EQ it, and run it back into the sidechain so the compressor is working on only certain frequencies. It's fun to play with... Listening to each kick drum, vocal, or cymbal splash eat up the whole mix.
Sometimes its necessary to compress when there are passages where one or all of the instrumentalists freaks out and increases the dynamic range beyond the point of reasonable listening. Have you ever listened to a classical station, only to find yourself turning it up... and up... and up.... and then BAM quick, turn it down!
The noise floor makes it unreasonable to let the dynamic range sit at such a high level. Perhaps some classical stations assume that the listeners want the music untouched, or that they are sitting in a perfectly quiet room with their $1,000,000 stereo system.
RhythmRmixd
New member
I think this is entirely dependant on what you are trying to do with the mix. A lot of people today argue that commercial music is over-compressed, over-limited, whatever, especially with pop, rap, etc. A bit of overall compression, especially on hip-hop beat, can really help push the song along and add feel to it (but definitely not to be over-done). Just because a compressor isn't used in traditional ways or by definition doesn't mean the sound created by it is always undesirable.
J
johnny j
New member
im happy with the way this thread is developing and im learning a lot.
assuming i do go for the compressor in line before the MD recorder. am i using the direct in or am i using the sidechain on the compressor? whats the difference?
i have two compressors and neither of them have a very detailed manual with them in regards to explaining the uses and applications of these things. they both just have "this is a such and such a button", theres no "it will creat a such and such type effect"
so it doesnt explain the difference between sidechain and regular input
assuming i do go for the compressor in line before the MD recorder. am i using the direct in or am i using the sidechain on the compressor? whats the difference?
i have two compressors and neither of them have a very detailed manual with them in regards to explaining the uses and applications of these things. they both just have "this is a such and such a button", theres no "it will creat a such and such type effect"
so it doesnt explain the difference between sidechain and regular input
FALKEN
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you guys are dreaming.
FALKEN
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the sidechain is an insert for an eq. say, for example, that you don't want the compressor to react to the bass drum. eq out the bass frequencies in the sidechain. it gives the compressor a sound sorce to analyze, and then applies the actual compression to the regular input. an extreme example would be to compress a vocal, and play a bass drum track into the sidechain. this will compress the vocals every time the bass drum hits. might get some weird effects that way. get it?
giraffe
i love negative rep
old school rap sidechain/gate kick/sine wave trick....yea!!!!
(still working on this english thing)
(still working on this english thing)
M
mixsit
Well-known member
Definitely. I didn't mean to say 'quick was wrong at all, more to know when or why (and to watch outFALKEN said:
) if it's going wrong. Wayne