compression, effects... tracking or editing?

[willow]

i know this might be objective, but when should i add compression, while tracking or afterwards? is it the same for different instruments?

i will be starting with drums. for a noob engineer, what kind of "rules of thumb" should i start with as far as compression?

and other effects? is there certain ones that should be done at the recording stage?

yes, i do searches, but usually just find stuff that is written with the assumption that the reader already knows certain things, so i will ask for this info in easy to understand answers.

thanks guys

 

[dachay2tnr]

Generally you want to use compression after recording. The exception might be if you can't get decent recording levels for some reason, or you have a very uneven musician (usually vocals or drums), and even then you want to tread lightly. Remember that anything you add while recording can not be removed later.

I assume you realize that in order to add it while recording will require a hardware compressor.