Tom Hicks
Well-known member
people say they compress tracks that need it. so, what needs compression?
what folks typically mean by the need for compression is uneven levels, where a track may be too quiet in places and too loud in other places. another common item in the need category is the presence of spikes or transients dramatically more than the average levels for that track.
in the first case, an alternative to compression is riding the faders, known in modern terms as volume automation. can't hear a soft word or several in a vocal track? raise the fader for that phrase or draw an automation curve. or use a compressor to do that automatically. if you are clever enough with setting attack and release, ratio and threshold; it will be transparent to the listener (takes lots of practice though).
transients are tough to automate, because they happen so quickly; as in drum hits for example. so fast that analog meters may not even catch them occurring. compressors are useful here, but again the attack and release settings are critical to maintain a natural sound.
my preference is a light touch on the compressor that avoids audible pumping and breathing artifacts. smart attack and release settings that don't change the tonal character of the instrument you are processing. although you can even use a compression like that as a deliberate effect, providing that is a sound that pleases you. one neat trick in the light touch technique is using a series or chain of compressors with low ratios (1-2 to one perhaps) to raise levels without necessarily squashing the sound like a higher ratio setting could do.
an example of a combination of these two ideas would be parallel compression on drums. bus the whole kit to a sub and compress the life out of it. bring that fader up slowly under the uncompressed kit until you have the right blend of dynamics and punch.
multiband compressors allow you to target specific frequency bands if for example a track has several elements and you only want to compress one element and let the other frequencies breath naturally.
i tend to think that compressors can be misused easily, and they are certainly a major part of the loudness wars (my CD is louder than your CD!). its like salt and pepper though; season to taste. and remember that there are no rules. just develop your ears by practice until the tool is doing what you wish it to do.
how many tracks you compress is up to your own musical sensibilities and judgment. classical music gets very little if any compression. micheal brauer's style is dependent on lots of compressors interacting in a mix.
practice lots of different techniques and develop a style you think sounds good.
what folks typically mean by the need for compression is uneven levels, where a track may be too quiet in places and too loud in other places. another common item in the need category is the presence of spikes or transients dramatically more than the average levels for that track.
in the first case, an alternative to compression is riding the faders, known in modern terms as volume automation. can't hear a soft word or several in a vocal track? raise the fader for that phrase or draw an automation curve. or use a compressor to do that automatically. if you are clever enough with setting attack and release, ratio and threshold; it will be transparent to the listener (takes lots of practice though).
transients are tough to automate, because they happen so quickly; as in drum hits for example. so fast that analog meters may not even catch them occurring. compressors are useful here, but again the attack and release settings are critical to maintain a natural sound.
my preference is a light touch on the compressor that avoids audible pumping and breathing artifacts. smart attack and release settings that don't change the tonal character of the instrument you are processing. although you can even use a compression like that as a deliberate effect, providing that is a sound that pleases you. one neat trick in the light touch technique is using a series or chain of compressors with low ratios (1-2 to one perhaps) to raise levels without necessarily squashing the sound like a higher ratio setting could do.
an example of a combination of these two ideas would be parallel compression on drums. bus the whole kit to a sub and compress the life out of it. bring that fader up slowly under the uncompressed kit until you have the right blend of dynamics and punch.
multiband compressors allow you to target specific frequency bands if for example a track has several elements and you only want to compress one element and let the other frequencies breath naturally.
i tend to think that compressors can be misused easily, and they are certainly a major part of the loudness wars (my CD is louder than your CD!). its like salt and pepper though; season to taste. and remember that there are no rules. just develop your ears by practice until the tool is doing what you wish it to do.
how many tracks you compress is up to your own musical sensibilities and judgment. classical music gets very little if any compression. micheal brauer's style is dependent on lots of compressors interacting in a mix.
practice lots of different techniques and develop a style you think sounds good.
