Compression Question

[Thirdstageman]

Hi, I was told by someone that whenever I'm recording that I should either compress the instruments and vocals and then use no compression when mixing down or record the instruments and vocals without compression and then use it when I mix down, but not both recording and mixing.
I was just wondering if anyone could tell me if this is true or not?

 

[NYMorningstar]

Depends on what you're recording, how dynamic it is and needs to be. Basically you should try to avoid compressing on the way in if possible because once you squash something there, you're stuck with it. However, if you have a drummer or a vocalist that just can't keep from clipping then you might have to use a bit to tame them when tracking but it is still better to just turn them down.

 

[scrubs]

Do whatever sounds best. It is not unusual to use compression for both tracking and mixing. However, typically only very light compression is used during tracking, as it cannot be undone once you've recorded it.