Compressor confusion

[Sir Sam]

I am fairly new to this recording lark, but have found it difficult to get that punch when recording the bass drum and bass guitar. It just doesnt seem to kick hard.
I am recording on home equipment, a Korg D16XD digital 16 track and use D112 bass drum mic.
Do i need a external compressor to boost the signal and fatten it up or something?
Do external compressors deaden the sound and dull it or do they boost it and give it the kick i'm lacking?
Please help.
Sam.

 

[leddy]

Give it a good listen in the room when it is live. Does it really sound punchy? If it's not there in the source, it will be a lot harder to put it there in the mix.

Having said that, compression can boost the "punch". Someone here can probably point you to a "compression 101" link. But I would always concentrate on the player/instrument first.

 

[Sir Sam]

Cool, thank you, i thought the sound of the equipment would have alot to do with it, but wasnt sure if you can get it chunkier with compressors.
Would you say the same went for snare and bass guitar.
When i listen to 'proper' CD's, the bass sounds really full without being too loud, but i cant seem to get that, again would you look at the amp/guitar first? or are basses always compressed to give it a fuller sound?
Also snares seem to have more of a controlled 'thwack' on recordings that i can never seem to capture, same again?

 

[leddy]

Cool, thank you, i thought the sound of the equipment would have alot to do with it, but wasnt sure if you can get it chunkier with compressors.
Would you say the same went for snare and bass guitar.
When i listen to 'proper' CD's, the bass sounds really full without being too loud, but i cant seem to get that, again would you look at the amp/guitar first? or are basses always compressed to give it a fuller sound?
Also snares seem to have more of a controlled 'thwack' on recordings that i can never seem to capture, same again?

Bass will usually need a combinaiton of compression and EQ to sit right. There are certain tools you'll find that you like and accomplish what you need. For bass, I love Voxengo's Soniformer compressor plug-in, for example. I love that I can set a flat threshold and attenuate only the frequencies that jump out too far. That keeps the bass smooth and even without having to squash (over-compress) it. I only know that from reading the threads and trying different things over the last few years. Others might use a totally different method of getting the bass to sit right.

For snare, you might be trying to match the sound of a recording that used a sampled snare. That's why it sounds so controlled on the CD.

There are some great resources. You have to read and experiment. Here is a compression article I googled in about 5 seconds: http://www.dbxpro.com/ftp_mirror/PDFs/WhitePapers/Compression 101.pdf
Just keep reading the articles about this stuff and experimenting. If you enjoy that process, you'll be doing great in no time.