Compressor suggestions?

  • Thread starter Thread starter ace3
  • Start date Start date
There's a key word here: "Low." -20dBFS(RMS) is NOT "low." It's VERY normal. Peaks below -10dBFS are not low - They're NORMAL.

10 or 12dB of headroom is NOTHING in the grand scheme - Certainly not a a single track - Personally, it's rare that I'll have an entire mix that peaks above -10. Very rare. I'd MUCH rather add 10dB of clean, digital gain to a 'normal' mix than have even a remote chance of overdriving my input chain.

If you were to record every single track peaking at -12dBFS, you'd *still* have to *attenuate* tracks to mix without clipping. Wouldn't you rather just run your input chain as it was designed to run? :cool:
 
alright so this is a lil off the thread topic but hey...so basically what they are discussing is your final mix is going to sound a lil low and this is where mastering comes in? So when I go to track and I'm done mixing are my vocals going to sound low or am i reading this wrong? I'm just now learning about setting my vocals to a certain db. I've always been told record until you think its sounding okay and all levels sound matched up...this would work fine if i was putting together just a sketch but I'm to the point where I am shipping my mixes out for mastering and I need to know a little more about how they would want my material sent and at what db for each individual vocal...am I reading that right about my initial mix sounding low but this being okay?
 
Trust your ears Grasshoppa...:D

Basically, don't sweat the loud thang til the end.

Go thru your multitrack...set your pans, EQ, comp, levels til everything sounds good to your ears.

Burn a 2 trk of that to CD and see if it still sounds good. Put it in boom boxes, hi-fi stereos, compooter speakers...I usually go thru and cut alot of low to lo-mid frequencies out of different instruments during my multitrack (EQing is a whole nuther topic) to help with the clarity and punch. You may have heard of the "Low-mid Mud".

If I have a tune I'm just doing for myself, I'll "master" it to bring up the volume and put some polish on it and call it good.

If I have a tune that I'm sending to a real mastering guru, I'll get my 2 trk sounding good and leave the volume and polishing to him. Fresh ears...better equipment...gear that's suited for mastering and not my all-in-one box.

There is ALOT of trial and error. Most of what I learned has been from error. Feel free to screw it up...tweak those knobs to extremes and see what they do. The biggest part is to have fun. The creativity flows alot smoother when it's not a drag to be flippin faders.

Good luck dood...:)
 
I try to avoid compression when & where possible.
Automated faders, in the box vol control, vol envelopes all work at achieving the same result - an even yet dynamic track.
Vocal control is the REAL deal though. Lot's of rehearsing and learning how to use the voice in relation to the mic and recordding sensitivity. I'm not much use I know.
 
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