Does this compressor / limiter balance keep the drums in the mix or ruin them?

LazerBeakShiek

LazerBeakShiek

Rad Racing Team
Need some suggestions for fixing a harsh mix. Lately, I have both a limiter and compressor in the master/main window. Doubled instruments panned around 60-85 % R and L. pretty raw tracks.

If I wanted it wider, with more space, what could be done? To keep the drum track audible I have compressed it heavily. Otherwise, the drums disappear. My other choice is to lower everything else. Lowering isnt going to get me to what I want. To me I hear that the drum samples need to be 'pushed' up somewhere in the mix. Where? Im not sure. Louder drums seem better.

I threw some doodles up into Reaper. Should drums go 'splat' against the limiter wall?


less compressed for comparison.
 
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217 120PM sounded better in car on the way home. The subwoofer was accenting the bass mix too much. I tried monitoring with my sub active. Monitor ext sub is a 8" the car sub a 12". That could be it.

Yall monitor the subs and watch the 40-100hz area?
 
217 120pm pumps way too much. You might want to try compressing just the drums. The rest of the instrumentation is naturally compressed, so you really only have to tame the drum mix. Once you do that, the drums will sit better with everything else and stay in place.
 
You need to make the Farview master class DVD.


I defeated the compressor. Used the same mix levels. It should not pump. Now is this better? I am trying to keep it loud.
 
It doesn't pump anymore, but the drums aren't as present in the mix.

If you run the drums to a buss and compress that buss, it will tame the transients, so you can turn them up and it will also make the hits longer in duration, which helps them sit in the mix better.
 
It is a challenge to wrap my head around. Now, i think a Compressor and limiter in the mains is incorrect. That was something I did for a while now.

Where to put the pieces of the puzzle..

The limiter was pretty slick. The prospect of 'infinity' is enticing. Just need to figure where and which one and when.
Screenshot 2022-02-18 160427.jpg
Screenshot 2022-02-18 160356.jpg
 
Infinity doesn't sound great most of the time.
I find it better to think of compression as a way to shape the sound, rather than a way of controlling level.
If you have the goal of controlling level, you are more likely to pay more attention to the level than what you are doing to the sound.

By shaping the sound with compression, you are focusing on the musicality, and the byproduct is controlled levels.
 
I only use subs in the car. My focus was translation, no matter what system someone listens on. Making the mix work on a specific system in a specific room is more of a live sound thought process.

Not everyone has subs, not all subs are set up the same, not all sound the same. Shaping something to your specific subs might make it sound bad on another system.
 
Hey yall, I got a couple hours this afternoon. I figure I will remix this. Try a bunch of VSTs to shape the sound....Prepare to be WOW'd !!
 
The mix had to be simplified. There was too much noise in the tracks. So I tried cutting them first with the EQ and HPF LPFing. Once cut I applied the ReapComp to bring it back up and smacky. Usually I keep it pretty raw. Every track had to be doubled for use with BX Shredspread. I have each instrument grouped, and spread to their own widths.

Spantini had a suggestion for more bass, so I did raise the lows with a shelf in the master.

 
I think [I swear it sounds the same] sounds more solid. I like the bass and the drums sound better. I think I'm hearing a smidge more reverb on the drums, but I'm not sure if you added it or it was already there and more of it was revealed after you made other adjustments.
 
The last one sounds good. I noticed you took out the guitar playing the runs/lead? I liked that part in the first 217 1 20 version.
 
spantini said:
[I swear it sounds the same]
Click to expand...
I switched from ReaComp to Maag Audio compressor. My opinion was 'it sounds the same'. The mixes do indeed sound different..

Thanks . Without feedback from experienced enthusiasts like yourselves, progress would be difficult.
R D Smith said:
I noticed you took out the guitar playing the runs/lead? I liked that part in the first 217 1 20 version.
Click to expand...
Thanks. In these tests, I'm only looking for quality and some movement. Without a lead, it still had enough movement to mix and pan. Creating space and time.

Ill get better.
 
Is this too complicated for a compressor? Honestly, the ReaComp did a fine job.

Screenshot 2022-02-23 124124.jpg

This one is easy, that is good for me. One knob.
Screenshot 2022-02-23 124156.jpg
 
Yeah.. I was using "[it sounds the same]" as the name of that last mix, not a comment.

The Maag Comp is nicer to look at and fills the bill for those who like knobs. ReaComp does a good job but ain't the prettiest egg in the basket.

I've got a Klanghelm MJUC JR. two knob job I like. It's not as steam punk as your JST.

klanghelm.jpg
 
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LazerBeakShiek said:
You know, I tried a number of lead ideas in the mix. Nothing hit me as a keeper.

here is a mix with synth leads

Click to expand...

This sounds good, but I still like the guitar part from the first one, that's just me.

Keep trying until you find what you like. I had a simple guitar part I was trying to make work and the fix ended up being as simple as changing guitars. Took me three hours to figure it out though.
 
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