Help...Too Much Compression

  • Thread starter Thread starter tkingen
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tkingen

tkingen

Djembes Rock
Help! I made the mistake of using too much compression on a couple of vocal tracks. Is there any way to decompress?
I'm desperate as it will be impossible to redo the vocals.

Thanks,
Terry
 
erm ouch...

Not really that helpful am I? :rolleyes:

I don't think there is a way to decompress save having the original... after all, if there were such a "decompressor" where would it decide to get the information of what was compressed to undo it? :(

Maybe one of these people who actually knows stuff can give you a way of minimizing the effects of the compression? god knows...

Theros
 
If you track with compression then there's no way of 'undoing' it.

That's why I don't track with compression.
 
I remember using the Waves Ren Compressor and there was a preset called Decompress that seemed to do just that. Anyone familiar witht that?
 
Yeah, you might try setting up a plug-in compressor as an expander and see if that helps things. But beyond that you'll just have to work with what you've got or figure out some way to redo it.
 
I had a dbx compander for use with dbx encoded LPs that essentially decompressed a signal. The trick was the decompress had to have settings that matched the compressor. If you know your settings you can create an expander that has the inverse transfer function, as long as you didn't muck with the track after the compressor with things like eq and 'verb.
 
I once used an expander on a overcompressed spoken-word track, and it improved it. I think luck was involved on that one, though.
 
MadAudio said:
I once used an expander on a overcompressed spoken-word track, and it improved it. I think luck was involved on that one, though.
Click to expand...

Same here, but I used a limiter and it was ever trickier because it was either no decompression, or alot of decompression.
 
Thanks for the ideas, guys. I was thinking that maybe using some volume envelopes might help out. It will probably be tricky but it might work! Think I'll start another thread that asks the Waves RenComp users if they know how the decompress preset is setup.
All of your suggestions are useful!

Terry
 
FALKEN said:
what is too much compression?
Click to expand...

ROFL...

Though I'm a compression addict, when it's overdone, there just one thing to do:

RETRACK...

So even I most often track with rather slight gain reduction (6-12dB) I have sincere doubt's that you'll be able to save anything with overcompressed vocals. It kindof depends what your problem is: the sound or the dynamics. If it's the dynamics, you MIGHT try compressing again with a bigger attack, but it will probably not be successful. If its the sound -- retrack...

aXel
 
If you limited you're toast because the inverse transfer function does not map to unique values.
 
we have 24 bit now..record in it and don't compress pre at all. your life will be much better.
 
open up the waveform and see if you can figure out where the threshold was set. See where peaks are cut off. Then mabye there is someway to drag that waveform peak up to make it louder?
 
Hey Guys,

There was mainly just one sentence in the song that had too much pump. I isolated that sentence into a clip, opened it up in Wavelab, and applied the parameters from the Waves RenComp "Uncompress" preset to a PSP Vintage Warmer. For this project it worked well enough to save it. That one sentence goes by so fast that she may not have noticed anyway.
I should have caught it while tracking, but you know how it can be when tracking vocalists who are good, dynamic vocalists live, but have little experience with the implications of recording. She does old standards and in a live show her mic technique is very exaggerated...from kissing the mic all the way to holding it out at arms length...all in the same verse. If we work together in the future I'll take a little more license in reigning her in.
Thanks for the thoughts and suggestions. This problem has been a valuable learning experince!

Terry
 
tkingen said:
She does old standards and in a live show her mic technique is very exaggerated...from kissing the mic all the way to holding it out at arms length...all in the same verse.
Click to expand...

Having the mic on a stand and a pop screen for her to target may help.
 
agreed..I never let singers hold the mic when i track them...mic's on a stand w/ a popguard always.
 
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