how much compression should I use while mixing?

[antispatula]

Ok, so I have a basic yet still very weak handle on compression now. I was able to smooth out vocals a little bit. That was exiting!

Then I tried compressing and limiting the song as a whole and it royaly messed it up. Now not only is it not any stronger sounding volumewise, but it just sounds like crap, I can't even explain it.

So I am for sure sending my stuff into a pro mastering house. My questions is this: Does it matter how much compression I use on peaks while mixing? If I don't use compression on lets say really dynamic vocals but I think it sounds good that way, and I send it in to be mastered, does it make mastering the song by the engineer harder/less effective?

What should I mix by song up to? -10db? -6db? I don't know. Oh, and I use reaper, and the master outs show both peak and rms on the meter....which one should I pay attention to?

Thanks.

 

[mshilarious]

So I am for sure sending my stuff into a pro mastering house. My questions is this: Does it matter how much compression I use on peaks while mixing?

Well, kinda. If you're compressing the vocals and it sounds good, good. If you're compressing the stereo mix and it sounds bad, don't do that! In fact most MEs don't want compression, EQ, or limiting on the master bus.

On the other hand, if the vocal needed compression and you don't do it in the mix, the ME's options are limited to M/S processing to try to get at the vocal, multiband, or compressing the whole mix, or requesting stems or a remix. None of those is as easy as compressing the vocal in the mix. So do what you need to do to get a good mix.

What should I mix by song up to? -10db? -6db? I don't know. Oh, and I use reaper, and the master outs show both peak and rms on the meter....which one should I pay attention to?

Peak, primarily, you don't want to cilp. If you are just mixing and not compressing or limiting the master bus, you shouldn't be too concerned about RMS. If you finish your mix and it's at peak of -10 or -6, just leave it there, no need for a gain change, the ME will sort that out.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

So I am for sure sending my stuff into a pro mastering house. My questions is this: Does it matter how much compression I use on peaks while mixing? If I don't use compression on lets say really dynamic vocals but I think it sounds good that way, and I send it in to be mastered, does it make mastering the song by the engineer harder/less effective?

Mix to make the mix sound as good as possible, or at least to sound "right". If that means taming the vocals (or any other track, FTM) with some compression, then by all means, go ahead and do so.

What should I mix by song up to? -10db? -6db? I don't know. Oh, and I use reaper, and the master outs show both peak and rms on the meter....which one should I pay attention to?

I'd say don't worry about bringing the mix "up" at all. Just get the mix nice and robust and balanced so that at whatever volume it may naturrally comes out to it sounds great. Don't leave any mix "mistakes" for the ME to fix that you can fix in the mix yourself.

Just get it good at whatever levels it happens to come out at and let the ME take it from there. Most of them I've talked to would rather have a low volume mix with plenty of dynamics and headroom and breathing space to work with than a higher volume one where their options are more limited (pun intended ).

G.