Need compression advice please

[RPM]

Hi there; I posted this in the mp3 mixing clinic forum a couple days ago with no response. I thought I might have better luck in this section. Thanks!

I finally got a compressor (FA Soft) and used it on "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" at http://www.mp3.com/RPM33 and would like to have some feedback as to whether I'm using it right. I'm preparing to re-mix around 10 songs or so with compression for an mp3.com CD, so I want to make sure that I get it right. Basically, I used a ratio of 5.6:1 and a threshold of -23dB on the vocals and a ratio of 1.9:1 and a threshold -19dB of on the whole mix. Is this too much, or too little, or just right? I'd hate to overdo it and have an undynamic mix. Any other compression tips would be welcomed.
Also, my ears tend to hurt a bit after listening to it...could that be due to the EBow being really mid-rangey? I heard once that the mid-range, rather than the highs or lows, is the main contributor to hearing pain. If this is the problem, how much should I scoop the mids to make it less painful. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks! Rick

 

[bvaleria]

The deal with compression is basically this - use your ears!!

If a track's dynamic range jumps up and down and you can't get it to sit evenly throughout the mix dynamics, you can tame it with bit of compression (there would be little need in many cases to use more than 4:1 ratio and a max of 6 Db gain reduction, but it is COMPLETELY dependent on the program material)

For an entire mix, again, you want some consistency in levels without sacrificing natural dynamic range. Normally, low ratios (2:1) and very small gain reductions (1-2 Db) are typical, but again, it's totally dependent on the material.

I listened to your tune and found it an interesting arrangement, although I thought it was overcompressed. The ebow sounded fine to me, but I found your vocal very mid-heavy and a bit bass-shy - either the mic's fault or you over-EQ'd the track.

Check out these excellent articles penned by 2 HR BBS alumni - sonusman and Shailat - http://www.geocities.com/Shailat2000
(sonusman's article is a link embedded in Shailat's article)

Hope this helps...

Bruce Valeriani
Blue Bear Sound

 

[RPM]

Hi Bruce; Thanks for the reply and the suggestions! I think my problem is that I lack mixing experience and I don't think using my ears will be all that beneficial to me since I haven't trained them to the level that some of you guys have...that's why I value your input so much, because you have more practice/experience. I'll follow your guidelines as a starting point. I realize now that I went way overboard with my compression on that mix. I read the 2 articles you referenced after I did my mixing, which made me suspect that I compressed too much.
Regarding the EQ of the vocal, I recorded it into a Rode NT-1 and into my Mackie 1202VLZ Pro mixer. I didn't add any EQ at all. How should I correct for the EQ of this (again, I'm just looking for starting points as I'm rather clueless with regards to mixing and EQ)? What frequency range is best cut in order to reduce this midrangy-ness? Thanks again! I appreciate it. Rick

 

[bvaleria]

hmmm... something's funny with that vocal (the tenor voice)... mic'ing technique, possibly - but it may also be a symptom of the conversion to MP3.... it may also be caused by comb-filtering due to unwanted room reflections. If you hadn't EQ'd the vocal track at all, you may need to do a bit of tweaking to pull out a touch of the mids and slightly drop a bit of highs....

Otherwise, it's a good effort - I like the ebow stuff!



Bruce

 

[Shailat]

I would like to give advice on the mix but I have a Sloooowwww modem and tend not to download any thing over 3M or else I cant use the phone for 1/3 of the day so I'll stay away from giving advice. Bu there is some general info

For the pain factor . All you need to do is boost and sweep through the various Freq's untill it hurts....then cut that specific Freq.

The midrange you are asking about is from 250Hz-3.5kHz
They can be split into two more groups
1. Lower mid's - 250Hz-1.5kHz
2.Upper mid's - 1.5-3.5kHz