overhead compression?

[toobalicious]

It's not Genesis.

duly noted. like i say, i dont exactly celebrate phil collins' catalog.

regardless, the post is still pertinent. i was looking for a well-known and easily heard example to propose instead of just typing some more words that nobody can hear. "those" drums were recorded like "that" (as i mentioned in the post above), and "that" is pertinent to the question in the original post.

a

 

[RAMI]

duly noted. like i say, i dont exactly celebrate phil collins' catalog.

I'm with you on that.

regardless, the post is still pertinent. i was looking for a well-known and easily heard example to propose instead of just typing some more words that nobody can hear. "those" drums were recorded like "that" (as i mentioned in the post above), and "that" is pertinent to the question in the original post.

a

It was pertinent, and a damn good example, too.

 

[ecktronic]

I really dont see much point in compressing anything on the way in.
I usualy slap a brick wall limiter on the input as a safety net incase I get any crazy jumps in dynamics from the musicians, although my levels are usually quite low so I rarely hit the limiter on the way in.

Eck

 

[Hi_Flyer]

hi, first post here.

minus cymbals, you can get an idea of extreme room (and even OH) compression by listening to "in the air tonight" by genesis ....... the drums (with no cymbals on the entire song) were recorded with a room mic compressed all to hell.

yeah, from my experimenting, one of the things I have noticed is that overheads sound great with compression until you start hitting cymbals. hats/cymbals get too loud way too quick with alot of compression though...

 

[xstatic]

Once again, I would have to say that this is all about what you are after, and almost more improtantly, what comps you are using. I have some DBX 165a's that kick ass on overheads,. My Urei LA4's also do well. The distressor, not so well. The cheaper DBX, (ala 160a, 1066 etc...) and other budget comps definately don't do as well.

I also never leave a comp or a limiter on a channel unless it is there to compress and shape the sound (attack, release, dynamic shifting etc...). Track properly and one is not needed for peaks. If a peak is that bad that it hits a limiter that is only there to keep a converter form clipping, then the fornt end was already overloaded and the issue needs to be addressed. The last thing I need is a clipping preamp or EQ that hits a limiter before pegging a converter in the overshoot.

 

[toobalicious]

yeah, from my experimenting, one of the things I have noticed is that overheads sound great with compression until you start hitting cymbals. hats/cymbals get too loud way too quick with alot of compression though...

but naturally, since all drummers are *good* drummers, they are able to whap the skins pretty hard while playing the cymbals with a light touch. right? i mean, its not like drummers ever lose control over dynamics!

a

 

[ecktronic]

yeah, from my experimenting, one of the things I have noticed is that overheads sound great with compression until you start hitting cymbals. hats/cymbals get too loud way too quick with alot of compression though...

That really depends on how the drummer played the kit, how the kit was set up and what mics/micing techniques were used.

Yeah compressing the OHs a good deal can bring out the natural room reverb nicely.

Eck

 

[xstatic]

Properly compressing the overheads can also leave a perceived volume drop of the cymbals and hi hats while the toms seem to come up. Remember, compression does not always have to make the loud stuff louder. It can (and often is) used to make the loud stuff quieter while making the quiet stuff louder. Proper attack and release can be used to minimize pumping and cymbal swishing.