overhead compression?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Lo-Fi Mike
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Lo-Fi Mike

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does anyone compresses the overheads on the way in ?
why, or why not?

and if so, what characteristics in a compressor would you look for?

thank,
---mike---:D
 
I wait till later...that way I haven't done anything that can't be reversed later.
 
I tend to not compress overhead at all. Its all about doing your own thing though, you know? :)
 
I tend not to compress much of anything on the way in. But if there was one thing I'd never even consider compressing on the way in under any circumstances, it'd probably be overheads.

Don't get me wrong -- If you want to, go for it. I just can't imagine why.
 
thanks guys

thanks alot for the insight.
I have compressed kick and snare going in, but not overheads, I always figured them to be free and natural sounding but was just wondering if there were any tricks with compressing them. (other than Ministry and NIN )

again, thanks for the advice.
---mike---
 
i did try it once. i got a kind of john bonham sound, minus john bonham behind the kit (if you know what i mean!). it kind of brought out the ambiance in a way that i've never got by adding compression after tracking. but then you've got less control in the mix.

try it. you might be pleasantly surprised
 
I'd be more inclined to compress the room mics going in rather then the OH's. It's easy to get some bad cymbal or snare reaction that you don't notice until later and the OH's are your main picture of the kit.
 
awsome

thomaswomas said:
i did try it once. i got a kind of john bonham sound, minus john bonham behind the kit (if you know what i mean!).
Click to expand...

maybe your analog compressor (compressing going in) gave the overheads a character that was somewhat closer related to tape than a digital compressor (plug-in).
i guess all in all it would be to risky to try in a typical session, but i do like getting the sound (and all its character) as close as possible before i enter the digital zone.
I guess TexRoadkill has the best compromise "I'd be more inclined to compress the room mics going in rather then the OH's."

---mike---:D
 
Well it's all in the end goal...

Plus I think you'll find that a better option could be using a limiter on OH, not so much a compressor. It could be more successful.

There are times when you might have access to a certain processor that you'll only have once in a blue moon, you may be familiar on what it does to your OH and you may want that.

For example, I'm aware I don't always have access to a good and true LA-2A, which sounds excellent on OH, so I may opt to use that...sparingly.

Depending on the music and how your drummer's playing, a *limiter* could be your best friend.

Really, it depends on how well you can imagine the final sound you're looking for and the experience in doing that. So if you reach for an LA-2A (or whatever), and you're absolutely sure that's what you want, then print it.

Or if you get two open tracks to work with, then have a processed and unprocessed version.

However, when in doubt, it's best to leave it untouched. I don't particularly agree on compressing room tracks since it might run the risk of ruining a proper sense of ambience and spatial detail.

Honestly, I don't usually feel the need to compress on the way in when I can leave my options open later on. My two cents..
 
I compress on the way in when I want to use a certian comp for a certain style, but never blindly.
 
what if you are tracking to tape, and you have a stereo comp (in this case, a FMR RNLA), what would you use it on? Overs? snare? kik? limited track count, so no room mics... I'm trying to do a project entirely on an Otari MX5050-8 1/2" and I have limited outboard so I'm looking for some ideas.
 
Why are you assuming you should compress during tracking? You're probably better off recording straight in.
 
i would compress OH to tape only as an effect.

compressing the dynamics out of the kit to tape doesn't strike me as particularly useful if the desired result is an open and large drum sound.

you will be effectively raising the apparent volume of the other drums after the intial attack of the OH's subsides. meaning, unless done well, the rest of the kit might pump in behind the overhead, making for a very confusing drum mix.
 
Regardless of what medium I am tracking to, I only compress something for sonic reasons, and not for levels or level control. That is what proper gain structure is for. In addition to that, if you are not SURE what you should be compressing on the way in, then I am pretty sure you should not be compressing on the way in. Spend some time listening to your RNLA's on different drum tracks, guitars, bass, vocals etc... Make some mental notes on how different settings and different levels of compression affect those tracks and how they sit in a mix. This way when you are tracking you will know better what to use the come for (i.e. what reasons to use it) and when you should or should not consider tracking with it.
 
i was always told that you should NEVER compress the overheads because of the way the cymbals will sound. however, as i've learned when it comes to engineering, statements that include the words ALWAYS and NEVER are USUALLY false. one listen to radiohead (the national anthem comes to mind) will show you that even heavy compression on the cymbals can be a super cool effect! so, you know, it depends on what you're doing.
 
Depends what I'm going for, but I tend to slam the hell out of the room mic(s).
 
I never compress OH's. I'll squash the bajeebers out of a room mic though!
 
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. not that i love genesis, or anything like that, but records from atlantic at that time period were pretty cutting edge and sometimes used unorthodox or accidental techniques for effect. on this song (which is famous for "that" drum sound) the drums (with no cymbals on the entire song) were recorded with a room mic compressed all to hell. naturally, their room probably sounds twice as "good" as most of our project studios, but the sound can still be mostly recreated. you have to admit, it is a huge and powerful (but artificially so) drum sound.
a
 
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