Riding the Faders Vs Compression

[lurgan liar]

I've been reading a lot of articles lately on compression during the mixing process. This article in particular Compression In Mastering caught my attention as it argues that Compression should be kept to a minimum during mixing and should be left mainly to the Mastering Stage...

Can anyone offer any pearls of wisdom on this subject. I really like the idea of using automation in all the tracks rather than compressing them as i don't want to result in a dead squashed mix with no dynamics.

I will be recording a friend's band using my newly bought RME Fireface 800... and If possible would like to capture as "Live" a sound as possible rather than a LOUD Squashed Over Produced CD with no dynamics in any of the songs...

A few quick questions

1: When Monitoring my mix should i set the volume of the monitors high or low?
2: How Much headroom should i Leave on the master Fader, for the fairy dust to be added during Mastering...i'm using 24 bit / 96 Khz

If i can think of any other questions i'll let ya's know?

Thanks in advance

 

[studiomaster]

1. Low volume for monitors that start distortion when it reaches a small level amount of sound. For example, it would be a wise idea to monitor on low levels with a monitor that occupy a 5" low freq. woofer.

 

[lurgan liar]

I just bought the Wharfedale 8.2 pro actives ...they have a 6.5-inch woofer ... So therefore should i be monitoring a bit louder ? I have read that you shouldn't monitor at too high a volume as it can impair your judgement on things like Bass ... Also iit can cause fatigue if you listen loud for prolongued periods of time ...?

I've also read that you should monitor your mixes ate conversation level as it can help you to get a better mix . And also monitoring over back ground noises seems to be popular among many well known mixing engineers? So i have read anyway...lol

 

[mshilarious]

Can anyone offer any pearls of wisdom on this subject. I really like the idea of using automation in all the tracks rather than compressing them as i don't want to result in a dead squashed mix with no dynamics.

That's a complicated topic. First off automation is generally a good thing, but it's very time consuming to automate, say, every snare drum hit. Of course that would say something about the drummer . . .

Beyond that, compression is used not just to level dynamics, but also to change the tone of the track being compressed. And it doesn't have to kill dynamics, a compressor can be used to gently shape too.

Different compressors have different sounds, and when you have a rack (or directory) full of different ones you know well, you can exploit that rather than just use EQ.

Also, if an instrument has a problem, it really is better addressed in the mix, whether by compression, EQ, or automation, because it can be tough to affect a single instrument when all you have to work with is a stereo bus.

 

[MessianicDreams]

When Monitoring my mix should i set the volume of the monitors high or low?

both. don't mix loud all the time, or your mix will come out too midrange-y. do you understand equal loudness curves?

as you can see, at lower volumes you need more bass and more highs for the whole lot to sound equal than at higher volumes. obviously, depending ont he program material you're not going to want them to be equal, but it means if you only mix at low volumes your bass isn't going to translate well to loud volumes.

 

[lurgan liar]

posted in wrong place

 

[LeeRosario]

Basically thats up to you.


-Some engineers take the genre in mind just to decide on monitoring levels. For example, since alot of the outside listeners will listen to rock really loud, then you may choose to hear it just like they do. Whereas jazz, probably not so much.


-Another train of thought (which I really like), is to set balances at a whisper soft level. You save your ears, your speakers are minimally affected by the room and the things that automatically stick out too much will become more noticable. It may piss of the band to do so, but once you're done and you bring up that mix....wow.


-You can choose to mix the song as dry as you possibly can before deciding to use any effects. The idea may be to have the cleanest sound, or it may not. Different listening levels will give you different information about a single mix. So use that your advantage.


-Another train of thought is to do what you can in the tracking process. Compress to control dynamic range, but not nessessarly to change the sound of the source. EQ with your mic selection and/or your room positioning with good mic placement. The hardest thing to do in musical production is to track properly. So if you can do that well, chances are you won't need to process your tracks at all or at least very lightly. Of course, you're your own judge.

I personally see riding my faders as a viable option in some situations, and then compressing in others.

I would probably end up using compression/limiting more on things with sudden jumps in dynamic range versus types of music that are fairly predictable and limited in overall dynamic range.


In terms of monitoring, people will tell you to get a monitor with a flat EQ response, but if you really think about it, *no* speaker can be truely flat. Once it leaves the cone, it suffers from room acoustics, room noise, air tempurature, distance to your ears and all the other things that will continue to make that concept a theoretical one. Still, it dosn't mean you don't get what you pay for.


With all that said, it might or might not sit well with you. Which is really why it's just a matter of taste and a matter of circumstance.

 

[killmachine]

I've had instances where a guitar player was playing so dynamically that I felt like I tracked it to hot and then to low. I'd have had to ride those faders massivly. While the guitar bass and drums were such that they remained relativly equal without much need fader movment. Put some carfully applied compression on that one particular guitar and it help control it so much more so that I only had to ride the fader to get the super quiet parts bumped up a bit, but didn't have to pull down when it got much louder.