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About compression - How do you use in your tracks
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Becktrank
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posted : Nov 20, 2015 22:46:17
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I would like to know how do you use compression on your tracks.
Do you apply in each channel, on the go?
Dou leave it to the final, after you have finished the arrangement?
Do you have any specific metodology of how adjust the parameters when apply compression? (Bass, drums, etc) How do you do it? What your ears expect?
Thanks and much respect
  ``We shall not cease from exploration - And the end of all our exploring - Will be to arrive where we started - And know the place for the first time.``
bahia |
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snowdogg
IsraTrance Junior Member
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482
Posted : Nov 25, 2015 00:13
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snowdogg
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
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482
Posted : Nov 25, 2015 00:16
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when making electronic music the usefulness of a compressor becomes blurred imo,
look at the traditional uses - you would often compress a bass guitar part as the sound is generally sharp transients, and you want the bass note to be heard as much as the transient "slap"
another use would be on an entire mix during mastering, to bring the overall level (or frequency specific parts with a multiband) |
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frisbeehead
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posted : Nov 25, 2015 21:19
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@swowdogg
agree for the most part. but had to say you can also use a compressor to enhance the transients instead of evening them out.
for such uses, sometimes a limiter is more convenient and many times sounds more transparent (since it's designed to excel at those very two things); tape saturation can also even transients out while also introducing harmonic distortion to it. which is another thing that many compressors do too, those based on analogue circuitry at least - and it's a very welcome and important factor!
Don't necessarily agree that the usefulness of compression is less obvious for Electronic Music. It's just as important as with any other hard hitting music out there, no difference. I'd say it plays a BIG role!
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frisbeehead
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posted : Nov 25, 2015 21:24
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An important tip would be to either engage an auto-gain feature, if available or match the volume to where it was before inserting the compressor, so as to be able to A/B it for what it does to the sound and just that.
Then experiment a lot. An oscilloscope can also be a very cool aid, allows you to see in real time what you're doing to the waveform, how you're affecting the dynamics of the material - again, very valuable aid. You can download one for free, it's easy to find!
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Medea
Aedem/Medea
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127
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1132
Posted : Nov 27, 2015 15:40
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i use compressors only in 2 cases
1) sidechain kick -> bass (in every track)
2) when lead or other sound is too loud on particular notes or filter settings, to make it smoother (sometimes, only when needed)
http://soundcloud.com/aedem |
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frisbeehead
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posted : Nov 27, 2015 20:00
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The compression certainly does imprint a certain sound on a mix. It can also be used in a more subtle, less noticeable way. But I'm kind of surprised that you're saying (Medea) that you use it so sparingly. Unless of course, number two comes into a play more often then not - in which case it's similar to my own approach, even though I'm one for using bus compression on drums and that sort of thing, that goes way beyond what you mean with number two.
So, the question, I guess, would be: how often do you feel the need to stabilise sounds while producing?
Cheers |
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Becktrank
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posted : Dec 1, 2015 14:40
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thanks for replies ...
medea i use same approach
frisbeehead bus compression would be same as parallel compression or ny compression? i have known some artists that use this type of compression in almost every tracks..at least in kickbass and drums but other elements too
``We shall not cease from exploration - And the end of all our exploring - Will be to arrive where we started - And know the place for the first time.``
bahia |
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frisbeehead
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posted : Dec 3, 2015 14:18
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Quote:
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On 2015-12-01 14:40, Becktrank wrote:
frisbeehead bus compression would be same as parallel compression or ny compression?
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Two different things. Parallel (or NY style) is done by mixing a very compressed signal with the original, can be also done on a group of sounds, like a sub mix of drums. The advantages of this method are that you keep the original sound with all its transients and dynamics intact, but then you mix it with another signal (a double of it) that's been severely compressed (that would sound wrong on its own).
You know the wet and dry knob on most effects? It's nearly the same thing: you mix the original, non processed signal with another one that's been processed with said effect. There's even some compressors out there that allow you to do this by simply sticking an insert on the bus/group you want to apply your parallel compression to. Major difference with this two options is that you can do a lot of further processing on the processed (compressed) part that you're mixing with the original if you keep it on a separate track, just like you would with any other track in your mix. In other words, it's a much more flexible solution - and it's also the traditional one, since this was done primarily in mixing consoles making use of its channel routings.
Bus compressor is simply applying subtle compression to a group of sounds, so as to blend them together a bit. You should use subtle settings here, while with parallel you can go to extremes. |
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