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compression tips?
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punkah
Started Topics :
6
Posts :
210
Posted : May 4, 2006 18:13
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agree with PoM.
hey, anyway, some basics about compression (its always nice to remember):
1. A compressor tighten up the dynamics of the signal. this means the difference in levels between loud and soft passages is reduced. So one of the most basic uses of a compressor is making the peak levels pretty constant.
Practically? Well, imagine you have a bassline with some accent notes (higher pitched notes maybe), and that everytime those accent notes are played you have a significant increase in db levels of tha bass track. The lower notes sound to low and the higher notes sound too loud...wee, then you should use a compressor to make those levels more constant and friendly for the overall mix of the song. How to properly compress? Knowing the very basics of compression or what threshold-atack-release-ratio really mean..
1. Threshold and Ratio: when a signal (in our case that annoying accent note or any other annoying peak within a track) exceeds the defined Threshold (you can call it Tolerance  ) level, the compressor starts working, based on the ratio that is setted.
So, setting a ratio of 4:1 means that an incoming level that is 4db louder than the Threshold level will be dampened, so that it comes out of the compressor with a level that is just 1 db above the threshold level. Easy no? So you should check visually how much (in Db`s) that anoying accent note is over the desired level, in order to set a proper Ratio and threshold.
Atack and Release: Atack determines the amount of time it takes for the compressor to react to signals that exceed the threshold level. At higher values, the compressor does not fully dampen a signal until it runs thru its atack phase. This type of setting ensures the original atack, for example the sound of a pick or finger striking a guitar string (or a desired click in the case of a synthline) remains intact or clearly audible after the compression. Low/Zero atack values don`t let anything go thru without compression and also maximize the signal.
Release: Determines the amount of time it takes for the compressor to stop dampening those louder passages, **once the signal level falls below the threshold level. if the compressor generates an ugly pumping sound, adjust the release knob.
80% of that information was take from Logic`s plug in reference guide, very easy to understand.
Knowing those simples basic concepts and how a compressor work should help you to START THINKING how to use a compressor in different situations. it`s not thaaat hard.
Usually i start analising how inconsistent is my signal, and based on that i would set a proper Ratio. Then with my threshold level set to 0, i would decrease it, always with an eye to Gain Reduction Meter. To keep a groovy bassline in control, for example, i search for something between the -4/-6db range ih tha meter.
After setting properly the level/threshold/ratio, tweak the Atack and Release for shaping the sound of how the compressor works/pumps, keeping the above basics in mind.
Even dough compressor is more often apllyed to vocals/drum/bass/leads, there are one zillion other uses for a compressor. use your comp[ressed brain.
good luck.
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psylevation
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
52
Posts :
841
Posted : May 22, 2006 05:21
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I think about compression as way to control an out of control sound.
For example, think about a room (square or rectangle room preferably for this example) in 3D, you have the front of the room you have the back of the room, the ceiling and the floor, then the walls and all the space in between.
Quiet sounds would be in the back of the room, loud sounds up front(just like if somone was yelling from across the room, or right in your face, in your face would be louder). High pitch sounds up high near the ceiling, and low down low by the floor, pannning left and right, sitting in the left and right of the room repectively, and every possibility in between.
Now think of all the sounds in your song sitting in this space. You have a pad sitting in the middle of the room it has a pitch in the midrange, it's very wide so it spreads across the room, and it's volume isn't too quiet or to loud so that basically centers it in the room.
Your lead lets say is a nice melodic one, with low notes and high notes etc... But the sound seems to get really quiet when you play the lower notes. So in your 3D room this would cause your "up front" melody to drift back and through the pad (volume being forward Loud, and back of the room quiet), causing frequency interference, cancelation or just to much change in the sounds themselves from them "smashing" into each other or just covering each other up in ways you don't want.
So where compression comes in, is use the compression to keep those volume levels more stable. If I put compression on that lead, when the low notes get quiet the compresser turns the volume up for me. That way the lead doesn't drift back into the pad and cause problems.
I just experiment with attack and release on the compression, at different ratio's, and I keep the threshold near average level of the inputing sound.
Usually my goal with this type of compression is to keep the volume more even within a synth line (or other sound) but still having "some" volume change, so it doesn't just sound completely flat.
So if I have sounds with a sharp attack on the front of them, i'll try using a faster attack on the compression. Or if it's a long release on the end of the sound I'll use a long release on the compressor to make sure the volume doesn't jump when it finishes compressing, that way it sounds more natural. So if I had a quick short sound, i'd want to use a faster release that way it would be done compressing before the next note started, because if it wasn't then the next note would lose alot of it's attack volume because the compressor would still be turning the volume back up from the last note when it turned it down because of the loud attack. This kind of compression I think you shouldn't really hear what it's doing when the whole song is playing, it should just stabalize the sounds.
Basically it helps to control the sounds some and put them or move them where you want without them jumping all over the place interfering with other sounds. In other words you tame the sounds with compressors some, so that you can have more control on where your sounds are going and what they are interfering with.
Hope this helps someone understand compression better, because as said before once you understand it, the techniques are just good starting points. It becomes a matter of taste once you "really" understand compression.
I'd say it's very very important if you want your music to have the quality, clarity, and volume of the releases coming out today.
This is just one way to use compression, you can use it more artistically as well, but you have to understand this before you start doing that.
Take care, and take care of someone else
~Airyck~
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