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Important steps and things to have in mind while Compressing Kick and Bass..
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sendtoglennc
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
22
Posts :
156
Posted : Jan 22, 2009 13:06:13
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Hi!
I have read a lot of threads with sidechaincompression and different techniques to make a good kick and bassline..And also many producers is mentioning that compression is important..lately i have been experimenting with compression on the kick..and gut som good results..but i am intersting to hear from any with experinece what they think of when they are doing the process..Like.."Now I put the attack on 0.4 to make the klick in the kick sound more" and "I choose this rate to boost theese freqs" and so on..
So anyone with good knowledge and experinece please..describe your goals and aproaches and what you have in mind when you compress your kick..and also the same with bassline seperate..if you have time=)
I know some people would tell me to experiment more..thats just what i am doing and its going quite well..but i want some hints=)
Thanks in advance..peace! |
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Medea
Aedem/Medea
Started Topics :
127
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1132
Posted : Jan 22, 2009 13:52
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I never compress kicks. Imho, it's absolutely usuless if the right sample is chosen. There are tons of kick samples, there is Bazzism, so - that's not a problem i think. The only case i can imagine when kick needs compression is if you want to get a hard distorted gabber-like kick.
For bassline i use compression very rarely as well. The most suitable case for me is when i have a kind of non-kbbb pattern, e.g. in some chilly or idm stuff, and when the bassline is playing all the time, the side-chaining can give some nice organic interation between kick and bass, with fast attack and long release for the compressor.
I would recommend to think about side-chain compression as an effect, but not as "fix" tool. It produces good results when you want to keep the kickdrum long and big.
In my tracks in most cases the bass itself doesn't need compression, i always try to tweek the needed sound right out of the synth, + some eq, but not even always.
I use compression on bass only if i have tweaked a nice and unusual bass sound, but it's not stable and i don't know how to make it stable =)
just some words on topic...
 http://soundcloud.com/aedem |
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Freeflow
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
60
Posts :
3709
Posted : Jan 22, 2009 14:11
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i think in a busy mix when you want the kick and bass to stand out a little and cut through, but you can achieve that in other ways aswell...
compression is a nice way of even things out and get a controlled sound... but it is a fine line, if you want to keep the suby feeling too much will take it away,
there are some general settings depending on instrument, though i seldom follow them i just tweak till i think it sounds right, and listen alot..
check David Gibson - The Art of Mixing
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-aeon-
Aeon
Started Topics :
10
Posts :
546
Posted : Jan 22, 2009 15:05
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be careful the compression doesn't choke the kick and take away all its energy.
sometimes, if you are writing a higher-BPM track, kicks with big long bassy tails can be tamed by using compression with a long attack - so the transient and initial punch of the kick cuts through, but the woompf part of the tail is muted. this can help create space for the bass.
also sometimes i like a little 'character' compression on kick and bass together - just a group channel with a really mild compression to help the kick & bass 'gel' together better. |
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ThiagoNAKA
IsraTrance Full Member
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104
Posts :
1047
Posted : Jan 22, 2009 16:08
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Quote:
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On 2009-01-22 15:05, -aeon- wrote:
be careful the compression doesn't choke the kick and take away all its energy.
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+1
If u use a very fast attack settings, the low part of the transient will be cut. But it´s not so easy to listen to this. U need nice monitors and some experience.
For bass I still prefer a limiter.
LOADING... |
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PoM
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
162
Posts :
8087
Posted : Jan 22, 2009 16:51
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imo make things sound good without compression first (maybe you are there , dunno ... ) and start using compression after this so you don t ruin your sound !
these days i use sidechain compression for the bassline (just to add groove ,can t use velocity of the synth cause it s used to control the filter position on each note,the aim is to make the kick bass pump ,dont use the fastest attack and release to avoid distortion ,some plugs sound like shit with fast settings) and a other compressor on the drum buss to make things loud ,you have to use fast attack to avoid peaks (the duende bus comp is good for that ) |
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PsyTiax
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
26
Posts :
190
Posted : Jan 22, 2009 18:44
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And what about compressing the kick and the bass together ? Is it usually a bad idea as well ?
In extenso, which parts are you usually compressing (now *that* is a question that's been on my mind for a loooooong time) ? |
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PoM
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
162
Posts :
8087
Posted : Jan 22, 2009 18:56
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try to add all your drums and percussive sounds to glue them maybe you ll get good result ( adjust levels to correct things... sometimes you might notice a big jump in quality ) , it won t change much as compressing just the kick bass (the compressor should work the same cause the other sound are not as loud and just compressed a little but sometimes it make evryhting sound good like magic) |
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