Compression

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Smile on Impact
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Re: Compression

Post by Smile on Impact »

projuice tute on sidechain. just cause their aint enough talk about sidechain on this forum.

http://www.projuice.org/sidechain.html
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saggynipple
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Re: Compression

Post by saggynipple »

The wikipedia article on compression is actually pretty good too, making a lot more sense to me than some other sources. The picture explaining attack and release was very helpful.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_level_compression
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CoB
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Re: Compression

Post by CoB »

hmm lol that explains what the "NY Compression" means on my compressor's presets
(i've been using it for my drums a lot lately... maybe I should play around with it rather than just using as is, but I always fear i have no idea what i am doing lol learning is fun)

edit: also might explain why i can never hear the hats when fired at the same time as the kick >.<

doubledit: is it a good idea to compress each part of the kit seperately to counteract this? or is that insane?
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youthful_implants
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Re: Compression

Post by youthful_implants »

CoB wrote:hmm lol that explains what the "NY Compression" means on my compressor's presets
(i've been using it for my drums a lot lately... maybe I should play around with it rather than just using as is, but I always fear i have no idea what i am doing lol learning is fun)

edit: also might explain why i can never hear the hats when fired at the same time as the kick >.<

doubledit: is it a good idea to compress each part of the kit seperately to counteract this? or is that insane?
compressing the whole kit is inadvisable as obviously the loudest elements will squash the quieter ones playing at the same time.

NY compression is an effective workaround so you preserve the dynamics of the hits in the dry channel.

I tend to compress things individually, if at all, and then limit the drum track a bit to add cohesion.

What a lot of people who are new to producing tend to overlook is how important the balance of your drums and their position frequency-wise is before you add any compression or limiting at all. Just using some EQ can make them bang harder than anything else will.

The vintage finaliser plug, in the Ableton drum processing rack is a really nice way to warm up your drums and add some space.
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CoB
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Re: Compression

Post by CoB »

ah, that makes sense >.<
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ghostsoul
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Re: Compression

Post by ghostsoul »

I guess with compression it's a matter of knowing where to use it, where to smash and where to let it be. You have to remember the ADSR of the audio you're compressing and apply parrameters in reference to it, quick attack say 3-5ms for snares and kicks can sound sweet. So you preserve your transients and control your tails and resonance.

Things like drums I find really do need to be split into separate channels so you can work your kicks, snares and hats separately with a parrallel or "dry" signal that's separate in the mix to full drum mix. I also find parrallel compression works really well on bass. Though a little bit of atmosperic effect, like adding an AUX channel with say a chorus or pitch correction or both then sending your bass to it pre fader can add width to the sound and allow you to use subtle compression on the signal your sending, as long as your subtle with the mix level.

I like this kinda a shit but that's me everyone has their own way. :kooislayer.:
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Andy_Tron
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Re: Compression

Post by Andy_Tron »

Interesting guide at the top, cheers.. tho Im gonna go ahead and disagree with the notion of dialing in these parameter values and expecting magic. The best advice I've had is to use your ears and listen as you tweak, rather than worry about what values you set. You will get a much deeper understanding of using your tools with this philosophy, and much better results.

I do have a few guide lines I go by which work very well I'v found. Would be curious to hear others opinions on them. (Btw these guides I use are mostly tested and tried on synthesizers and sample drums, not so much acoustic instruments)

But first, the compressor I use is Ableton Live's native compressor, waves L4 multiband, and Voxengo Elephant limiter.

To start, I always set an arbitrary ratio first. Somewhere between 2 - 3:1, unless its bass, then more like 3 - 5:1

Find the sweet spot with the threshold by gradually dropping it down into the signal. I picture this like a magnifying glass, where you zoom in on the signal and select the part you want to stand out. A shallow threshold will have a rather thin sound. A threshold too deep in the signal and you will start loosing some detail, and it will sound more muddy and not so crisp. Find the point between these two and you will get a sound thats full and big and full of detail.

With attack and release I use similar principles. The more low frequency content in the signal, the longer attack you need. Think of it as weight. The heavier the signal, the more time it needs to move. As a reference, I use around 45 - 50ms for the heaviest bass sounds.
Higher ratio's also need longer attacks too for similar reasons.
Sounds with slow articulation (like pads) can have slow attacks, and with a bit of knee. I find with these sounds the attack isn't so critical.

With sounds that have fast articulation, you need to get the attack right. But it depends what your trying to achieve. If you want to add punch, use a longer attack. Maybe a slightly deeper threshold too, but be careful and listen as you adjust. If you are trying to fatten the sound without increasing the percussive punch, then a slightly smaller attack is good, and maybe a slightly higher threshold.
It also depends on the how fast the transients are in the signal. If you have a fast rapid sound like a quick hihat then you'l need to be careful not to have to longa attack and release. The compressor needs time to move with each new transient.

What I listen to when I adjust attack.. If the attack is too short then it sounds a bit restricted, like its holding its breath. Then as you increase it, its like it just relaxes and exhales, and sounds more open. If you go beyond this sweet spot then it gets a bit flabby and somewhat less responsive (Very subtle changes in sound these are btw..).

Release time is under very similar principles as the attack. Usually just a bit loner though. Ie. bassier sounds need more time to move so a longer release is good (Between 75 - 100ms I find works best with bass). But I find attack is alot more critical than release.

Once I'v set attack and release, only now Ill go back and revisit ratio. Try giving it a little more and see if it sounds better and fuller, or if it sounds more crushed. This will tell you which direction you need to take the ratio in. Find the sweet spot between these two extreme's.

Once you've set all these, set the output gain so the level is the same with or without compression. This lets you AB your work accurately. If you don't do this, the louder signal will most always sound better, but it won't be the truth.

Once you've done this, go back over your settings again, change them all in small increments and find the best spot you can. Keep ABing and tweaking til you have the most optimal settings for all parameters and it'l be mint as.

I find this works very well for me anyway, but these are just a general set of guidelines and may not work in all situations. If ever unsure, just listen with your ears :)

Sorry to blab on..

-Andy
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