compression usage

[symmetricalsounds]

i compress until it gives me a boner

You, my friend, have real problems.

trust

I'm running out of compressors! I'm like Bubbles' whiteboy friend in the wire. except, instead of heroin....

you green...

[Mad_EP]

I'm running out of compressors! I'm like Bubbles' whiteboy friend in the wire. except, instead of heroin....

Hahaha... I am the same way, I go through compressors like no one's business...

Do you have Cytomic's Glue yet? That is a good one - obviously more subtle than TBk3 (or the Rough Riders for that matter)... Subtle, but still some nice coloration.

As for the more extreme - I also use AD's Kombinat (skipping the distortion, and just using the saturation and waveshaping).. and Nomad Factory's British MCL-2269, however I got the Nomad Factory as part of an Audiomidi.com no-brainer deal. Don't know if I would pay full price for it.

[Sharmaji]

for basic smoothing-out or glue, i'm often OK with the logic internal compressor, especially since it's got the ability to work in parallel. The class-A and opto emulations aren't bad at all... maybe not an LA2A, but useable.

for drum glue and all-buttons-in aggyness, i love the rocket.

I like the ruffrider on percussion, for sure. not much on anything else. it's a weird beast, has some anomolies w/ how it behaves at the beginning of a transient, but can definitely be made to work.

nomad-factory-wise, i really like their studio channel-- great eq's.

but seriously though, w/ a compressor, i'm not really looking to reign in dynamics-- if i want to control something, i'll go for peak limiting (yes a limiter is a super-fast, hi-ratio compressor, etc, etc) as it's usually pretty transparent on leads, etc.

w a compressor, i want to inherently change the way things behave-- i want to force interactions, or change how something develops across time.

[serox]

So what elements of your track should you be compressing? Full drum kit channel or just the kick or kick + snare? What about bass, melody, pads, incidental sounds and one shots? And which should be sidechained?

How about none?:)

I try to only use compressions for FX now days on 808s.

[dreadheaded]

Do you have Cytomic's Glue yet?

i love this one, great for drum busses

[futures_untold]

Also, I've lifted the following notes from Alex Case's book called Sound FX which I recommend everyone purchase.

Uses of a compressor:

To preventing signal overload (limiting)
• Stops physical damage to equipment
• Keeps signals within the usable range of the audio equipment
• Use peak limiting to stop momentary spikes in the signal from overloading the safe operating tolerances of the equipment
• High threshold
• Fast attack
• Fast release
• High ratio

Increasing perceived loudness (maximisation)
• Reduces the overall dynamic range of the signal before amplifying the entire signal with make-up gain
• Low threshold
• Medium slow attack
• Slow release
• Any ratio (depending on how much you want to squeeze the mix and raise the overall average level with the make-up gain)

To overcome a loud noise floor
• Makes the quietest parts of the mix louder than the noise floor, e.g. hum or rumble
• Reduces the overall dynamic range of the signal before amplifying the entire signal with make-up gain increasing perceived loudness
• Low threshold
• Medium slow attack
• Slow release
• Any ratio (depending on how much you want to squeeze the mix and raise the overall average level with the make-up gain)

Improving vocal intelligibility
• Low threshold (but above the average signal level)
• Fast attack
• Medium to fast release
• Up to 10:1 ratio

Improving instrument articulation
• Low threshold ( but above the average signal level)
• Fast attack
• Medium to fast release
• Up to 10:1 ratio

Smoothing a live performance
• Reduces the overall dynamic range of the signal before amplifying the entire signal with make-up gain
• Use peak limiting to stop momentary spikes in the signal from overloading the safe operating tolerances of the equipment
• High threshold
• Fast attack
• Fast release
• High ratio

Envelope shaping: Sharpening the attack
• Make the attack envelope sound louder to change the dynamic of the sound
• Low threshold
• High ratio
• Medium attack
• Long release

Envelope shaping: Smoothing the attack
• Make the sustain portion of a sound louder
• Low threshold
• Medium to high ratio
• Fast attack
• Fast to medium release

Envelope shaping: Bringing out the sustain
• Make the sustain portion of a sound louder
• Low threshold
• High ratio
• Medium attack
• Fast release

Pumping
• Make a sound 'throb' as the volume is turned up and down unnuturally (but often creatively).
• Used in lots of electro house productions.
• Medium threshold
• Fast attack
• Medium release
• High ratio

Rhythmic pumping
• Make a sound 'throb' as the volume is turned up and down in time to a particular rhythm
• Feed a drum loop or click track to the compressors sidechain input
• Variable threshold
• Fast attack
• Medium release
• Medium to high ratio (depending on desired obviousness of the effect)

Ducking
• Turn down the volume of one signal using a separate signal as the trigger.
• Feed the signal to be attenuated (turned down) into the compressors normal input
• Feed the signal to trigger the gain reduction into the sidechain input
• Every time the trigger signal crosses the threshold, the main signal is turned down

De-essing
• Takes the sibilance out of a vocal take
• Feed a copy of the signal to be de-essed into a side chain, boosting the problem frequencies with an EQ. This enables the compressor to trigger only when the problem frequencies are present leaving the remainder of the siganl intact.

Saturation Distortion
• To change the sonic character of the waveform being compressed
• Low threshold
• Fast attack
• Fast release
• High ratio

Gating:
No notes yet, sorry. Look up some tutorials on Google if you're interested.

Expansion:
No notes yet, sorry. Look up some tutorials on Google if you're interested.

Compansion:
No notes yet, sorry. Look up some tutorials on Google if you're interested.

[RandoRando]

Could you go into more info about dressing with a compressor? Sounds interesting .

[Electric_Head]

don`t you mean de-essing?

[futures_untold]

De-essing tutorials

[RandoRando]

don`t you mean de-essing?

ipod auto correct

[DoWork]

Do I need to break out the alpaca out of nowhere image?

[didi]

Also, I've lifted the following notes from Alex Case's book called Sound FX which I recommend everyone purchase.

Uses of a compressor:

To preventing signal overload (limiting)
• Stops physical damage to equipment
• Keeps signals within the usable range of the audio equipment
• Use peak limiting to stop momentary spikes in the signal from overloading the safe operating tolerances of the equipment
• High threshold
• Fast attack
• Fast release
• High ratio

Increasing perceived loudness (maximisation)
• Reduces the overall dynamic range of the signal before amplifying the entire signal with make-up gain
• Low threshold
• Medium slow attack
• Slow release
• Any ratio (depending on how much you want to squeeze the mix and raise the overall average level with the make-up gain)

To overcome a loud noise floor
• Makes the quietest parts of the mix louder than the noise floor, e.g. hum or rumble
• Reduces the overall dynamic range of the signal before amplifying the entire signal with make-up gain increasing perceived loudness
• Low threshold
• Medium slow attack
• Slow release
• Any ratio (depending on how much you want to squeeze the mix and raise the overall average level with the make-up gain)

Improving vocal intelligibility
• Low threshold (but above the average signal level)
• Fast attack
• Medium to fast release
• Up to 10:1 ratio

Improving instrument articulation
• Low threshold ( but above the average signal level)
• Fast attack
• Medium to fast release
• Up to 10:1 ratio

Smoothing a live performance
• Reduces the overall dynamic range of the signal before amplifying the entire signal with make-up gain
• Use peak limiting to stop momentary spikes in the signal from overloading the safe operating tolerances of the equipment
• High threshold
• Fast attack
• Fast release
• High ratio

Envelope shaping: Sharpening the attack
• Make the attack envelope sound louder to change the dynamic of the sound
• Low threshold
• High ratio
• Medium attack
• Long release

Envelope shaping: Smoothing the attack
• Make the sustain portion of a sound louder
• Low threshold
• Medium to high ratio
• Fast attack
• Fast to medium release

Envelope shaping: Bringing out the sustain
• Make the sustain portion of a sound louder
• Low threshold
• High ratio
• Medium attack
• Fast release

Pumping
• Make a sound 'throb' as the volume is turned up and down unnuturally (but often creatively).
• Used in lots of electro house productions.
• Medium threshold
• Fast attack
• Medium release
• High ratio

Rhythmic pumping
• Make a sound 'throb' as the volume is turned up and down in time to a particular rhythm
• Feed a drum loop or click track to the compressors sidechain input
• Variable threshold
• Fast attack
• Medium release
• Medium to high ratio (depending on desired obviousness of the effect)

Ducking
• Turn down the volume of one signal using a separate signal as the trigger.
• Feed the signal to be attenuated (turned down) into the compressors normal input
• Feed the signal to trigger the gain reduction into the sidechain input
• Every time the trigger signal crosses the threshold, the main signal is turned down

De-essing
• Takes the sibilance out of a vocal take
• Feed a copy of the signal to be de-essed into a side chain, boosting the problem frequencies with an EQ. This enables the compressor to trigger only when the problem frequencies are present leaving the remainder of the siganl intact.

Saturation Distortion
• To change the sonic character of the waveform being compressed
• Low threshold
• Fast attack
• Fast release
• High ratio

Gating:
No notes yet, sorry. Look up some tutorials on Google if you're interested.

Expansion:
No notes yet, sorry. Look up some tutorials on Google if you're interested.

Compansion:
No notes yet, sorry. Look up some tutorials on Google if you're interested.

Bumping because that is incredibly useful.

[AxeD]

Meh think you'd be better of actually learning how to use it.

I've had a few lectures on dynamic range now and compression isn't that hard to grasp and calculate but
it is hard to get it right every time.

[district]

the standard one that comes with cubase 5+ is (in my opinion) pretty neat. very flexible little plug in. I learnt how to use compressors by watching the signal change through smart electronix mexoscope (its a free oscilloscope vst)

[Marzz]

the standard one that comes with cubase 5+ is (in my opinion) pretty neat. very flexible little plug in. I learnt how to use compressors by watching the signal change through smart electronix mexoscope (its a free oscilloscope vst)

Just got that electronix mexoscope oscilloscope plugin and I must say this thing is really helpful to use when compressing and mixing. Thanks District. Oh and huge tunes you got there mate. Biggups.

[Attila]

as it's usually pretty transparent on leads, etc.

I've seen this phrase thrown around a lot lately, but what exactly does this mean in the context of one sound? I could see a full mix being transparent (everything's clean and you can hear the elements), but unless I'm drawing the completely wrong meaning for it, it doesn't make sense.

[didi]

as it's usually pretty transparent on leads, etc.

I've seen this phrase thrown around a lot lately, but what exactly does this mean in the context of one sound? I could see a full mix being transparent (everything's clean and you can hear the elements), but unless I'm drawing the completely wrong meaning for it, it doesn't make sense.

Transparent compression is compression that is subtle as opposed to smashing the balls off a channel, or pumping it silly. Transparent you barely notice, but it does it's job

[outbound]

as it's usually pretty transparent on leads, etc.

I've seen this phrase thrown around a lot lately, but what exactly does this mean in the context of one sound? I could see a full mix being transparent (everything's clean and you can hear the elements), but unless I'm drawing the completely wrong meaning for it, it doesn't make sense.

Transparent compression is compression that is subtle as opposed to smashing the balls off a channel, or pumping it silly. Transparent you barely notice, but it does it's job

Yup the opposite of 'transparent' would be whacking a drum buss through a (LA-2A / SSL style) compressor smashing 5-7 db out of it. (Getting that huge drum sound) You can hear it clearly changing the sound.

'transparent' would be say if you wanted to lay some vocals down and you want it all at roughly the same volume then you want a compressor that will do this without it imparting much of its own sound on it. (optical style compressors are great for this)

Just for the record samples from kits like vengeance don't need compressing on their own for 'transparent' means. The odds are it's all going to be the same volume anyway. The only reason to compress is if you want to alter the sound in an obvious way to either bring out the transient or to crush the hell out of it

[kreutzbube]

i got no frikkin clue what all the hustle and bustle for compressors is about, if i use em i hardly hear any changes in sound... i just fix the volume via mixer - the only useful function of compressors i lately discovered is sidechaining.

[AxeD]

i got no frikkin clue what all the hustle and bustle for compressors is about, if i use em i hardly hear any changes in sound... i just fix the volume via mixer - the only useful function of compressors i lately discovered is sidechaining.

A new generation