Parallel Compression vs. Multiband Compression

[Today]

^This
i love compressors with dry/wet

but it doesn't allow to you mix multiple signals into the comp, a different levels, the way a send bus would

[sunny_b_uk]

compression isnt essential, you can get way more punch from appropriate usage of ADSRs, mainly on the amplitude & also the pitch etc and it will sound natural unlike most compressors..
AND eqing alone will get your sounds the way you want them more than anything else. compression is more of a side tool, although some people seem to depend on it
i find myself using limiters more than any compression (parallel limiting does it for me on drum busses since limiters used in this way can glue things together better IMO)
EDIT: i really cant remember the last time i used a compressor infact.

[bassinine]

compression isnt essential, you can get way more punch from appropriate usage of ADSRs, mainly on the amplitude & also the pitch etc and it will sound natural unlike most compressors..
AND eqing alone will get your sounds the way you want them more than anything else. compression is more of a side tool, although some people seem to depend on it
i find myself using limiters more than any compression (parallel limiting does it for me on drum busses since limiters used in this way can glue things together better IMO)
EDIT: i really cant remember the last time i used a compressor infact.

really? that's strange, i basically NEVER use limiters. and have at least one compressor on almost every channel. whether it's to flatten out the top end, side-chaining to duck, gluing different layers together, etc.. compressors are an amazing tool when used properly.

in fact, analog saturation (+5-+10dB) - > compressor (low ratio, fast attack, very slow release) -> analog sat -> compressor -> [...repeat] on a heavily automated operator channel = noisia sounds. don't squash it to hell, but bring in those warm analog-like harmonics with saturation, and flatten out the frequency range with the comp.

[sunny_b_uk]

it might sound strange to some but i honestly get more impact using no latency limiters in a parallel way, limiters are still just compressors to be honest.
also i dont really depend on that method and i only do it to make my drums sound punchy as i can get them. i even sometimes do things like peak in the red and then bounce back and lower the volume again for impact on certain sounds
what matters at the end is quality of the sounds when completed, not how unusual the techniques are that might have been used.

[bassinine]

it might sound strange to some but i honestly get more impact using no latency limiters in a parallel way, limiters are still compressors to be honest.
also i dont really depend on that method and i only do it to make my drums sound punchy as i can get them. i even sometimes do things like peak in the red and then bounce back and lower the volume again for impact
what matters at the end is quality of the sounds when completed, not how unusual the techniques are that might have been used.

i wasn't coming down on your technique, mang. just thought it was interesting the different approaches people take. but you're right, all that matters is the end result - and if the techniques that you use are different than basically every other producers, then you're well on your way to finding your sound.

[sunny_b_uk]

ok kool then, iv had a lot of years of use with compressors and i decide not to use them much anymore.
also with your example that is a prime example of when i would use my techinique (although i would programme the synth to get close enough to the sound i want).. loud noisia/koan sound type reeses are sounds i like to make & i would use distortion & parrellel limiting (preferably modern dynakiller since it can squash to hell with no latency but sound clean at the same time) & only use one instance of each effect so i wouldnt need to repeat using the same plugins since limiters can smash things way more extreme than a compressor can. just saying though since i hate long FX chains since they take up too much CPU and it makes things more time consuming. it totally depends on the initial sound your effecting too but i find it a good idea to try keeping FX channels somewhat short and not having to reopen another camelcrusher or whatever. haha this is slightly straying off topic my bad but thought id give an example of why i would do things that way

[Sharmaji]

when i'm mixing, especially for someone else when a final product that's of a certain quality is expected, i use compression way more than EQ.

y'all know i love the stillwell audio rocket on drums; nothing else comes close.

camelcrusher on snares and as a general send to help bring things fwd in a mix.

waves CLA plugs have become essential to me over the last couple of months; they're pretty much the 1st sanctioned emulations that do it right, outside of the UAD plugs. LA2A on guitars, vocals, synths and anything that needs to be creamier; LA3A for a mixture between smooth and punchy; 1176 black for punch, 1176 blue for tone.

quite often the compressors aren't doing much compression; just getting their circuitry, or modeled circuitry, in the mix starts adding a real sheen to your sound. especially with the la2a, you can make something sound huge and garguantuan but not actually be that loud, peak-dB style. really wonderful tools.

in the rare case that i want to compress something just for dynamic control and no tonal change, i'll use the logic stock compressor-- also a great tool.

logic's stock multiband is fine for what it is; if it's just a single area that's a problem, i'd rather use logic's standard compressor and engage the internal sidechain. less weirdness to the sound that way.

[sunny_b_uk]

sharmaji could you recommend any VST compressors that are similar to the LA2A, if there is any?
cheap/expensive.
exceptional compressors are hard to find & i only like the antress modern plugins out of the many iv tried, since they can add nice character.

[Sonika]

Any great compressors that are free?

On an unrelated note, are there any good free saturators that people could recommend?

[Sharmaji]

free: camel crusher. also a good saturator.

VST: Waves LA2A

[Sonika]

Waves LA2A is free? I thought all the Waves stuff cost money....


Also, you said it's a VST, does it work with macs/come in an AU format?

[sunny_b_uk]

sonika he was answering my question on that one, waves would never know what that 4 letter word means
and yeah camelcrusher is available in AU mac format, its very good VERY LOW cpu and free.

[Sonika]

sonika he was answering my question on that one, waves would never know what that 4 letter word means
and yeah camelcrusher is available in AU mac format, its very good VERY LOW cpu and free.

oh haha thanks for the clarification

and yeah I'll get camelcrusher when I get home! thanks!

[sunny_b_uk]

no problem & download the antress modern plugins if you want the best free compressors and again theyre low in cpu usage. i particularly like dynakiller and firechainer in that pack.

[Sonika]

great! thanks again! very helpful

[jrisreal]

Ferric TDS and Tessla SE are basically my go-to plugins for saturation (both free but Windows only). For compression, I don't know enough about compression to be picky about my compressor, so I just use Fruity Limiter for that.

[Sonika]

Yeah for now, all of the dynamics that I'm using are stock logic ones, so I'm looking to expand

[Ghost of Muttley]

compression isnt essential, you can get way more punch from appropriate usage of ADSRs, mainly on the amplitude & also the pitch etc and it will sound natural unlike most compressors..
AND eqing alone will get your sounds the way you want them more than anything else. compression is more of a side tool, although some people seem to depend on it
i find myself using limiters more than any compression (parallel limiting does it for me on drum busses since limiters used in this way can glue things together better IMO)
EDIT: i really cant remember the last time i used a compressor infact.

A limiter is just a compressor with an infinite ratio anyway..you're doing the same thing with less control. But if it works it works.

[sunny_b_uk]

A limiter is just a compressor with an infinite ratio anyway..you're doing the same thing with less control. But if it works it works.

yeh i did say in my other post that "a limiter is still just a compressor"
& like i said i rarely use that technique but if i want to make my drums smash hard and saturation/distortion etc isnt doing it then i would use modern dynakiller in the chain, theres already enough parameters for control & id use the wet and dry mix in my DAW for parallel effect. dynakiller sounds better on the limiter mode to me and i get better results for this effect than many other compressors/limiters iv tried over the years so it works for me

[Sonika]

Do you guys put limiters or compressors on your outputs to stop them from peaking?

I do, but I've heard that method is sort of "the easy way out." So would you limit and compress all of your tracks separately or through a bus to stop them from peaking instead?