When is compression needed

Not all compressors are of the same design. The four most common ones are:. Stick a pin in this idea and look into it later down the line but the TL;DR description is that their names describe the gain reduction circuit for that particular type of compressor and how they react to the input signal. They impart certain sonic qualities depending on the type used that can further enhance the sound beyond the standard parameter settings.

Vocal compression can cause its own problems. It brings up the background noise, breaths and emphasises sibilance in a vocal. Mastering the release setting will control this aspect of the vocal but also, you can tackle these problem areas BEFORE the signal even touches the compressor circuit by using clip gain to manually control the peaks and breaths. I find around -6dB clip gain on breaths and sibilance works really well for me. In fact, using multiple compressors can work better than having only one do all the heavy lifting.

Split the compression over two compressors in series, one to hit the peaks with roughly -4dB reduction and the second for a more gentle, overall compression of -2 to -3dB. The result is a more natural yet fully present sound. The two compressors used in this way, traditionally, are the Urei followed by the LA2A.

The amount of level reduction that takes place once the signal crosses the threshold. Determines how quickly, or slowly, the compressor reacts to the incoming signal, making the vocals sound either smoother or edgier and aggressive. Determines how quickly, or slowly, the compressor allows the audio to return to its normal level, shaping the ends of words, phrases or breaths.

Determines the sharpness of compression. Soft knee is subtle, hard knee is more aggressive. Hard knee is good for rock vocals. A good starting point for a rock vocal would be a ratio with a medium-fast attack and a medium release. Then, set the threshold for around 4 to 6dB of gain reduction.

Imagine that you are watching your favorite movie on television at 2 o'clock in the morning. Now imagine that there is a part of the movie where the dialog is very quiet. Maybe they have to whisper as part of the plot to the movie. If your television was equipped with a compressor then the low sounding dialog as well as the annoying commercial would all be heard at the same volume level.

This would be known as dynamic processing. Dynamic processors come in many different flavors, but in very simple terms a dynamic processor is basically a processor which regulates the audio dynamics that are going through it. This can involve limiting, compressing, using gates and the like but by definition any dynamic effect could be called compression.

Think of it like a giant volume knob. But unlike a volume knob it works proactively based on the sound running through it. See with a standard volume knob you would set it to the volume level that you wanted to listen to a given sound at. If that sound became too loud or too quiet you would then have to manually adjust the volume up or down to your desired listening volume.

With a compressor it would take that incoming sound, process it and output that sound based on the compressor's settings automatically. Now I will not say that this method is wrong because a lot of today's modern music is in fact compressed. Maybe even too much so depending upon which side of the loudness war you are on. So when is compression needed when it comes to your mix? Well I have found that there are 4 reasons to compress a sound within a mix.

Dynamic Range — You are trying to limit the dynamic range in a track. If something is too low or too high this is a good reason to limit your dynamic range. Add Punch — Compression can be added to sound to give it more punch and power. Just like doubling down on 11 is the smartest move when you find yourself playing Blackjack, so is buss compressing the drums. My system helps me work faster since I know from experience what usually works. The multi-band compressor is a seriously useful tool to make better mixes.

That takes dedication. A reader wrote in with a few questions about using compression for both mixing and mastering. Feel free to add more in the comments. It is said that you do compression after the mix. Compression is the best way to control dynamics and keep some instruments in check while making other elements of the mix tighter and more powerful. I compress each instrument, and I also use bus compression and parallel compression together. However, compression on individual tracks is crucial to creating a good mix.

Using compression on the master bus is sometimes done when you want to get a taste of how your mix will sound mastered. I will add that I tend to mix into a compressor on my mix buss because it makes the entire song sound tighter and more glued together that way. If I send it to a mastering engineer, I usually give them two versions, one without the master bus processing and one with.

I will usually compress all of them. Multiband compression is a lot more complicated than that. The great thing about multiband compression is that you can target specific frequency ranges of instruments.

This is great when you have instruments that have a wide frequency range if you need to only compress certain aspects of that instrument. Why do you need to send a song to mastering? There might be already much treble and sheen etc on the music.

It might not sound dull anymore after the mix, or are you to make it sound dull so the mastering engineer can pump it up? Make the best mix you can. One might be louder; another might be brighter and third might be much quieter. Making the songs sound like they belong together on an album is the purpose of mastering.

You can achieve something similar without compression, just with a little more work. Normally, automation is the last step in making a mix sound good. Using compression is just the easier way to go. It takes less time to learn how to effectively use a compressor instead of spending hours automating to get the same effect.

EQ and compression are your best friends for making better sounding mixes. They go hand in hand to create separation between your instruments and punchy and tight dynamics in your tracks. Learn what all the buttons on your compressor do, experiment with the different compressor styles, and then start applying the aforementioned compression tricks in your mixes. He helps musicians and producers turn amateur demos into professionally produced records they can be proud to release. We help home studio musicians and project studio producers make a greater musical impact in their lives by teaching them the skills needed to grow their hobbies and careers.

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A rising tide floats all boats and the ocean is big enough for all of us to surf the sound waves. But compression is different. Compression is highly subjective, and you can use it so many different ways. Why Compress? What Does a Compression Do? It manages your signal for you, raising it and lowering it depending on how loud it is. But using compression and knowing how to compress are two different things.

It comes down to the mentality of using compression as a tool, not as a crutch. Because of this, tube compressors exhibit a distinct coloration or "vintage" sound that is nearly impossible to achieve with other compressor types. Optical Optical compressors affect the dynamics of an audio signal via a light element and an optical cell. As the amplitude of an audio signal increases, the light element emits more light, which causes the optical cell to attenuate the amplitude of the output signal.

They are fast, clean, and reliable. The is perfect for vocals, bass, guitar and more. It's also a popular choice for bringing out excitement in room mics. VCA Fast and punchy VCA compressors run the gamut — from the Rolls-Royce compression of the SSL G Bus or E series used on the mix bus and instrument groups, to the hot-rod attitude of the legendary dbx , which can give a snare drum or electric guitar unrelenting character.

Here are a few suggestions to get you up and running with compression. These are certainly not rules, but hopefully these techniques will help you feel more confident when using this extremely powerful, but easily misused recording tool. Have fun, and experiment. Always listen carefully while adding compression. Compression can negatively affect the timbre of an instrument.

Fast compression on instruments with wide vibrato will demonstrate this effect. Try starting with a moderate to medium ratio of between and Set your attack time to a medium-fast setting and your release time to a medium setting. Then set your output gain to compensate for the 5 dB attenuation. Finally, speed up your attack time gradually until it gets noticeable and then back it off slightly.