Compression Dos & Don’ts

To wrap things up regarding compressors, I will offer 3 Dos and Don’ts as my final word for now. These are things to always keep in mind when working with compressors. Some may have been previously stated in an earlier blog post.

DO          Avoid using extreme settings to begin with, if you are just trying to control the dynamics.

DON’T   Add compression to every channel by default. Start off with minimal compression, and carefully choose where to add compressors.

DO         Experiment with different types of compressors – hardware and software. There can be differences in how they sound. Compressors can and do sometimes sound different from one another.

DON’T  Forget to bypass the compressor occasionally while setting to check the results.

DO         Remember to balance the output gain so the level doesn’t change when engaged and bypassed. This way you can accurately compare before and after. Also, typically compression is added AFTER the mix has been balanced. So you don’t want to alter levels with either compression or EQ.

DON’T  Be afraid to experiment. Some of the greatest sounds in the history of recorded music came from misused and abused compressors.

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Compressors – What is the Knee and What does it do?

As you get better with compressors, you will start playing with other knobs and features. One of these is the knee. The knee refers to when and how the ratio starts to change when the compressor starts to take effect. A ‘hard knee’ means the compression becomes immediately active as soon as the input signal hits the threshold. A ‘soft knee’ means the compression becomes audible more gradually. A ‘soft knee’ also means that gentle compression starts happening further below the threshold. Another way to say this is it starts acting before the signal actuall reaches the threshold setting.

Both hard- and soft-knee compression have their uses; two examples: if you want to squash a signal’s transients quickly, you’ll want hard knee compression. If you want to use a compressor to gently glue a mix together by tightening up transients, you’ll want a soft-knee compressor.

Lastly, if you have a compressor, like the Dyn3 Compressor/limiter which comes free with Pro Tools, look at the picture of the knee. It actually looks like a human knee!

As always – I hope this helps!

And…. HEY! Make it a great day!

Tim

Compressors 201 – Threshold

A compressor has a lot of knobs and settings. They can be confusing at first. In this blog I am going to talk about one of those knobs – Threshold.

A compressor is an automatic volume control. We try to make the signal somewhat the same, static. Without a compressor, we would have to do it manually, turning the signal down, then up, then down, etc. But with a compressor, it can do that job for us.

When a signal gets loud (and crosses the threshold), it turns it down. If there’s any makeup gain, it will turn the softer signals up making them louder (along with everything else, of course).

The threshold setting tells the compressor when to start working. Put a compressor on, say, a vocal track. Pay attention to the input signal on the compressor. Let’s say the input signal is -10 dB. Now set the threshold knob to -16 dB, and the Ratio 2:1. What we’re telling the compressor to do is this: Any signal that is stronger than -16 dB, I want it to compress (lower) the signal. When the signal crosses the threshold it will get cut (attenuated) in a 2 to 1 ratio. So in this scenario, the signal is coming in at -10, with the threshold set to -16 and a 2:1 ratio. This means 6 dB is going to get compressed in a 2:1 ratio. The signal will get cut down to 3 dB over. You can think 2 becomes 1, 4 becomes 2, 6 becomes 3, etc.

If the ratio was 10:1, the signal would get compressed more. The higher the number, the more the compression. If the signal crossed the threshold by 10 dB, then it would be reduced to 1 dB.

The threshold determines how much of the signal the compressor is going to affect. You can change where the threshold is set usually in two ways. Using the Dyn3 compressor/limiter, grab the orange arrow on the signal led and slide up or down. Or to the far right at the bottom, grab the threshold knob and set up or down.

TIP: If Pro Tools is your DAW, use the Dyn3 Compressor/Limiter (free). It helps to make understanding what and how a compressor works easier.

I hope this helps!

and HEY! Make it a great day!

Tim

Compressors 101 – the Basics (part 1)

Compressors seem to confuse a lot of people in the beginning, they certainly did me! Here is some helpful information concerning using a compressor in your mixing to help get you started. I will have other blogs on compression, so keep a look out!

1.  Decide what you want to achieve. There are really only 4 reasons for using a compressor – control a dynamic signal, add punch or impact, change the sound, create an unusual effect. Make a decision on what your goal is, which one of the four you would like to achieve. Keep listening with your final goal always in mind. Here is a neutral starting point: 2:1 ratio; 75 ms attack; 100 ms release.

2.  Overdo to begin with. Pull down the threshold until it starts working. It can be helpful to start with exaggeration. If you’re having to turn the threshold way down – boost input level instead. Exaggerating can help get settings right.

3.  Listen. Fine tune settings keeping end goal in mind. Once you get close, adjust the threshold.

4.  Listen again and balance different settings against one another. Higher ratios usually need higher thresholds. Lower ratios usually need lower thresholds.

5.  Experiment. Don’t be afraid to change a setting. Just keep listening! Radical amounts are common: 15-20 dB for electric guitars, room mics, drums and even vocals.

For a smoother sound – Use faster attack and higher ratio (But don’t lose energy & excitement)

To reduce ‘bounce’ – Use shorter release time & ease off threshold, or use a lower ratio. Bounce is when you hear the level ducking as the compressor kicks in and then springs back up when it releases.

To add punch – Use a higher ratio, slightly longer attack and shorter release times, but watch out for pumping. Pumping is where the end of the note is louder than the start. Also when adding punch, be careful not to introduce any distortion.

If you add stereo buss compression – be gentle – 1.5:1 and only 2 – 3 dB of gain reduction.

Don’t be afraid of using compressors. Experiment with them until you understand them. Try this experiment: print a bass track with heavy compression. Compare the original audio track with the compressed audio track. This will help you understand just exactly what the compressor is doing. You will see a visual representation of what your ears are telling you.

Compressors are a vital part of making music. We use them while tracking, mixing, and many times both tracking and mixing.

I hope this helps!

Peace – and as always – make it a GREAT day!

T