hira78 Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 hi all So far I have realised that compression clarifies/amplifies & kinda beefs up the sound.....i am sure this important tool has a much larger scope & hope overtime i shall fully realise its full potential However, in the mean time i have realised that i am using it on every single one of my tracks in a project....is this a good thing? any other tips/advise on compression much appreciated! cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickMagick Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 The good thing about audio is there's no rules for the most part as far as compressors/eq's/ FX or what have you go as long as your not digitally clipping on the bounce out. Granted too much of these things can be jarring to the ears or distort the signal, there are really no set parameters as to how many or how little you use. That's just my personal opinion, but I think it's good to be creative even with effects and compressors and eq's. Some of the best records from back in the day from The Beatles to The Who to anything 60s to 70s era was from simply trying new things and experimenting with different types of eq and compression and such. Ultimately does it sound right to you?? Your ears are your best tool. Maybe bring up one of your favorite tunes and listen to how things sound and try to emulate those sounds. I work on electronic music so for the genre, I use anywhere from 1 to 3 compressors on a track. It's supposed to sound big, it's supposed to smack you in your face. However there is no rule of thumb. I have 8+ years of experience which is not much but it's enough to say you will never stop learning. Even now I'll still pick up a mag or read an article about a technique, maybe simple or complicated, I never thought to try. Knowledge is your best friend. Your best bet when starting out is to read, read and read some more. And when after you've read till your eyes hurt, play around. Than read some more. 8) I found what has really helped me though, pull up a Logic Compressor on a busy track, acoustic guitar, string pad or synth. Load a preset from the drop down menu. Listen and look very carefully. Maybe even right down the setting. Now go back and set the compressor to default and bring the parameters to where they were on the preset.Be sure to listen with intent. This will help you get a feel for what each parameter is actually doing. Not just, it sounds loud so it sounds good(which is always the case) Hope that was some insight and best of luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlas007 Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 As the name of the fx states, the dynamic range of the track you will use it on will be reduced proportionnally. Which could not be desirable in some situation, especially in classical music recording venue (although this could be debatable)... All in all, the type of music and the sought result will dictate the need to use the same. Another aspect to consider could be the toll on your CPU resource, at the expense of other desired fx. That could however be circumvented by freezing tracks, but in the end, complicates the mixing process work flow. Compression could also sometimes interfere with some other fx, dulling their amplitude. Using side-chaining compression techniques could provide more subtle results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickMagick Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 I agree with Atlas. Compression is more often than not situational. His classical music example is perfect. Chances are you wouldn't compress something of that nature because not only can a compressor distort timbre and tonal qualities but for that specific genre, you want the quiets to be mice, and the loud to be a roaring tiger. You want the dynamic range that is present and you want to hear every articulation. As he said compression is a play on dynamic range. It brings the quiet up and turns the loud down or evens it out in more words or less. I couldn't agree more side chaining things is a great way to glue some pieces of the puzzle together without compromising your CPU AND depending on the type of compressor, you can even give it some musical qualities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hira78 Posted January 2, 2013 Author Share Posted January 2, 2013 okay thanks for the advice btw, i am using logic to produce techno/progressive & am now intrigued as to what results 'side chaining' will deliver....i thought side chaining was an effect that created a tremolo style effect on say a white noise sweep??!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickMagick Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 Side chaining is a whole horse of a different color. You can achieve a lot of different effects from side chaining a compressor. Personally I use it to "duck" some of my instruments in a busy mix. In a sense meaning if you have a strong lead going on and you would like say the snare or maybe a stab synth somewhere to shine through, you can use the compressor side chain to use the Stab Synth to duck out the Lead and let it shine through more.Sound confusing?? It can be. Takes a lot of fine detail and thinks can get ugly quick but once you get the hang of it, it's the only way to mix in my opinion. I would say stick to learning compression in and out and than maybe dabble into side chaining. I say again do some reading up on it either on this forum as I'm sure there are some or just google something like "side chaining with compressors." Any more questions feel free to ask. Best Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcel72 Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 Maybe you should read this first: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_range_compression It may help you understand the basic concepts and terminology better. Best, Marcel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bouncer Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 i heard from the mouth of very experienced mixer/engineer (Dave Pensado) that its not wise to use compressor on every track.... in my experience i never had a need to use it on every track... a sure must for a bus tho for the gluing effect Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Mayfield Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 Your ears are only as good a judge as the amount of listening & mixing experience you've had. You're not as good at mixing yet as you will be in the future, if you keep it up. We've all had the experience of listening to a mix we did years ago (and thought it was great then) and cringing; there's no other way to learn. While there's no definite "right" or "wrong" way to do audio, some ways of working make your job easier than others, and/or help you sound more fitting to the style you're trying to work in. It's like clothing style. Sometimes what you're wearing looks fine to you, but other people give you weird stares. Does that mean you dressed wrongly? Not necessarily, in an absolute sense, but maybe yes for a given context. It depends on whether you want to fit into that context or not. Like anything else, compression is just a tool. If you find you're using it on every track, when you're just starting out, you may want to beware of these common pitfalls: 1- You've been seduced by the loudness boost it gives, at the cost of other qualities; and/or 2- Some of those compressors may be set in such a way that they're not doing much, if anything. Here's a video on dynamics processing if you're interested: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hira78 Posted January 4, 2013 Author Share Posted January 4, 2013 You've been seduced by the loudness boost it gives, at the cost of other qualities yeah haha....think so cheers for all the good advice, much appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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