Compression again!!!

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S2HRECORDS

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Hey guys. I know my fair share when it comes to recording, but there are places I need help as does everyone. My question with compression i guess could be used in live recording (vocals) as well, but my main concern is kicks and snares. We all know that kicks and snares by nature push more DB's then say a piano. So if I have a heavy kick and a tight snare, my master fader will get higher almost to 0 or greater due to the kick/snare meaning I either 1, deal with a song at low volume so we don't clip, or 2, turn down the kick and the snare to have a louder song, but then my kick and snare get drowned out by everything else. I know this is where compression would come in, but I do not understand the fundementals of compression. Is there anyone who can go step by step on the compression of a kick drum to get the most sound without clipping the levels or is there a tutorial (that can be understood by a novice) somewhere that I can read. Thanks in advance.
 
Compression in a live situation can be as much an automatic fader of sorts as a dynamics tool. Kick and snare do issue a lot of power, but they're important instruments - they need to be present (at least it sounds like it in your situation); controlling them a bit with compression might be nice. It keeps them consistent (not all drummers have consistent striking power).

I would recommend starting your mix with a solid foundation - bass guitar, kick, and snare. These are going to dominate in terms of mix-power consumed b/c of the intense low-end and striking intensity. Then bring in your lead instrument and lead vox. You should have a pretty good mix still at this point, with decent headroom. Then add what is the next most important to the mix until you've got everything you need.

Note my wording - "everything you *need*". Don't be afraid to turn non-essentials down (you don't have to hear everything up-front in your face). For example, you don't necessarily need to be able to pick out a keyboard pad in a mix; place it where it is really only noticed when you take it away.

That said, I believe mixes should not be static - the mix should move with the song as it progresses. Also, mix through groups/submixes if you can.
 
Thanks for the reply audiotecnicality. However, this doesn't really answer my question. I appreciate the advice on when to use compression, but, I still don't understand the tool itself. For instance, what is the "knee" and what does it do if I move it up or down...why would I want a fast attack or a slow one...things of that nature. I am basically trying to figure out how to keep the kick/snare prodominant in the song without pushing the levels too hard. I was under the impression that that was why we used compression. Thanks again.
 
S2HRECORDS said:
For instance, what is the "knee" and what does it do if I move it up or down...why would I want a fast attack or a slow one...things of that nature. I am basically trying to figure out how to keep the kick/snare prodominant in the song without pushing the levels too hard. I was under the impression that that was why we used compression.
Sounds like what you really need is a good compression tutorial and some tracks to mess around with. But I'll give it a shot...I'll start easy and bring it up, since I don't know how much experience you have with compression.

So, you have several controls. The Threshold is the volume at which the compressor engages. The Ratio is how agressive the compressor will try to keep the output at the threshold volume, based on what the input is. For example, a 3:1 Ratio will allow the compressor's output to rise 1dB over the Threshold for every 3dB the input rises over the Threshold.

The Knee is how strict the compressor holds to the Threshold. A soft knee means the compressor will start to act softly *before* the Threshold, and ease in as the volume passes the Threshold and reach the full Ratio decently past the Threshold; a hard knee will do nothing until the volume reaches the threshold, and immediately apply the Ratio at and over the Threshold.

Attack and Release controls refer to how fast the compressor responds after the volume exceeds and falls back through the Threshold, respectively.

For kick and snare, since they are usually very "punchy" instruments, I like to use the compressor, which theoretically is supposed to reduce dynamics, to *keep* and even increase the dynamic range while still controlling it. I like to set attack and release reasonably fast, but as a preference, I try to make the attack a little slow...to allow the initial punch through, but catch it and control the overtones after the initial stick/pedal hit. Now, for something like guitar/bass, those are much more long and drawn out, nothing real punchy. I go for a slower attack/release for bass, mb a little faster for guitar.

Overall, you really just have to experiment to see what you like, and what each instrument/genre calls for. There are no magical settings; in fact, for a single instrument, they're often very different from one song to the next.

Anyways, hope that helped.
 
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very good explanation audiotecnicality!

a good starting point compressing the stereo-bus is to use the longest possible attack time, the shortest release time, the lowest threshold (~ -50dB ) and the ratio at 1:1. then start changing the parameters in small steps. most users make the error to start with aggressive settings, overlooking how smooth a compressor can sound.

most nice compressors automatically apply a soft-knee at small ratios a gets harder with higher ratios. try to do it in the same way with an external knee parameter.

edit: ah! a nice thing to know: a soft knee is nothing else than a distortion unit (no dist=hardknee, heavy dist=soft knee) in the sidechain! check it out if you have an external sidechain input on your compressor!
 
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Thanks guys. That actually helps me a lot. I know what a compressor is used for, how it works (basically) and what the different aspects control. I will play around with it and see what I can find out. Thanks again.
 
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