808's compressed or no?

kahliljn

New member
Ok everytime I hear a track with 808's(particurly from the south) it always sounds like theyr'e squeezed and real thin. I dont know if thats the desired sound they're looking for(zaytoveen), but its pretty annoying now.

I mean I use compression all the time on my 808's and low sub sounds, but its usually to make the sound thicker and richer.

I just wanna know peoples views, and methods on compression when it comes to 808 drums, and low sub basses.
 
Ok everytime I hear a track with 808's(particurly from the south) it always sounds like theyr'e squeezed and real thin. I dont know if thats the desired sound they're looking for(zaytoveen), but its pretty annoying now.

I mean I use compression all the time on my 808's and low sub sounds, but its usually to make the sound thicker and richer.

I just wanna know peoples views, and methods on compression when it comes to 808 drums, and low sub basses.

I usually use compression on 808s to add harmonics to the midrange frequencies. Many people compress 808s without knowing why or when to do so. The best thing you can do to a 808 is to put a lowpass filter on in and give it a boost anywhere from the 80 hz to the 400 khz frequency range, depending upon the kick being used and the sample accuracy. Boosting the lowend of an 808 with eq at the right frequency will make the 808 hit real low and allow you to feel the bass as well as hear it. Too much compression can flatten out the dynamics of the 808 too much making it loose it's musicality. Ever notice how Mannie Fresh basslines and drum are super dynamic yet slams harder than anything today. Eq before compression usually help me achieve the intended sound better.
 
I would eq my 808 under 80 hz so that it hits the sub nice and strong, then compress it to get it hittin right but not too overpowering, or too squashed... should post this in the mixing section, theres actually a few threads already in there on the same topic.
 
I thought 808 kick/bass drums were already compressed? Or am I trippin?
 
I almost never compress my 808 kick drums.
But what you hear is usually distortion/tape saturation...
You can compress the 808 but make sure you don't kill the transients. you would miss the "thump" !
 
I would eq my 808 under 80 hz so that it hits the sub nice and strong, then compress it to get it hittin right but not too overpowering, or too squashed... should post this in the mixing section, theres actually a few threads already in there on the same topic.

Yeah, depending of the sample a boost between 40hz and 80hz can work wonders for the "Felt" bass. This is the area that shakes the hell out the floor in clubs etc.
 
LP Filtering so you can keep them quiet and still get the hard hitting bass goes way further than compression with 808s. You kind of don't want 808s squeezed into a mix and blending. You want them to stand out but be subtle as hell.

That's why some speakers don't even pick up a well mixed 808. Ever heard a song where the drums sound like quiet pops in a small system, but rumble your car stereo and make your heartbeat skip in a club's PA system?

Lil Jon was infamous for that(actually his engineers). I'm giving you guys the secret.
 
LP Filtering so you can keep them quiet and still get the hard hitting bass goes way further than compression with 808s. You kind of don't want 808s squeezed into a mix and blending. You want them to stand out but be subtle as hell.

That's why some speakers don't even pick up a well mixed 808. Ever heard a song where the drums sound like quiet pops in a small system, but rumble your car stereo and make your heartbeat skip in a club's PA system?

Lil Jon was infamous for that(actually his engineers). I'm giving you guys the secret.

Guys what secret, I already said that:confused:
 
What you want is the upper harmonies around 250 Hz (but not too much because you don't wanna mess with something else (e.g a snare or another kick) around that range)

you don't want to add too much below 80 Hz (at least not without a top monitoring sytem)

Especially check at 62Hz... you might want to apply a notch there most of the time... just to get more overall headroom.

And also, it might help to highpass at around 25-30Hz to keep it clean. With a linear Eq so as to keep away phase problems a little.

For some rumble, distort/ tape saturate a little...
I like to play with bitcrusher on those 808 kick drums... with the correct settings, it adds more definition, meaning they can go through your laptop speakers as well.
 
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it always sounds like theyr'e squeezed and real thin.

I mean I use compression all the time on my 808's and low sub sounds, but its usually to make the sound thicker and richer.

can u post an example of the thin sound u referring too ???

and can u post one of your beats that have the thicker/richer sound??

i always liked zaytovens sounds, but i wanna compare to see if i like your thicker sound, cuz u might be right:)
 
lp filtering so you can keep them quiet and still get the hard hitting bass goes way further than compression with 808s. You kind of don't want 808s squeezed into a mix and blending. You want them to stand out but be subtle as hell.

That's why some speakers don't even pick up a well mixed 808. Ever heard a song where the drums sound like quiet pops in a small system, but rumble your car stereo and make your heartbeat skip in a club's pa system?

Lil jon was infamous for that(actually his engineers). I'm giving you guys the secret.

this helped so much and made more sense to me than anything i have heard about compressing or not compressing 808s...thanks bro!
 
I only compress them if they are not big enough for the track.. most of the time, volume increase and eq/ pitch ajustmet is a good tweak, but compression i guess calls for certain tracks.. Tuff call, good question homie! i could be doing it wrong but my thing is make them sound good, if a compressor dose the trick then job well done.
 
Most newer 808 samples you find today have already been overcompressed. I still use kits from stuff like FL(vintage kit) and Battery that are dated for just that reason.

In 2013, you shouldn't have to look hard for a good hitting 808. Kick in general. Compression shouldn't be appearing in you mix channels much while making a BEAT.

Not sure who created the rumor that it makes things "hit harder". It levels things, but not needed much in the world of digital production with the quality of samples available today.

Hell, even when compressing drums was in, guys I knew were using it to mash different drum samples together and make them bleed in a natural way...not to 'make drums knock".

EQ is more of that dept, and EQ on a master track can make things "knock" jst as easily as adding it to just 1 kick if you have a multiband EQ and understand frequencies.

I've said this since 2004 though.
 
Secret weapon 808 recipe..........

Play just an 808 in your ride or a car with some serious bass. Record it in the back seat. record it with headroom........don't let it clip.
 
I used to compress mine but like mentioned before I get way better results not doing it no more and using just a few different EQ presets.
 
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