compression and low end

[dylanf]

does compression bring about low frequencies to a sound ? sure it does bring about bottom end as the peaks are squashed , but is that bottom end like low frequencies / low end ?

concerned about this because the mixdown sounds muddy after compression on the master ...

 

[Adrian-MarQ]

It could be that the muddy sound is already present and that you notice after compression (are you using make up gain?). Try going through your individual sounds an muting them one by one to see what is predominantly causing the issue. If you find the issue, fix it.

Also, have you tried compression on the individual tracks already?

 

[jaysummers75]

I have found that if you have muddiness in a track in the low end, you can cut at 400hz. It helps to cut the muddiness, but if after that you still have mud, try boosting the highs a little bit, and if YOU STILL HAVE MUD, then re record your live track with a better original signal.

 

[DarkRed]

does compression bring about low frequencies to a sound ? sure it does bring about bottom end as the peaks are squashed , but is that bottom end like low frequencies / low end ?

concerned about this because the mixdown sounds muddy after compression on the master ...

Since the ears are more sensitive to the upper mids and highs you tend to get quite a lot of power in the low end, especially if you cannot hear the low end well in your current monitoring situation. Now, as the compressor makes up gain on the frequencies it has in the signal, then when much of that signal is in the lows, the gain will amplify that region primarily. This can yield a situation when the low end is gradually building up in power finally to such a degree that it overtakes in the loudness perception too.

In order to combat this you can set the low end where you want it and then you can focus the compression/gain stage on the other frequencies in the mix, so that you end up with a mix that is low in density, has lots of mid presence, much enough power and a good loudness level. Please note that if you don't have much enough power in the low end, the mix will stop sounding good at low playback volume. So don't be too sensitive about low end energy, it is you friend, you just need to be aware of how it works.

 

[Kalm]

If it sounds muddy then its probably not a case of "bringing out the low end". It sounds like the top end of your mix is getting squashed to match the level of the low end. Your ears may be perceiving a boost in low end because the compressor could be reacting to the attack and release time of the top end. Move between harsh and subtle threshold values to check what the compressor is compressing. If you hear an instant drop of high frequencies with lingering muddiness, then the compressor is mostly reacting to the top end.

 

[Underminded]

does compression bring about low frequencies to a sound ? sure it does bring about bottom end as the peaks are squashed , but is that bottom end like low frequencies / low end ?

concerned about this because the mixdown sounds muddy after compression on the master ...

It really depends on what kind of compression and compressor you use. If you are using a multiband compressor and really squashing the top end of the mix then certainly, the lower end is going to stand out. And as jaysummers75 correctly said, the 400Hz frequency is the prime offender for mud in a mix.

Usually, especially with vocals, compressors (non multiband) tend to accentuate frequencies in the range of 3kHz - 20kHz. This is because, as DarkRed correctly said, the lower frequencies tend to have more power (hence, activating compression when the mix really goes hard on the bass) than higher ones. So you may have issues with sibilance (horrible hissing 'S' sounds) with vocals after compression.

I would recommend as others have said, to start compressing your individual tracks first then, trying some master buss compression. This is something you need to really practice as compression is a fickle thing. You need to pay attention to EVERY button and knob on your compressor because it will change the sound in ways you may not even hear...yet still notice.

The rule of thumb for compression is (for me anyway), don't use it unless you need it. I can't explain all the cases where you may need some compression because its something that comes with a little practice. So mess around with it a bit and try EQ-ing first if you are getting a muddy mix. Remove those awful frequencies first then, tame your levels using compression.

More generally speaking...if you don't know if you need an effect...and adding it makes it sound worse...remove it or try tweaking.

 

[JSin.Productions]

compressions is basically an automated volume leveler.. it dosent let thee transient pass a certain threshold.. too much compression makes ure mix sound muddy as u said.. for this try equing ure low end.. and side chainning.. for kicks i wus cut everything below 60 and for the bass everythign below 30-50 .. but that also depends on the tonal quality of the bass and the kick.. sumtimes the bass sounds more accurate when a fre boost is applied to sumthing arnd 150-300.. so it definatly depends on ure style and sound... ure using.. and make sure to use a metering plugin or sumkinda graphical reference.. anything like the nugen visualizer.. the best out there.. just keep a hold of ure freq.. try to have sum headroom for ure compression and everything.. give ure sound some space..