charlie morgan
New member
Okay so ive been producing for a few months now but I'm still finding compression hard.
Any tips or good tutorials to watch?
Thanks
Any tips or good tutorials to watch?
Thanks
Thank you.Well admitting that is a good start! You'd be surprised how many people who have been producing "for a few months" think they know compression inside out! This is a very in depth topic, and you're not going to find definitive answers on a thread...
A general tip would be that a compressor is a tool. Most of the time it is used to dynamically hold a sound in place, to control it - basically it reduces the difference between the loudest part of a sound and the quietest part of a sound.
First of all I would recommend learning how the tool works. There are many tutorials and online resources that will explain to you exactly what the standard features of a compressor are (threshold, ratio, attack, release, make up gain etc.) and what they do... Google it and learn.
Once you know what all the features are, then you will be better prepared to use the tool itself in specific applications (kick, snare, vocals, mix buss etc.) - and again there are many searchable online tutorials.
Also as a type of tool remember that there are many different types of compressor, and these different types are better suited to different jobs. To use a blunt analogy, think of it like a hammer. There are many different types of hammers, but using a sledge hammer to do some precision work isn't advised!
In the long run with experience you will realise that the key is actually to learn when compression is needed and when it isn't. Mixing is about balance and contrast, some things in a mix will require compression and others won't. That's a lot harder to learn, and you won't learn it in a few months unfortunately
Good luck.