Do you compress your Hi-Hats?

[~X~]

Sorry but that's not even CLOSE to the power and punch of commercial rap. Compare it, I mean REALLY compare it, to this:

Maybe because its not commercial rap LOL.

Listen to the 808s bang. Listen to the condenser vocal sound. You can't get that without compression. It's like trying to produce EDM without sidechaining.

remind me where I said IT DIDNT

I clearly said "I hope people see my post and understand me. Use compression for what its meant for. Don't use it on everything because some creep on youtube does it."


Edit: and for the 808's banging, YOU CAN, for the condesner vocal sound, YOU CAN. have you ever used a 1000+ vocal chain? ever recorded an artist that had very good mic technique? Have you produced music with good quality one shots, synths, etc?? If you said no, then you really dont know.

I can even SHOW YOU, get a project from someone, some commercial hip hop track or something, and you mix it your way and ill mix it mine without compression. Please do, and I'll make you a believer.

 

[ScorchinBeats]

Maybe because its not commercial rap LOL.



remind me where I said IT DIDNT

I clearly said "I hope people see my post and understand me. Use compression for what its meant for. Don't use it on everything because some creep on youtube does it."


Edit: and for the 808's banging, YOU CAN, for the condesner vocal sound, YOU CAN. have you ever used a 1000+ vocal chain? ever recorded an artist that had very good mic technique? Have you produced music with good quality one shots, synths, etc?? If you said no, then you really dont know.

I can even SHOW YOU, get a project from someone, some commercial hip hop track or something, and you mix it your way and ill mix it mine without compression. Please do, and I'll make you a believer.

Fair enough and I mostly agree except the last part. Compression is part of the modern sound. That's it. Modern digital clarity and processed sound = compression (as well as other things)

Running vocals through a telefunken mic and a neve preamp will sound good. ****ing amazing actually. BUT it won't sound like the processed sound in modern commercial rap. It just won't. That sound is compression and eq. I can get that sound with a $300 sm7 and a focusrite preamp. It's the EFFECTS. The 808's that you hear in commercial rap aren't just your standard 808's. Dry 808's sound like complete shit to be totally honest. You need eq to cut out the high end 'click' and mid range boom, then you need COMPRESSION AND SATURATION AND A SHIT TON MORE COMPRESSION to get that vybe beats 808 that you hear everywhere.

 

[~X~]

Dry 808's sound like complete shit to be totally honest. You need eq to cut out the high end 'click' and mid range boom, then you need COMPRESSION AND SATURATION AND A SHIT TON MORE COMPRESSION to get that vybe beats 808 that you hear everywhere.

I heard tons of 808's from kits and other projects and most of them do sound like shit I agree, those you would have to COMPRESS AND SATURATE AND COMPRESS SOME MORE, but after doing it a few times it aint rocket science to EQ something to make it sound like how you want, i rather start with a good sample, which I do come across alot.

All i'm saying is, dont rush to a compressor to fix everything. For DYNAMICS sake try to EQ it or using your volume slider first.. maybe if you do need to compress afterwards u wont need AS MUCH or AT ALL if you're good. If you gotta throw a compressor on everything, then something wrong with your synths and your kits. In that track I posted I could easily move some faders and make it as w.e as commercial rap; I'm sure it would it's only the premaster. Anyways like I said, I'm not someone that rushes to a compressor for everything, maybe if i did that from the beginning i wouldnt mix as good as I do now.

 

[ScorchinBeats]

I heard tons of 808's from kits and other projects and most of them do sound like shit I agree, those you would have to COMPRESS AND SATURATE AND COMPRESS SOME MORE, but after doing it a few times it aint rocket science to EQ something to make it sound like how you want, i rather start with a good sample, which I do come across alot.

All i'm saying is, dont rush to a compressor to fix everything. For DYNAMICS sake try to EQ it or using your volume slider first.. maybe if you do need to compress afterwards u wont need AS MUCH or AT ALL if you're good. If you gotta throw a compressor on everything, then something wrong with your synths and your kits. In that track I posted I could easily move some faders and make it as w.e as commercial rap; I'm sure it would it's only the premaster. Anyways like I said, I'm not someone that rushes to a compressor for everything, maybe if i did that from the beginning i wouldnt mix as good as I do now.

I don't even use compressors for dynamics. Transient shapers and volume automation is much more useful most of the time. I use compressors for their sound.

And btw I'm talking about original high quality 808's. Take the goldbaby samples. They're really high quality accurate samples of the original 808 machine and good starting points for 808s, BUT they sound really weak and meh without processing (eq, compression and saturation)

 

[RossdaBoss]

I don't compress my hi-hats. Normally I bus all my drums to a reverb channel. I rely on compressors and limiters in my Master Fader to make the drums pump. Usually my kick, hi hat, snare and cymbals etc... have EQ, some type of distortion (bitcrusher, camelcrush etc...) and then they get bussed to the reverb room. Occasionally I will compress and limit a kick or snare if I need it to really thump but not a hi hat. Sometimes I put on a light amount of flanging or phasing if I want that kind of sound (like outkast aquemini)

 

[deanlofts]

My individual drum tracks are usually eq only when it comes to inserts.

 

[Cyko]

I over compress my hi hats to make them pump/breath throughout the track