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Here's also a tutorial that might help to understand the tool!
http://www.dnbscene.com/article/1474-co ... n-tutorial

Add9 wrote:

hellagargoyle wrote:compression is not black and white

this one is

lulz

RKM wrote:i was under the impression that it was just some sort of 'loudness' tool (by squishing the elements together)

faack

Can be used for gelling soundS together (bus comp), creating pumping sounds, Changing the timbre of a sound, shaping the transients or moving other elements out of the way (side chaining). There's more but idk

Compression on the master yay or nay?

Usually yay. Ssl.

Op, seems like you're just starting out based on your statements, and that is all good. I would recommend not using compression for the first year or two. But definitely eq.

Comp does have artistic implications, and in some genres is essential to the sound. But, it is kind of hard, subtle. I compressed for a long time before I knew what I was doing. And I don't really know that much what I'm doing.

I encourage you to pursue limiting though, at this stage. Managing your peaks and transients is essential.

I always over-limit but maybe using the wrong one-is there any plug in limiters?

Sinestepper wrote:

RKM wrote:i was under the impression that it was just some sort of 'loudness' tool (by squishing the elements together)

faack

Can be used for gelling soundS together (bus comp), creating pumping sounds, Changing the timbre of a sound, shaping the transients or moving other elements out of the way (side chaining). There's more but idk

cool, er what is a transient,

i usually learn these types of things from my m8 who got quite obsessed with producing, so i took his word for it that it was some sort of necessary thing for drums to get them loud and heavy

how would i get that type of effect without it, been mostly using samples and layering them a bit (only on kicks and snares so far), like the method he told me to use instantly did give them a lot more of the ol' boom bap

the transient is basically the first part of a sound your ear hears (the attack stage of the sound)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transient_%28acoustics%29

To compress and impress... you have to freestyle with it a bit, yeah maybe u whack up the attack n smash the thresh down n your kick will be snappyer than my grams upper lip but maybe it just raped your kick too and now it sounds like a flabby ass butt, but then again maybe your mix is pretty raw n flabby so it adds n fits in with ur flabby pads,synths,cowbells and with a lil eq it fits just right where u wanted it... just saying... you gotta get the feel for it, every situation will be different unless you are template'ing up before u make ur songs and using same presets n shit all the time. glhf

utube/dsf/etc. -> experiment on ur own -> mess up -> learn what not to do -> make it work once -> start understanding compression/ how to teach urself this shit n make it work again.

i feel like i over elaborated a bit, more directed towards understanding how to understand the comp i guess...

hellagargoyle wrote:To compress and impress... you have to freestyle with it a bit, yeah maybe u whack up the attack n smash the thresh down n your kick will be snappyer than my grams upper lip but maybe it just raped your kick too and now it sounds like a flabby ass butt, but then again maybe your mix is pretty raw n flabby so it adds n fits in with ur flabby pads,synths,cowbells and with a lil eq it fits just right where u wanted it... just saying... you gotta get the feel for it, every situation will be different unless you are template'ing up before u make ur songs and using same presets n shit all the time. glhf

utube/dsf/etc. -> experiment on ur own -> mess up -> learn what not to do -> make it work once -> start understanding compression/ how to teach urself this shit n make it work again.

i feel like i over elaborated a bit, more directed towards understanding how to understand the comp i guess...

hmm I've been wondering why all my kicks sound like flabby ass butts

The thing is in the past compresses used to be made in different ways. An optical compressor would have a soft knee and be less snappy where as an FET compressor would be obvious and hard and be used on drums. It's up to u to pick a software emulation or a model and apply it to the right context as well as all the tho GS mentioned. If u use logic luckily the normal co pressor hasball of these types built in and u can pick them from the drop down that usually reads "platinum" ( I think). Read up on compressor types to understand the difference between hard and soft knee. /drunken rant

Why did I go off on one.

jaydot wrote:I always over-limit but maybe using the wrong one-is there any plug in limiters?

I don't mean to steer this discussion away from the OP but I think this is relative to the desired outcome of how / when / or why to use compression and limiting. A lot of people starting out (definitely me included) want to over compress things to get it loud but then step back and are confused as to why everything comes out like a brick turd.

I don't see this talked about very much on any forum but it seems like people are compressing very little or not at all and using soft clippers to maximize the volume (not limiters).

I was looking into this but it seems like it requires an entirely unique mixing technique in it's own since soft clippers seem to use 0 db as a threashold (Ableton plugins anyway) so mixing parts way down at - whatever db doesn't allow soft clipping to happen. Maybe there are plugins that have adjustable clipping threasholds or people are just mixing at or above 0db…

I am wondering if anyone can explain this because it seems to be a technique that people are doing to get loud, wide open sounding tracks while completely avoiding compression in the mix.

Honestly, I haven't used a comp in a long time, only limiting. Not saying that is a good thing, I'm sure I could get a little bit more out of it, but yeah, I just mix and know that my drums are going to get chopped.

I mix to roughly -6db, sometimes a little lower, sometimes a very little higher, and use a limiter that has an input gain on it, so that I can add roughly 11db of gain.

Hmm. Idk mixing in reason is like mixing ur track using a bowl and a spoon. U have to re do the mixture until u get it right or it will co e out sloppy or too stale

What version of Reason?

5 (shifty eyes)

Well there you go. I think the sound gets better above.

I don't even want to change. I'm working in a sick studio on my placement this yr and I'll learn a lot. But basically fro. What I can tell from using protocols and logic as well as reason is that it's not ur tools. It s what u do. And I haven't learned all of what to do yet

Your tools leave their mark, don't let anyone fool you. In an 8 bit daw, Hans Zimmer could crank an amazing score, I'm sure, but it is going to have an 8 bit sound to it.

Choosing the tool that will leave the right mark on your work is like the next level.