I am very new to this area and I was just wondering.If my sounds/samples are sampled at good levels in the first place, especially drums in the SP1200, then do I still NEED to compress them or is it a thing where I just need to get everything around the same levels(mpc samples,synths etc.) I mean my rule of thumb is to sample everything until it BARELEY hits the threshold and then adjust the levels if needed.I just got an Alesis nanocompressor but I noticed when I hooked it up to the Mackie mixer, the overall sound got thiner,then when I press bypass,it's sorta back to normal.I know I need to experiment more with it but please give any usefull tips. thanks
Is compression mandatory?
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compression is overated and overused in music today... compression by nature will make your sound "smaller" because ur taking away dynamic range ... in hip hop ... compression is defintely overused.... if ur programming drums on a drum machine, then ur hits will be all the same or near the same level so compression is not needed... where compression may be needed is if u have a live drummer wailing away on the set ... because some hits will be super loud and others would be quieter so in that case compression could help smooth out the performance... vocals are another area where compression is almost essential because the human voice is the most dynamic intrument there is... but to use compressions on evrything like some people do, is ridicluous imo ... i think it makes the music lifeless and boring... its funny how u can listen to older records and they seem to have more "energy" and more of a 3d feel to them than the new stuff... its because the new stuff is overmixed and overproccessed and evrything is squeezed like crazy... the music of today is so "2d" its ridicluous... put on a old stylistics record and the sound feels like its filling up the room.. or even an album like 2pacs all eyez on me or outkast atliens sounds sick on a system ... something happened right around 2000 where engineers started to squeeze evrything like crazy... evrything has that overdone "pop" kinda sound to it nowadayz
true but ash you're using the extreme example that the industry unfortunately sets today. that level of compression and limiting is never good but is some necessary? imo absolutely.
compression isn't just useful for when you have a very dynamic live drumming type of performance. when used without overdoing it, compression actually helps to open a mix, not close it, particularly if you have a lot of elements in the mix...it is easier for the human brain to follow the dynamics of multiple signals (instruments) if their dynamics are somewhat controlled (compressed) and not swinging all over the place. and if you want punchy drums, again proper but not heavy compression is a must imo. in general, also, if you know how to use it right, compression can really help your instruments sound louder and more out in front of the mix which can be really powerful when you use it the right way...i.e. during mixdown saying i want that lead guitar to really stand out in the mix so i'll compress it another db or two, that kind of thing. the key with compression is to make your settings properly so you don't let the comp pump out of time with the song and so that you don't overcompress and squash the dynamics as ash said.
compression isn't just useful for when you have a very dynamic live drumming type of performance. when used without overdoing it, compression actually helps to open a mix, not close it, particularly if you have a lot of elements in the mix...it is easier for the human brain to follow the dynamics of multiple signals (instruments) if their dynamics are somewhat controlled (compressed) and not swinging all over the place. and if you want punchy drums, again proper but not heavy compression is a must imo. in general, also, if you know how to use it right, compression can really help your instruments sound louder and more out in front of the mix which can be really powerful when you use it the right way...i.e. during mixdown saying i want that lead guitar to really stand out in the mix so i'll compress it another db or two, that kind of thing. the key with compression is to make your settings properly so you don't let the comp pump out of time with the song and so that you don't overcompress and squash the dynamics as ash said.
i agree but look at the first post .... unfortanutlty alot of people have tht mentality ... run evrything through (insert plug or hardware device here) and it will sound good... thats garbage ... and u dont need compression to get hard drumz... thats false ... sure when done properly it can provide punchier drumz but cats use that shit as a copout ... they think .. oh my drumz are weak lemme trow some compression on em ... my thought process is .. my drumz are weak .. lemme find a better sounding drumz!! .. people have the impression that evrything can be rescued and saved in the mix and that is the wrong attitude to have ... my drumz bang harder than most on this site and i rarely ever compress my drumz...theres no substitute for choosing the right sounds from jump... a good engineer will pay homage to you if u hand him a good sounding mix without a single track compressed .. and ur end product will sound more natural ...v my advice is to keep compression to minimum... use it where u need it .. if u have to think twice about using it.. then its prolly not neccesary (all of this assuming u r not skilled engineer of course)
agreed, but again i kind of feel like your establishing your point with easy examples. obviously yeah if you're using compression as a crutch for bad drums then thats just a bad idea, but i never said anything about using bad drums in my post...and the op was talking about using good ones as well from what i can tell. the bottom line for me is if you've selected good instruments and drums some light to medium compression USED PROPERLY can help your mixes quite a bit...lets be real ash most newbies here aren't bringing projects to an engineer in the first place so they do need to know how to mix on their own. compression when used right is a very powerful tool to give your mixes more presence, body, and clarity, as well as balance...but it can just as easily be done too heavily or set improperly and completely destroy a mix so...
what is most definitely mandatory if you're a producer is knowing HOW and WHEN to compress properly. it might not be mandatory to actually use it on every track but yeah, if you're a producer doing your own mixing you better know how to use a comp properly. if its thinning out the sound i'd say find a better compressor plugin or hardware unit and make sure your settings are proper...there's way more than this to good compression but you generally never want to use more than -6db of gain reduction on any one instrument in a mix, and i generally keep it between 3-5 in my mixes for light to medium compression. vintage warmer by psp is a beast as are most of the sonalksis plugs if you're looking for some warmer compression sound.
what is most definitely mandatory if you're a producer is knowing HOW and WHEN to compress properly. it might not be mandatory to actually use it on every track but yeah, if you're a producer doing your own mixing you better know how to use a comp properly. if its thinning out the sound i'd say find a better compressor plugin or hardware unit and make sure your settings are proper...there's way more than this to good compression but you generally never want to use more than -6db of gain reduction on any one instrument in a mix, and i generally keep it between 3-5 in my mixes for light to medium compression. vintage warmer by psp is a beast as are most of the sonalksis plugs if you're looking for some warmer compression sound.
Yeah see i've been choping,digging and making beats since like late 95,so at this point ,my drums are pretty solid.The thing is like I said i'm new to the whole recording/tracking proccess, mater of fact I dont even have a computer/multitrack to record on,but of course I got people with the pro tools etc.I've basically been doing it as a hobby all these years ,now I'm trying to get serious with it.I wanted to know, if my drums smack and basses are deep,smooth and punchy ,do I still need the compressor cause it seems like most of the pros got 1 or 2,plus mic-pres and eq's.Or is all of that just for vocals.Does anybody feel what I'm saying?
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well if you are taking it to a place where they gon do all the mixing and mastering, don't compress, let them compress, never compress anything when you are going to a studio that is gonna compress the shit anyway