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noiz labs
New Member
Australia
50 posts
Joined: Oct, 2002
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 Posted - 2002/10/30 : 00:48:26
hello. can any one gimmi some tips on using compresion? i use cool edit . .. for mastering... i know compression sounds wikid wen its done properly but i cant seem to do iit that way . . . mine always comes out to full on what is a good line graff shape??
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Soren
Senior Member
United States
499 posts
Joined: Mar, 2001
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Posted - 2002/10/30 : 04:30:41
"hello. can any one gimmi some tips on using compresion?"
Sure, get a book on compression and read it. And then practice every night for 2-3 years and you'll be good at it. Compression is a very difficult thing to get to work at all, never mind master.
"i use cool edit . .. for mastering... i know compression sounds wikid wen its done properly but i cant seem to do iit that way . . ."
Heh, join the club! The only way to get it to work without tons of studying is if you have some built in presets for compression that don't just mangle your track. Practice, practice, practice. People spend decades becoming proficient studio engineers, it's not something you can learn overnight.
"mine always comes out to full on what is a good line graff shape??"
I assume Cool Edit has one of those XY graphs with a line cutting thru it at an angle? If so I really can't help you at all cause I've seen one of those in SoundForge but never used one. Can Cool Edit do multi-band compression? If so how many bands? 5 or more is great. If you are gonna do multi-band there are some basic settings I can explain:
Frequency Range(s): For each band you will have a frequency range. The range you set is the range that will be compressed with the settings for that band.
Threshold (in dB): This is the point where compression will kick in. Like if you set it to -22dB once the volume in that frequency range exceeds -22dB the compression will kick in.
Ratio: This is how much compression is used for that band. EX: If you have it set to 4:1 for every 4dB the volume exceeds the Threshold the compressor will make it 1dB. 10:1 would take every 10dB over threshold and make it 1dB.
Attack: This is how fast the compression will kick in. So if you have it set to 1ms it'll kick in really damn fast. 500ms and compression won't kick in till a sound has been exceeding the threshold for 1/2 a second. You generally don't want to set this below 10ms or you will take the "punch" (the first peak of an attack stage for example) out of a sound. You can use limiting to reduce spikes, setting the attack really low to get rid of spikes isn't a great idea.
Release: This is how long the compression will last before releasing.
I suggest just playing with compression settings until you get something that sounds good. And if it sounds good add more and more until it sounds bad, and then turn it down a bit. Once you figure out settings that work for you apply the compression and then go do something else for an hour or 2 and come back and listen to your compressed track and compare it to the original. Compression has a tendency to make your entire mix sound like a big pile of muddy poo without you being able to tell.
Essentially what compression does if you set it correctly is to turn down all the parts that are a bit too loud and hence allow the total volume of the track to be increased and gain more pressence. But again, it's a thing that can literally take years to get right.
EDIT: One more thing: You should avoid trying to compress your entire stereo mix at once. Single band compression used on the entire track will reduce the stereo presence of your mix. Also, if you can save a mix as left and right channel tracks (2 different sound files) and add compression to the L and R seperaltely you will get better results and maintain Stereo quality.
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Happy Hardcore makes me feel like a Koala bear just crapped a rainbow in my brain.
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Edited by - Soren on 2002/10/30 04:36:35 |
noiz labs
New Member
Australia
50 posts
Joined: Oct, 2002
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Posted - 2002/10/30 : 19:57:28
exelent ! .. very help full... i kinda figured its alot of trial and error in compression. :) . i will look around for some manuals on the subject
yes cool edidt has a frequency range thing but u have to compress each band at a seperate time. so u cannot rilly get an over all sound untill u do all of them. which with my machine takes a LONg time. ;) do u know of other good software compreshion program?
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Soren
Senior Member
United States
499 posts
Joined: Mar, 2001
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Posted - 2002/10/31 : 05:29:45
Waves (www.waves.com) and Steinberg are supposed to make the best mastering software. Waves makes a "C4 Multiband Parametric Processor" that's supposed to completely rock. Steinberg makes a 5 band mastering package, but I forget its name. I don't know software too well.....
"Sadness is a barnacle clinging to your bright boat. You won't let it sink your spirits if you'll only learn to float. We are all sea captains, sailing on life's rough seas. Come on you Magellan's, come with me I've got Pie; Happiness Pie."
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Happy Hardcore makes me feel like a Koala bear just crapped a rainbow in my brain.
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backindauk
Starting Member
Australia
2 posts
Joined: Jun, 2002
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Posted - 2003/01/04 : 12:39:09
i have a Neve 8078. so Compression isnt really an issue on individual channels, but for samples and the like, i use a Focusrite Red Compressor and a TLA ivory i even have a Fatman compressor, and 4 behringer composers ($200 Australian each!)
Try changing the compression values (ratio, limiting, attack, decay)
And DONT overuse compression on your stereo mix.
And yes, the Waves compression plugins are excellent, but i dont think they're as good as Optimaster for Creamware Pulsar.
Andrew
Andrew Kirkby
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nrXic
Junior Member
Canada
117 posts
Joined: Feb, 2002
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Posted - 2003/01/16 : 17:46:52
I got a Q, is it a good idea to compress things seperately...like the bassdrum and the bassline...and then the lead and strings...and then the hi-hats, snares and crashes...
...or should I compress them all together after I have the final mix recorded? (of course doing left and right seperately as Soren mentioned)
My music is getting really layered too, and I'm trying to EQ them so they are in their own bandwidth ranges...will compressing hurt that in any way? To see what I mean, check out my track "Never Let you Down" on mp3.com. I'm not 100% happy with how I EQed it (yet I released it anyway :) ). If anyone can point out what exactly the problem is, and how I can fix it, I'd really really appreciate it!!
www.mp3.com/nrxic
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Edited by - nrXic on 2003/01/16 17:50:59 |
Soren
Senior Member
United States
499 posts
Joined: Mar, 2001
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Posted - 2003/01/17 : 04:36:06
quote:
is it a good idea to compress things seperately......or should I compress them all together after I have the final mix recorded? and I'm trying to EQ them so they are in their own bandwidth ranges...will compressing hurt that in any way?
I'm at work right now so I can't check out your track, but if I remeber when I get home I'll give it a listen.
OK, here's some pointers. Number one rule of compression: You can't polish a turd. As it relates to compression what that means is that unless you EQ and mix your song properly no amount of compression will "fix" it. Compression is a finalizing step and properly mixing and EQ'ing your track is 100X more important if you want your track to have the proper impact. In fact if you get really into mixing and EQ'ing properly then compression shouldn't do that much cause your levels and frequency ranges will be sorted already. Compression is designed to add a tiny bit of extra punch to the track, not to make it sound like it was mixed properly.
OK, now as far as compressing everything seperately goes it's really up to you. It depends a lot on the effect you are going for and the kind of music you make. Like Hard NRG music is all compressed seperately to squash down all the sounds and make them sound really tight. Compressing the hell out of every sound seperatley will remove the infiniteness from your sounds and make them sound "glassy" and more synthetic. If you are making Nu NRG or Happy Hardcore that can be great, but personally I add no seperate compression to any of my sounds because I like to have rough edges in my songs. I like sounds to blend, feel infinite, and not sound perfect. But that's just me.
:D
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Happy Hardcore makes me feel like a Koala bear just crapped a rainbow in my brain.
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Happy Hardcore makes me feel like a Koala bear just crapped a rainbow in my brain.
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