Compression

Mix with the Masters

Lift the energy of the lead vocal with a breathy double

Tony Maserati demonstrates how to lift the energy of a lead vocal by adding and bringing out a breathy double using a combination of EQ, compression, and harmonization. He starts by using the Waves Renaissance Equalizer to remove unwanted low-end frequencies, creating a breathy quality in the backing vocal. This helps to add clarity and presence without muddiness. Next, Maserati employs the Avid BF-76 compressor to push the breathy double upfront, ensuring it sits prominently in the mix. This enhances the vocal's energy and makes it more engaging. Finally, he uses the Waves Doubler to widen the vocal, adding a subtle harmonizer effect that enriches the overall sound.

SonicScoop

Taming distorted vocals with surgical EQ and compression

Stuart White showcases how to add stylistic distortion to vocals and then tame the resulting harshness using a combination of notch EQ, compression, multi-band compression, de-essing, and tape saturation. He starts by applying distortion to inject energy and vibe into the vocals, but this also introduces harsh frequencies. To address this, White uses the Waves Q10 to surgically notch out problematic frequencies, and the Waves C1 and C4 compressors to control spiky peaks, ensuring smoother transients. De-essing is employed to manage exaggerated sibilance from the distortion, while tape saturation adds warmth and helps the vocals sit well in the mix. By using a slower release on vocal's main compressor, White ensures the vocal blends seamlessly with the track's texture and vibe, achieving a polished yet edgy sound.

SonicScoop

Crafting psychedelic vocals with layered effects

Stuart White delves into crafting psychedelic vocals by layering and interweaving multiple effects. He combines a short delay for texture, a stereo flanger for width, and a long, psychedelic delay to create a rich, ethereal sound. By routing the long delay into a spring reverb and the widener, Stuart enhances the psychedelic atmosphere and expands the soundstage. To maintain clarity and prevent the effects from overwhelming the dry vocal, Stuart heavily compresses the effects returns, ensuring they remain controlled within the mix. This approach allows the effects to be prominent without overshadowing the vocal's presence. Additionally, he employs sidechain compression on the long delay, ducking it with the dry vocal to preserve intelligibility and keep the vocal at the forefront.

Audiopunks

Making drum loops punch with compression and distortion

Stuart White demonstrates the use of compression, distortion, and spring reverb to enhance sampled drum loops, focusing on achieving a cohesive and characterful sound. By applying compression, Stuart brings the loop forward in the mix, adding punch and presence, which is crucial for integrating samples into dense arrangements. He highlights the importance of a fast compressor to manage transients, allowing for seamless layering with programmed kicks.

Mix with the Masters

Eq into compression: Pushing lows for vocal weight

Ben Baptie crafts a dynamic vocal chain for The Strokes using a Pultec EQP-1A to enhance both low and high frequencies, adding richness and presence to the vocals. By boosting the low end, he strategically shapes the behavior of the subsequent UREI 1176LN compressor. The 1176 compressor, set with a fast attack and release, manages dynamics by quickly grabbing peaks and exciting the lower range, making the vocal more engaging and weighty. The boosted low end from the EQ makes the compressor work harder, adding excitement and energy to the vocal. To ensure consistency, Baptie employs a Tube-Tech CL 1B with a slower attack and release as a leveler, smoothing out the vocal performance regardless of its intensity. Finally, an AMS Neve 1081 is used for its filters, applying a low-pass filter to remove any unwanted high-frequency sheen, ensuring the vocal sits perfectly in the mix with a textured, characterful presence.

Reverb.com

Pump up drums in Tame Impala-style with a Shure Level-Loc

Discover how to achieve a Tame Impala-style drum sound using the Shure Level Loc compressor. This unique compressor, originally designed for broadcast, is key to creating an aggressive and characterful drum tone. By routing all individual drum mics to a mono drum bus and applying the Shure Level Loc as an insert, you can dramatically compress the signal, resulting in a distinct, punchy sound. This technique emphasizes the compressor's role in defining the tonal character of the drums. As a plugin solution, the Soundtoys Devil-Loc Deluxe offers an excellent emulation of the Shure Level Loc, providing a similar sonic impact.

Reverb.com

Add excitement and character to the drum bus

To enhance the character of a Black Keys-style drum recording, Noam Wallenberg is using a series of processing techniques on the drum bus. The Decapitator is employed to inject aggressive distortion, immediately adding excitement and a sense of controlled chaos to the drum sound. To smooth out transients, the Satin tape emulator is introduced, providing additional distortion and excitement while taming the sharpness of the hits. The Oxford Inflator, though somewhat mysterious in its exact function, is used to enhance dynamics and add mid-range presence, making the drums sound more lively and engaging. Further refinement is achieved with a Distressor to regain attack, followed by a multi-band compressor to balance the frequency surges and maintain control over the dynamic range. Finally, a touch of subtractive EQ with the FabFilter Pro-Q 3 is applied to manage the mid-range, ensuring the drum bus remains balanced and characterful.

Universal Audio

Use dual mono compression for a wider stereo image

Thorp discusses the benefit of running his mix bus compressor in dual mono mode instead of stereo link mode. This technique allows independent compression of the left and right channels, enhancing stereo imaging by preventing one side's dynamics from affecting the other. However, he cautions about the need for precise setting matching to avoid imbalances.

Universal Audio

Create an interesting, dynamic ambience with a gated room

Inspired by David Bowie's "Heroes," Thorp and Dave Grohl implemented a dynamic room mic effect for the vocals using gates, allowing for an intimate sound during quieter verses and a more expansive, reverberant sound during louder choruses. Thorp's technical execution involved an LCR track configuration that holds the dry vocal along with two mono room mics. The gate on this track has its settings unlinked, permitting individual adjustment for each channel to dynamically alter the room sound based on the vocal performance intensity. After the gating process, Thorp applied compression to further shape and control the dynamics of the vocal, ensuring both the intimate and expansive moments translated effectively in the mix.

Produce Like A Pro

Get presence with multi-band expansion

Marc Daniel Nelson shares a background vocal mixing technique that he discovered by accident, which has since become a staple in his mixing arsenal. This approach involves using the FabFilter Pro-MB as an expander to emphasize the higher frequencies (between 2 kHz and 15 kHz) of the background vocals, thereby enhancing their brightness, punchiness, and presence in a distinct manner. To ensure the background vocals remain supportive and do not overshadow the lead, Nelson incorporates two stages of de-essing and employs a Klanghelm MJUC compressor with a high-pass filter in the sidechain, set to around 400 Hz. This technique creates a sense of space and airiness around the vocals, yielding a polished pop sound that is especially effective for dense arrangements with a high track count.

Waves

Compress and EQ to fit a synth bass in the track

Tony Maserati relies on EQ, filtering and compression to fit a synth bass into the mix. His goal is to ensure the synth bass complements, rather than competes with, the main bass and other elements in the mix. He puts EQ before compression, carving out frequencies that clash with the main bass and kick, while enhancing frequencies around 50-60Hz. This low-end boost influences the compression action, creating a sidechain-like effect.

Eric Valentine

Create punch with gating and multiband distortion

Eric Valentine creates a punchy and clear kick drum sound using a combination of gating, EQ, compression, and multiband distortion. He starts by gating the inside kick mic with FabFilter Pro-G to ensure tightness and prevent bleed from other drum elements. He then uses the Massenburg MDW5B EQ to high-pass at 270Hz, focusing the inside mic solely on the attack. Valentine adds multiband distortion with FabFilter Saturn, targeting the mids and high mids to enhance the kick's click and presence. Having no distortion in the low-end avoids intermodulation distortion, resulting in a crisp and exciting high-end. The multiband distortion is followed by a Soundtoys Decapitator for additional subtle distortion. For the outside kick mic, he applies similar gating and EQ techniques, scooping out 278Hz and boosting at 40Hz to add weight. By using the same multiband distortion settings on both mics, he maintains phase consistency, ensuring they sum correctly without unwanted cancellations. Finally, he runs the combined signal through a Waves Renaissance Compressor to add punch and smack, achieving a powerful and well-defined kick sound.

Puremix

Take off peaks with compression

Powell's „clean“ vocal bus is a compression path that forms the basis of the sound, with a couple dB of compression to take off the peaks.

Mix with the Masters

Add color with bus compression

Jaycen Joshua uses the UAD Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor to add color and excitement to his drum bus. He focuses on the compressor's ability to enhance the drums with harmonic saturation rather than heavy compression, keeping gain reduction minimal at a maximum of 1 dB. By "kissing" the compressor, Joshua achieves a rich, vibrant drum sound that maintains its dynamics while benefiting from the subtle coloration and character the Shadow Hills unit provides. This approach ensures the drums remain lively and engaging within the mix.

Sam Evian

Create an interesting ambience with a compressed mono reverb

Owens amplifies the atmosphere of the synth solo with a heavily compressed mono reverb, created using the Boss RV-6 guitar pedal. This technique yields a compelling reverb ambience that introduces depth and expansiveness. Skillfully avoiding any cheesy or overly prominent effects, Owens ensures the reverb enhances the synth's texture without loosing clarity or impact.

Universal Audio

Use gentle compression to add cohesion

Thorp explains his approach to two-bus compression, emphasizing gentle, minimal compression to lightly squeeze the mix. He uses a medium fast attack and release, aiming for barely a dB of compression, to retain dynamics while achieving a cohesive sound. His preference for UAD plugins like Shadow Hills and API 2500 for mixbus compression is noted for their effectiveness in different scenarios.

SonicScoop

Being efficient with bus processing

Sylvia Massy advocates a top-down approach for mixing electric guitars, focusing on bus EQ and compression. Noting the individual tracks' inherent coherency, she bypasses EQ and compression on each track, opting instead for these processes on the guitar bus. This method not only enhances consistency, body, and presence more efficiently, but also unifies the individual tracks effectively.

SonicScoop

Bigger, deeper drums with reverb and compression

Sylvia Massy adds ambience to the drums by blending reverb on the snare, overhead, and kick with compression on the room mic. Utilizing Valhalla VintageVerb's drum plate preset, she enhances the depth and size of the drum sounds. Concurrently, she applies crushing compression to the mono room mic using the Avid BF-76. This technique not only fills the gaps between drum hits but also adds thickness and body, enhancing the overall impact of the drums. By balancing the expansive quality of the reverb with the intensifying effect of compression, Massey creates a drum sound that is both big and cohesive.

Manley Vari Mu on the mix bus

Tom Elmhirst uses the Manley Vari Mu compressor on the mix bus to add warmth and cohesion to his mixes. He emphasizes the importance of attack and release settings, typically opting for a medium to fast release to maintain transient clarity, especially in contemporary, drum-heavy music. He advises against relying solely on the meters, suggesting that listening is key to understanding the compressor's effect. The Manley Vari Mu has been a staple in his workflow for two decades.

Mix with the Masters

Keep the vocal upfront with compression

Tony Maserati employs compression with the Waves R-Compressor to ensure the vocals remain prominent and forward in the mix. His settings are typical for this kind of application: a slow attack, allowing vocal transients to pass through for clarity, paired with a fast release and a 4:1 ratio.

Mix with the Masters

Bring guitars and samples upfront with compression

Similar to her technique with the drum bus, Marcella Araica buses all guitars and samples together, employing the Neve 33609 compressor to enhance presence, thus bringing these elements more forward in the mix. She carefully avoids overcompression by maintaining a low compression ratio, aiming for a maximum of 3-5dB of gain reduction. The release is set to the 'a1' auto mode, ensuring a smooth and adaptive response to the signal.

Universal Audio

Get the vocal to sit well with smooth compression

Within the SSL 4000E Channel Strip, MixedbyAli applies compression after EQ to ensure the vocal sits prominently in the mix without overpowering it. It is important to him to avoid overcompressing and losing transients, so he opts for a low ratio (2:1 or 3:1) and sets the threshold to engage only during the loudest parts. Once the ratio and threshold are set, he fine-tunes the release time to a medium setting for a smooth and coherent result.

Mix with the Masters

Taming the mix bus with compression while keeping it dynamic

Brauer is taming the mix bus with two compressors in series, each doing relatively litte to keep the dynamics of the track.

Mix with the Masters

Add character to a banjo with compression and saturation

Shawn Everett demonstrates how to add character to a banjo using compression and saturation. He starts by heavily compressing the banjo with a UAD LA-2A, which he associates with the instrument's typical sound, making it more consistent and controlled. To further enhance the banjo's character, Everett applies the Soundtoys Decapitator for distortion, adding warmth and grit. He also removes some low-end frequencies to ensure clarity and balance in the mix. This combination of compression and saturation results in a banjo sound that is both lively and distinct, fitting well within country and pop genres.

Produce Like A Pro

Get bigger, more spacious guitars with panning

Marc Daniel Nelson showcases a technique to create a bigger, more spacious guitar sound by using two microphones (Shure SM57 and Beyerdynamic M160) and panning them hard left and right in the mix. This approach leverages the slight tonal and phase differences between the mics to craft a wider, more immersive guitar presence. Key to this method is adjusting the volume of one mic slightly lower than the other, enhancing spatial depth and reducing phase issues without losing the guitar's clear position in the stereo field. Nelson further enriches the guitar's character by applying bus compression with a dbx 160VU, ensuring a vibrant sound.

Mix with the Masters

Bring programmed drums upfront with compression

Marcella Araica buses all her drum tracks together and uses a Neve 33609 compressor to add punch and presence, bringing the drums more forward in the mix. She maintains a low ratio to preserve transients, aiming for a moderate 3-5dB of gain reduction. The attack is set fast, which, on this compressor, still allows for the transient to come through. The release is on the "a1" auto setting, ensuring a smooth response. The goal is not to squash but to subtly enhance the drum bus.

Universal Audio

Bigger low-end with sidechain filtering

Joe Chiccarelli uses the UAD Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor on the mix bus to achieve a bigger and more natural low-end for a hip-hop track. He employs a fast release and slow attack with a 3:1 ratio, applying just 1-2 dB of compression to glue the mix together without making it sound overly processed. Chiccarelli opts for the nickel transformer setting to add sparkle and life to the mix. A key feature he highlights is the sidechain filter, which prevents the low-end from triggering too much compression, avoiding unwanted pumping and breathing effects. This technique ensures the low-end remains powerful and natural.

Sam Evian

Get a tight, defined low-end with compression and EQ

Owens uses the UAD LA-2A compressor to balance the bass guitar's dynamics, engaging the "Emphasis" control to introduce a high-pass filter in the compressor's sidechain circuit. This technique selectively reduces sensitivity to lower frequencies, concentrating compression on the midrange to smooth out the instrument's tonal imbalances. Following compression, Owens applies the FabFilter Pro-Q 3 for more presence and refined low-end clarity. He is rolling off frequencies below 70Hz to ensure the kick drum's low-end remains distinct. Owens emphasizes the strategic importance of deciding on a clear hierarchy in the low-end frequencies between the kick and bass, often preferring to prioritize one over the other to minimize frequency masking. He illustrates this concept with the Beatles' "Taxman," noting how the song achieves a clear low-end by featuring a pronounced bass guitar while keeping the kick drum thin and punchy, demonstrating effective frequency separation and minimal masking when both elements are combined. Lastly, Owens adds a bit of stereo chorus to give the bass a fuller and slightly wider sound.

Universal Audio

Add punch and vibe with compression and distortion

Will Yip uses a UAD Distressor for compression followed by a UAD Culture Vulture for distortion on the drum bus. He employs a slow attack and quick release on the Distressor to add energy without squashing dynamics, targeting 6-7 dB reduction. The Culture Vulture adds character and glue. Together, both processors create an energetic, lively drum sound that stands out clearly yet sits nicely in the mix.

Universal Audio

Get the snare to cut through with EQ and compression

Yip uses a combination of EQ and compression to help the snare cut through a dense mix. First in the chain is a UAD Neve 1073 EQ to add top-end, upper midrange, and bottom end to achieve a bigger, more present tone. The 1073 is then followed by mild, but colored compression with an UA 1176 (long attack, fast release, 4:1 ratio, 3dB gain reduction) to achieve a more consistent sound. Lastly Yip adds a UAD API 560 EQ to add some more presence and remove some of the muddiness brought out by the compression.