How to set a compressor: very nice tut
Found this on my travels, apparently from 'Mixing with the mind':
"The ARRT of Compression
i posted this on mah local board, it seemed to help some people so, heres how to compress.
Ive sat in and watched people make beats, all kinda different beats. The most cringe worthy effect, the one that ****s the tune, the most mis-used, type of processing has to be compression. If you go to a big studio in town, like rock city, big sky, or ghetto recorders, probably second to mic-pres you'll see compressors of different flavors most often. I know alot of the heads have opened up their favorite compressor plugin, and picked a preset. That is completely retarded, please dont do that ever again. Another common thing is that you find a ratio that you like, and are unhappy with the release, so you change it and eventually end up punching something. Ahh, fear no more kids. Compression is fun, hell, its even appropriate most of the time.
note: personally: i try not to use compressors, theres a sound that they bring to a mix for sure, but i like the dynamics of music. the loudness war
Preparation: Set your Ratio as high as the ****er will go... 30:1 , infinity:1, as high as it goes. Set the release to as fast as it can go (1ms/ns whatever) and set the threshold to about as sensitive as it will go.
attack can be anywhere.
1) Close your eyes and turn the attack knob, HEAR what it does, this is like how big the drumstick/pluck of the sound is, for example: faster release can get more of the "click" of your snare, a slower one can bring out the tone of it.
2) Grab the release knob, close your eyes, listen to it. do you hear what this one does? its like how long your string stays plucked etc. heres where you get your pump.
3) Your ratio is next. The ratio controls how "big" the sound is. Ratios >9:1 are really not compressing, theyre limiting. The lower ratios tend to sound "punchier" but im sure you knew that since youre listening and not looking at the sound. Compression is Multiplicative NOT additive. So think about this, if you have your vocal track recorded in with 8:1, you compress it during mixing @ 4:1, then Tom Itallianname compresses the whole mix @ 2:1 during mastering, that would mean it would be a 64:1 ratio at the end. Tiny, lifeless. Gross.
4) The Threshold is last. This is where the previous 3 parameters kick in. Adjust it so that its not always compressing, but tastefully behaved.
4.1) The gain knob: use this to adjust the output to match the input, dont use it to just "make it loud" that is retarded. Things that are louder always sound "better" but when you come back and listen to the mix it will sound like a sumo with the runs sitting on rice paper. Distorted SHIT.
Q: So, what if i get to the threshold, and i want to change the release?
A: Start from the beginning.
Q: How do i get my compression to stay in time with the music? You know like doing math for quarter notes?
A: Youre stupid. Grooves dont have to be played with time, only in a time.
Hope this helps you guys out a bit. Lemme know if you have any questions about other dynamic processing type shite.
Just remember: A R R T
-Lucas"
