Order of effects chain??
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Posted on Feb 03, 2003 10:10 am
TheJazzyOne
Your favorite rockstar
Member Since: Feb 03, 2003
Hey all.
I've been browsing this forum for quite some time, and even though I've never asked a question before now, I want to thank you all for helping me out more than once! ;-)
Anyway, I have a 16 track digital recorder. When I mix it down, I go thru 4 "effects units" (I don't know what else to call them). I have a reverb unit, a stereo compressor, a 15 band stereo EQ, and a stereo sonic enhancer.
My question is what order should I set these up in?
Right now, I'm going....
Recorder -> EQ -> Stereo Enhancer -> Compressor -> Reverb -> Computer.
Is there a better order? Why?
Thank you very much if you have an opinion for me!
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Feb 03, 2003 03:28 pm I don't know too much about the topic, but you might try putting the reverb before the compressor and the stereo enhancer. It will give you a different sound that may or may not be better. It seems most logical to have the compressor at the end of the chain so you can boost the overall sound as much as possible. That's just my take.
juesContributor
Since: Dec 30, 2002
Feb 03, 2003 07:26 pm Nearly, but not quite ;)
EQ -> REVERB -> COMPRESSOR -> STEREO
Here's my explanation of this order:
The EQ naturally comes first, it is the most important part of the mastering chain and has the most obvious impact - use this to cut and boost and frequencies that need attention.
The Reverb should then come after the EQ to create a spatical enviroment for the song, be very careful here, just apply a VERY small amount - if you can hear the reverb you are adding at this point then you have added too much. Too much reverb will at best make things sound amature and at worst make things muddy and cluttered destroying the song.
The Compressor should then be applied after the reverb so that you have control over the loudness - again be gentle with mastering compression, Use a soft-knee and have long attack and release times with low ratios (anything over 3:1 is gonna be pretty noticable) - play around with the threshold until the track gains that extra "oomph" but don't go too far or the mix may start to "pump" (which is good on dance, but bad on anything else!)
The Stereo Imager should come last as it mearly widens the final signal by adding upper harmonics - if you place this before the reverb or compression then these harmonics will be altered which will change the operation of the unit.
Well - that's my personal take on things...
jues.
TheJazzyOneYour favorite rockstarMember
Since: Feb 03, 2003
Feb 06, 2003 04:07 pm Hey guys, thanks for taking the time to give me your opinions. I'm gonna try out your suggestions.
