Compression?
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Posted on Mar 24, 2008 09:04 pm
xlakejunkiex
Ryan
Member Since: Dec 28, 2007
When people talk about compression and busses, what do they mean by you can add it later? do you not record with your compressor? i am so confused?
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Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Mar 24, 2008 11:26 pm Sometimes you may want to add compression after the recording is done. I and others will usually record vocals and drums with compression. Vocals is almost a must do if the vocalist isn't very good with control. drums can be done after the recording is done and compression used after the fact. I like to do it that way for better control and only compress where it is most needed.
pjkPrince CZAR-mingMember
Since: Apr 08, 2004
Mar 25, 2008 12:06 am I haven't purchased outboard compressors yet, so all my compression is done in the box. I've gotten pretty used to adding compression in the mix stage, and then multi-band in the (pre)mastering phase.
I've read were compression is used as an EQ, and the multi-band will do that. It's quite handy when you get used to it.
busses are a path, that you can send 1 or more signals to.
fer instance, you can put all your drum tracks under 1 buss, then add reverb to that bus, instead of to a bunch of individual tracks. This keeps the reverb coherent among the drum tracks, plus keeps your CPU usage down.
you can think of busses as a group, or a folder as well.
Mar 25, 2008 12:43 am ok thanks
Mar 25, 2008 12:48 pm Compression is a tool. I think too many people get confused and think that compression is some sort of effect to "fatten up" your sound. True compression can add "thickness" but it has an actual purpose. Compression is used to level the signal which may be too dynamic. That is, a signal that has a large variance from it's quietest point to it's loudest point.
The loudest point may be too loud and clip the channel. While the quietest point may be so quiet that it is overpowered by the rest of the mix. Compression is almost always best applied during tracking and before it hits the Analogue to digital converter. Once a clipped signal is sent to disc, it can't easily be fixed.
You want to be able to prevent clipping wherever possible. Usually this can be done simply by adjusting the gain but, if the rest of the signal is too quiet, this is when you employ a compressor.
A compressor works by attenuating the signal beyond a certain threshold by a certain ratio. This is usually seen as a parameter of 2:1, 4:1, 8:1 or more. Consequently you are able to raise the overall level of the track while maintaining control over transient peaks. This results in a compressed dynamic range. The signal has less variance between loud and soft.
Knowing what a tool does make it easier to know when to use it.
Mar 29, 2008 04:26 pm
Is compression good to use if you are in an area where QUIET isnt the best ??
I have a small room with no moving air, however.... I am near a road so passing cars can be an issue.
What do you suggest I do electronically to eliminate noise ??
Will compression help this issue ?
*Keep in mind I am doing voice-overs only! no instruments.
Many thanks! --Robert
joepMember
Since: Feb 29, 2008
Mar 29, 2008 09:54 pm compression is the last thing you want to do. the only down side to compression is it will make all your background noise louder. also known as noise floor. if your equipment has a little his or you have some suttle noises in your mix the compression will definately make it more noticeable. if you can isolate the frequency where the background noise is most audible, you can cut that frequency alone and make it less obvious. but this will also effect everything else in the mix, so be careful not to overdo it.also using a gate will cut out any noise being heard while your not talking.since you are only doing voiceover work this might be a good choice.-joep
RandalMcFloydI wish I had a profile pictureInactive
Since: Nov 11, 2007
Mar 30, 2008 06:30 pm This is probably a really stupid question but here it goes.
Compression is just for recording right, I mean...it's never used live is it?
Mar 30, 2008 06:36 pm Compression is ALWAYS used live.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Mar 30, 2008 08:51 pm Kid, what you want is a noise gate.
The noise gate will be set to allow only the sound you want in. So you can set it to only open the gate when the mic gets the strong signal from your voice which is nearest the mic. It will eliminate any background noise such as passing cars and such. I used them in the old days of noise guitar amps to shut down the inherant buzz that came from early humbucker pick ups through not so well maintained amps.
Mar 30, 2008 10:46 pm Noize2u....
Is the noise gate a "program" or is it an actual, physical piece of equipment ?
If this helps...I have a Focusrite Saffire interface for PC and would like to know how does it connect if it is indeed a "physical" piece of equipment?
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Mar 30, 2008 11:34 pm Well, there are software noise gates and I do use them for some stuff. But in your case it might be an advantage to use a hardware unit. I don't think the Saffire has an insert section so hooking to an external one might be a tricky happening. Although it can be done. The device is usually used as an insert type or through and aux send.
Are you using a mixer by chance? If so then that would work for you. Simply use an insert on the channel your mic is plugged into or use and aux send/return for that channel and plug the gate into that.
But you might have luck using software as well. It might take a little tweaking to get it set proper, but if the outside noise levels are not extremely loud then it should not be a major problem.
Mar 31, 2008 09:16 pm
Noize...
I have no external mixer and was actually advised against that.
However I am running Cubase LE.
Is there anything in that program that would aid me in relation to noise gate or some sort of tweaking along the lines of what you are suggesting ??
Mar 31, 2008 09:59 pm You don't need a mixer. There are plenty of software gates that will work for now. If you want to go spend money on a decent gate, good for you but for now head on over to kvr-audio.com and download one of the many free vst gates available. The thing is to watch your threshold. Too low and you will not cut out the noise. Too much and you will cut off reverb tails.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Apr 02, 2008 09:45 pm I'm not sure but I would think that cubase should have a gate in the pluggins. If not indeed head over to www.kvraudiio.com as they have a ton of freeware pluggins and gates are in abundance.
