compressors on busses.

Posted on Apr 14, 2011 10:23 pm
Dematrix
http://www.reverbnation.com/2ndg
Member Since: Nov 27, 2007

Does anyone here use compressors on their instrument busses?

I output my guitars and drums to their own busses and then i put compression on those busses, after the fact that they already have compression on them before that.

I would like a little more guts and control over the overall mix and was thinking myabe a little more compression on the peaks might do it.

Im currently only really just touching the peaks off the top.
Just wondering what others here do in that situation?

Its just occured to me too that i dont include my overheads and ambient drum mics on those busses, which i proly should.
Toms are on their own bus too.

comments would be great.

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crux
Typo Szar
Member
Since: Jul 04, 2002

Apr 15, 2011 12:41 am

I always comp my drums, hard, usually parallel. On single drums i might do a little control, it helps when i finally parallel them.

Overheads r iffy, u do need to compress them usually if ur hitting the rest of teh kit hard, but cymbals really straddle the line between being transient and steady state so they can get really out of hand fast with compression, same goes for ambient content.

Usually not on distorted guitars, never heard any reason to. Bass yes, clean every now and then. Vox... very carefully haha.

Its not always about peak control for me, sometimes i just wanna draw out some body.

Dematrix
http://www.reverbnation.com/2ndg
Member
Since: Nov 27, 2007

Apr 15, 2011 03:19 am

exactly what i wanna do, drag it together some more, more body less mess.

Thanks man,

BeerHunter
www.TheLondonProject.ca
Member
Since: Feb 07, 2005

Apr 15, 2011 03:42 pm

I tend to automate the OH tracks instead of compressing. I really don't like what compression does to cymbals.

Quincysan
http://www.unitedmusicians.info
Contributor
Since: Nov 11, 2007

Apr 15, 2011 03:59 pm

In my most recent sessions, I've been sending my overheads and my room mics to a bus together and compressing them. The kit itself gets sent to it's own bus and I either use a software compressor on that bus that let's you "mix" the compression in or I create a separate bus for the uncompressed drums and the compressed drums so I can mix them on my own. Just some parallel comp.

I like compressing overheads. I don't even do parallel comp because I like the way it makes your attention switch focuses on fills...at least that's how I interpret what it does. I use cardioid condensers in XY and with the compression, it helps define the kit during fills and stuff. For me, today, I like that.

Quincysan
http://www.unitedmusicians.info
Contributor
Since: Nov 11, 2007

Apr 15, 2011 04:07 pm

I use two compressors on vocals these days, with an EQ and de-esser in between. For singing vox, it's the best sounding combo I've used so far. Way better than dry for all the recordings I've used it on. The first comp tames the most wild transients before getting hit with an EQ, the de-esser takes the edge off after the EQ as I find ~7Khz to be a great frequency to boost in EQ, which leads to a little essy-ness. The final compression brings it all back together in a great sort of way (Bombfactory 1176 clone->URS N Series EQ->De-Esser III->Bombfactory 1176 clone). On slow songs, for vocals, I've been putting long delay on an aux bus and sidechaining a compressor on that so you only hear the delay when the vocalist isn't singing something new. Makes a TON of space! Would work great on metal vox me-thinks...(the sidechained delay on the aux bus, not the EQ)

In my most recent 'high production' effort I had about 25 audio tracks and something like 70 aux busses. It isn't nearly as cluttered as it seems based on the numbers. I get all kinds of control by touching just a few faders. Saves me a lot of time.

Dematrix
http://www.reverbnation.com/2ndg
Member
Since: Nov 27, 2007

Apr 15, 2011 07:49 pm

cheers guys,

Im a bit jack of SD2 right now too, so, i have mucked a bit with things but im just gonna leave it for now, **** the songs off my Mac, and start again with new songs.

These have been ready for sometime but ive been coming up with new and improved ways of doing things so i keep changing.

Thing with SD2 is, i cant tell if these O/H's brought in as "mono" on 2 tracks to Cubase and panned hard left hard right are in fact acting as stereo tracks, i mean pan wise.

I can hear a s light difference in them if i solo them but cant tell if its just because "i have panned something that shouldnt be panned" if that makes sense?

Anyway, **** it, its done and the rest of the song will be the same now.