Guide to compression?

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Member Since: Mar 06, 2005

Hey, Does anyone have basic guidelines for compressing drums, guitars, and vocals? I don't really even know where to begin. Some good starter settings for threshold, ratio, knee, attack, release, and level would be great.

Could anyone tell me where to start or maybe give me a page about how to compress each thing? Thanks alot.

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a.k.a. Porp & Mr. Muffins
Member
Since: Oct 09, 2002


May 01, 2005 11:08 pm

For drums I like the snare to have an attack of about .5-1 ms, which will give you a nice punchy snap if that's what your looking for. I set the kick's attack maybe a couple milliseconds little longer. For release, look at a range of around 5-20 ms. Just make sure that the compression has stopped before the next hit on the drum. It depends on the speed of the song, so use your ear and the compression meters. For ratio, I like the snare anywhere from 2:1 to 8:1 depending on the style of music. Don't overcompress unless you're going for a really snappy, cutting sound. For Kick, 2:1 to 4:1 is a good range to try out. If you compress the kick too much you'll lose a lot of your low and high frequencies, which are what you want in a kick drum! Threshold for both totally depends on how hot the signal is, so I can't help you there. Set it so you're compressing say -3 or -4 db in general. Again, use your ear and the meters on your compressor. For toms, I follow a similar principal as the snare drum, but use a higher threshold and/or lower ratio (less compression)

I'm not sure what you're looking for as far as guitar goes, but I usually don't compress distorted electric guitar much, since it's already a very level signal. Sometimes if you set a late attack (20 ms) and a quick release (3-5 ms) with a ratio of 2:1, you can actually add some more dynamics to the tone since you get a stronger attack.

Vocals depend very much on the singer and style. I usually go with a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio with an attack of 10-20 ms and a release of 5-10 ms. I think a quicker release like that will give you more of an up-front sound.

As for knee, I would set it to 0 (off) for snare and kick, and maybe use it at around 2-5 for vocals, depending on if you want the compression to sound transparent and seamless, which is what a knee is generally used for.

Hope that helps

-Porp

Hold 'Em Czar
Member
Since: Dec 30, 2004


May 01, 2005 11:09 pm

get the best headphones you have....

set the threshold to -60 (or something drastic like that) and play with the attack settings....try to get the first note (rhythmically) to poke through b4 it starts compressing....and start with a long release.

next set the threshold to where you want it to start compressing, this is a good time to check your meters on the compressor...if you have a meter that accually shows "gain reduction" in real time, adjust your threshold so it only kicks in when you want it to. it shouldn't be on all the time...

now time for ratio...if it's very dynamic (levels jump up and down and are not consistant) ie: vocals and bass guitar, you want a higher ratio, anything between 2:1 and 10:1

if it's drums you want just the first transient to poke through then the compressor should kick in (quick attack time) release time is important for drums again try to make the drums sustain in beat. ratio is usually steeper here with anything from 4:1 to infinity (limiting)

again, i like to use headphones for setting compression, cuz you can really hear it working better....the goal is not to hear it working so start drastic and keep easing up until everything is sitting nicely and evenly in the mix.

peace

wyd

edit0r
Member
Since: Aug 17, 2004


May 01, 2005 11:11 pm

Check out Soundonsound.com

search for Compression guidelines. I remember reading an article on Comp. Guidelines in SOS a while ago.

Btw. dB, I saw a letter you wrote to SOS about some crazy web site thing. haha

a.k.a. Porp & Mr. Muffins
Member
Since: Oct 09, 2002


May 01, 2005 11:12 pm

Ditto. Wyd has some very good general principals there to follow. If you really want to hear what you're doing, bring the threshold WAY down and then tweak. That's how I found all my settings.

Hold 'Em Czar
Member
Since: Dec 30, 2004


May 01, 2005 11:14 pm

i was gonna v-high five ya there Porp too!!!

smack!

Member
Since: Mar 06, 2005


May 04, 2005 07:29 pm

Thanks a lot for all of the suggestions. I have a question though, how do you compress an individual drum? Can't you only record one track to the computer at a time? I have a 4 input mixer, and it sends one track to the computer, it combines all of the mics into one track, is there a way to have each mic have it's own track while only using one mixer?

If there isn't, then I'll have to compress the whole drum track, any good settings for compressing the drums as a whole?

Thanks a lot.

Hold 'Em Czar
Member
Since: Dec 30, 2004


May 04, 2005 07:38 pm

yeah you need an 'audio interface' for your computer in order to record seperate tracks....one cool trick you can do is pan things hard left and hard right, which will give you two seperate tracks to work with, although i don't think i'd do it with drums....

if you've got 4 mics, here's what i'd do

two over head mics panned hard left and hard right, kick and snare dead center. and record to stereo.

you will be able to adjust the "width" after you record.

as for compresson i'd use it to limit. set a quick attack and quick release with the threshold around -2db's or so...and the ratio almost all the way up. you do risk taking some "punch" out, so do a coupple of test runs first. otherwise, i wouldn't compress gooin' to disk.

Member
Since: Mar 06, 2005


May 05, 2005 11:22 pm

Hey, Thanks alot for that idea, I'll try that.

The Beat Keeper
Member
Since: Dec 16, 2004


Feb 16, 2006 02:16 pm

Just how long of a release are you talking about starting out with WYD?

Hold 'Em Czar
Member
Since: Dec 30, 2004


Feb 16, 2006 02:20 pm

i like to start with the release as fast as it'll go...then listen (or watch the meters) and slowly give it a longer and longer release....after you pass the 'ideal' setting, the compressor will never shut off (stop compressing) then i back it up some to where it's not always on....generally percussive instruments have a quick release time, and vocals have a longer...bass and other instruments are somewhere in the middle.

you want your gain reduction meter to move in time with the music.

[quote]poke through b4 it starts compressing....and start with a long release.
[/quote]

lol i flip-floped!

The Beat Keeper
Member
Since: Dec 16, 2004


Feb 16, 2006 03:41 pm

Alright, cool, cause i was doing the attack thing that you mentioned above with a long release not a short one

The Beat Keeper
Member
Since: Dec 16, 2004


Feb 16, 2006 03:48 pm

well try that now. thanks bro

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