Vocal Compression ratio/attack/release

Posted on

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

I know this topic has come up before, but I don't know if my specific question has been addressed since usually the quetion is about the threshold, which varies a great deal. Anyways, what are some good general attack and release setting for an outboard compressor while recording vocals? (I'm not really looking for a "one setting solves all" solution here.) I've heard 3:1 for the ratio is usually about right, and it seems to work fine for me, but I still don't know about attack and release. Thanks guys.

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...bringing sexy back
Member
Since: Jul 01, 2002


Mar 03, 2003 05:46 pm

dunno the specifics..i use whatever sounds good

for me, 'CamelPhat' is class, but its YOUR ears that count, so use what feels good!

Cone Poker
Member
Since: Apr 07, 2002


Mar 03, 2003 10:12 pm

What kind of music are you recording? Male or female vocals? Does the singer scream into the mic at all? Things like this need to be addressed before we can give you a decent answer.

Contributor
Since: Dec 30, 2002


Mar 04, 2003 11:12 am

Hey,

For basic "singing" vocal work relitivly slow attack times (around 15ms) and long release times (around 80-130ms) work nicley - they will give the vocals more "punch" allowing them to come through clearer in the mix - and yes, 3:1 is about right for most things.

If you're doing "screaming" vocals or need more control over the actual level - then faster attack times (3-8ms) are preffered - this will make sure nothing stays too hot for too long.

jues.

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


Mar 04, 2003 02:56 pm

Thanks Jues. I'm recording male vocals with the occational scream, but it's not hardcore or anything. I'd like to call it punk, but I don't think that's really all that accurate. How about we just settle for "Alternative" (Whatever that means...) :-)

Contributor
Since: Apr 03, 2002


Mar 04, 2003 04:08 pm

yeah i agree with jues on this one. i keep my cranked pretty close to around that. but as stated, there is no golden preset that will work for everyone.

Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002


Mar 04, 2003 05:35 pm

Hey collapse, ya popped in to say hi. Glad to see ya. And I agree with jues on the attack variations. You can just tweak a little here or there to get what you need. Remember, sometimes, compression is a very subtle thing untill it gets to the point of being obnoxious.

The Quiet Minded
Member
Since: Jan 01, 2003


Mar 25, 2003 02:51 pm

The "Auto" option for attack and release is a good choice?

Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002


Mar 25, 2003 09:33 pm

The auto option works fairly well on stable material, but when you get to something like a vocalist that does not have good control it is not the best choice. It is a good place to start so you can see what the comp will do, but I wouldnt use it as a all purpose setting.

Member
Since: Dec 16, 2002


Mar 27, 2003 06:07 am

I'm having problems with compression too. I bought a compressor last week and am still learning how to use it. Currently it seems to add too muc 's' sound to the voice, I can get round that it's not too bad. The main problem is it sounds 'jumpy' like the volume of the voice suddenlt raises unnaturaly and that can be heard if you listen carfeully to the recordings I've made.

Which setting would fix this probelm? Release or attack or a combination?

tHnaks in advnace..

Administrator
Since: Apr 03, 2002


Mar 27, 2003 06:47 am

I think the gain is what you need to turn down.

The threshold indicates at which level the compression begins to take place holding down the peaks. The gain is the amount of volume that is made up on the soft signals...I would turn down the gain and see if that helps. Also, if you compressor has the option, try to use softknee compression instead of hard knee, it's a bit smoother.

Member
Since: Dec 16, 2002


Mar 28, 2003 08:05 am

Thanks DB Masters I will try turning down the gain a bit and see what the result is.

With regard to this...
"The auto option works fairly well on stable material, but when you get to something like a vocalist that does not have good control it is not the best choice. It is a good place to start so you can see what the comp will do, but I wouldnt use it as a all purpose setting."

Funily enough, I downloaded one of these idiot's guide to compression things and it reccomended to the contrary that you SHOULD use the Auto function for vocals, precisely because vocals vary so much and the auto function adjusts itself dynamicaly to the changing voice levels.

I'm only a novice so I can't comment either way. But it just shows that there's more than one way to approach this.

Administrator
Since: Apr 03, 2002


Mar 28, 2003 09:35 am

There is more than one way to do everything...the best you can do is get a few methods from a few trusted sources and try them and see what works for you, and, of course, don't be afraid to try something yourself to, you may stumble upon something cool that we would all like to know :-)

Member
Since: Dec 16, 2002


Mar 31, 2003 06:57 am

Damn this compression thing is difficult to get to grips with. I tried 'singing' and adjusting the knobs whilst recording my warbles to see what different effects i could achieve. Trouble is the differences are so subtle it's hard to tell what's best! Not like playing with EQ or effects where you can notice a substantial difference.

Anyway, I think I've arrived at a resonable compression setting for my voice now, but trouble is it seems to have increased the 'sss' sound somewhat. I'm not sure whether it's really bad, or just different to what I'm used to hearing my voice sounding like. I listened for 'ssss' on the radio on pro recordings and noticed some of them have strong 'sss' sounds too, now I'm listening out carefully for it, begining to spot where they've used compression, so I'm learnming I guess.

Contributor
Since: Dec 30, 2002


Mar 31, 2003 04:58 pm

the 'sss' sound that you are reffering to is known as sibilance. There are two ways that you can deal with this problem (if it annoys you).

First off you can try setting a slightly slower attack time - this will give the sibilance more time to get past before the compression kicks in - if this doesn't work then maybe try opening (raising) the threshold a bit.

Secondly you can try a "de-esser" plugin, there are loads avaliable on the net depending on whether you use a VST or DX based system.

VST System (Cubase)
The Fish Fillets -- www.digitalfishphones.com...2&subItem=5 -- This is an excellent Trio of plugins that includes an excellent compressor (I use it all the time), a expander / gate and finally (and ovbiously, most importantly) a great De-Esser. And the best thing is all this is free (woot!)

Hmmm, ok I couldn't find a free DX De-esser, so if you are not running a VST system, let us know an we will look harder for one...

jues.

Member
Since: Apr 07, 2003


Apr 13, 2003 11:30 am

I have a silly question. My compressor has indented knobs. The Ratio knob gives you the option of selecting 1:1.5 , 1:5 , 1:10 , and 1:30. (It also has settings in between these ratios, but they are not marked with specific ratios.)

So then, would 1:5 be the same as 5:1? Would the setting in between 1:1.5 and 1:5 be the best setting for vocals? (I assume this would be as close as I could get to 3:1.

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