Multiple instances of Presswerk per track?

[aaron aardvark]

I've read stories of people using multiple hardware compressors hooked up in series, and for years I used to do this:

mic > hardware compressor > Roland VS-880 hard disc recorder with built in compressor effect. (I essentially don't use hard disc recorders anymore for multi-track recording).

Has anyone tried this yet (multiple instances of Presswerk per track)?:

mic (or other sound source) > computer DAW: Track 1 > Presswerk compression > Presswerk compression.

I have resisted trying this yet, because I keep maxing out my computer CPU with my 9 year iMac, using many plug-ins for a given song.

Any words of advice doing this? Or you just have to dive in and experiment? Now that I think about it, I have had Presswerk on several tracks (single instance of Presswerk per track), but then light Presswerk compression on the output buss of everything.

[EvilDragon]

It's not uncommon to have one comp to tame the peaks and another right after it to "glue" the transients...

[#rob]

Since all source material is different, as well as the desired final result, it's hard to give advice that will always be "the right choice".

As ED already pointed out, it's quite common to have one compressor to flatten occasional peaks, and then use a second compressor to do the actual compression, i.e. getting louder and quieter parts of the signal closer together. Doesn't matter if hardware or software.

This is especially useful for "collective" drum mics (like overheads), where most things are nicely set - but that occasional rim shot always overpowers everything else, or bass/guitar DI tracks with occasional slaps or just "picking spikes". Having that first compressor act only upon those irregularly loud peaks will make the overall signal more consistent, so as a result the second compressor can operate more consistently as well. If the first compressor only takes out those pesky rimshot pops, or only squashes those super-bright bass slaps, they won't peak into the actual compressor, so they won't make the signal suddenly drop below the desired level.

You could definitely use Presswerk for this, just as you could use any other compressor. If you want to save CPU, then maybe skip anything that involves saturation or harmonics or other "analog" things in the first compressor instance, since it'll only be used to even out occasional peaks and not impart a constant "sound". Save all that kinda magic for the second instance, so the "sound" is applied more homogenously.

[aaron aardvark]

EDragon and #rob,
Thank you for replying!