Alan Parsons on compression - from the man himself...

[TheStorm]

(Please bear with me - this might be a long post, but interesting, I hope...)

The talented Mr. Parsons has a great interview in the US edition of 'Future Music' magazine (same publisher, different mag in the US - go figure) this month. Fascinating discussion on compression. Here's an excerpt:

[FM] We live in the era of the heavily compressed and limited mix, but you don't work that way.

[AP] It's a style thing...To some people it's important. To me it's not particularly vital. I'd much rather have increased dynamics at the expense of a bit of percieved volume...

But it's not as if I don't use compressors; I certainly do. I would never think of recording a vocal without compressing it...and I usually add some compression to bass...I also prefer not to use compression on drums...

I know this topic comes up here a lot, and it is not my intention to start a revolution with this post, but opinion this is crucial to my own way of recording. I've been told again and again by pros to compress every track, and to slap a brick-wall limiter on the final mixdown, as well. I've done it, grudgingly, because I realize that I'm going to sound 'different' compared to other records, but I have always - ALWAYS missed the dynamics afterwards.

Three points:

1. I'm never gonna be a rich and famous musician. I'm too old and bald now - but that won't stop me recording my own stuff.

2. I don't CARE if my CD's don't sound the same as some commercial CDs. I actually WANT my CD's to sound different, and as a rock guitarist, a little...um, rougher, I guess, than what you get from Wal-Mart.

3. I'm just an amateur, with equipment that's mediocre at best, except for the guitar itself. I'm never going to record 'The Wall.'

This is the first famous person I've ever heard talk about NOT compressing - at least not in a fundamental way for each track. And, it's from the man behind such sonic masterpieces as The Beatles' 'Abbey Road,' Ambrosia's 'Somewhere I've Never Travelled' and Al Stewart's 'Year of the Cat,' not to mention his centerpiece, Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon.'

Well, I do think that's it, for me. I'm not compressing unless I've got wild volume fluctuations. And I'm not gonna compress the final track if I can help it, either.

What do you guys think? Obviously it depends on the kind of music you're making, but I think Mr. Parsons is right; why try and compete for the loudest record?

Please accept my apologies for bringing this up here yet again, and please also accept my apolgies for the length of this post.

[Kriminal]

Good on him, i dont use em either.

[Aleksey Vaneev]

TheStorm, you can always think 'this sample has been compressed by super-natural powers already'... and skip inserting a compressor.

[highdropod]

That's interesting. Now that it's been mentioned, I totally agree that compression is over-used these days. I kind of see it as being similar to television commercials. You're watching a show, then all of a sudden the commercial comes on and is like 10db louder than the program itself. Seems to be the same with commercial music these days. Have you ever heard of Ozric Tentacles? their last album "Spirals in Hyperspace" has some of the most amazing dynamics I've heard on an album in recent years. The music isn't as good as their older stuff, but the quality of the recording/production is phenomenal.

I should add here that people like Amon Tobin use compression to a sublime effect, so I guess it really is a matter of personal tastes.

[birrbits]

I'm no Alan Parsons, but there was this lil song I was working on the other day, got finished with it & realized (oh crap) its pretty quiet in some parts, i forgot to compress/limit the final mix.



Then I though, screw it, so what if you have to turn it up just slightly to hear the quiet part. NOW you WILL get smacked in the head by the louder section (what I wanted to happen)! AHA dynamics!

[jens]

This is the first famous person I've ever heard talk about NOT compressing - at least not in a fundamental way for each track.

then I'm wondering where you've been...

[xoxos]

Good on him, i dont use em either.

[Funkybot]

Compression is definately a bit overused, and I'd never listen to anyone who said compress every channel. I'm with him on the drums, I've been getting by using BFD with no compression whatsoever on a lot of projects, or with some on the overheads for the more heavy rock stuff. When recording live drums though I'll always compress the kick. Bass I find always needs it unless it's a driven bass sound coming from an Amp or Bass D.I. box. Lead vocals and most background vocals always do as well and so does acoustic guitar in the context of a busy mix. But things like a distorted electric guitar, entire drum subgroups, pianos, synths, organs, keys etc., seem to get ruined by compression IMO. It seems like all you should have to do is alter your sound or playing a bit if things aren't working out well. But that's just mixing, records are way too hot nowadays with a few exceptions. I really wish all the pro mastering engineers would just ban together and tell the labels to go screw themselves the next time they asked for a super loud mix. Now don't get me wrong either, I will compress a mix a decent amount, but nowhere near getting to the solid black bar point. My thing is I like to listen to music quietly at my cubicle here at work, where really dynamic music will have me either struggling to hear or rushing to lower the volume. My car is also noisy as hell, so if something is too dynamic the quiet parts will get drowned out. There is a balance that exists.

If you're doing you're own recording primarilly for your own enjoyment, then screw what other people say. If you don't want to use boatloads of compression then don't. If you do, whatever, it's cool. We all have our own notions of what we want our music to sound like and have the ability to control that, there's nothing to stop us from doing so. Now when you're being paid to record someone else, that's a different story...

[IIRs]

These days I use dynamics processors to expand as often as I use them to compress..

[SJ_Digriz]

I've been told again and again by pros to compress every track, and to slap a brick-wall limiter on the final mixdown, as well.

Wow, I don't know who those "pros" are, but to be honest most studios want exactly the opposite. They want tracking with little or no compression. They want mixing with as little compression as possible. The "pros" that I know use compression as an effect, not a level booster.

[waiting man]

quoting platinumears signature, beliefs in gods and compressors are a form of mental illness.

[rockstar_not]

This is the first famous person I've ever heard talk about NOT compressing - at least not in a fundamental way for each track.

then I'm wondering where you've been...

I agree with jens.

If you pick up a copy of TapeOp, or Mix or Electronic Musician, every single article I've read from a known producer talks about over compression as the evil empire. Particularly TapeOp articles which generally shun computer based recording and signal processing altogether.

It seems to me that very few of these guys want to admit that they use compressors extensively. In fact, I find the AP quote very interesting since he says that he always uses it on bass guitar. I see that as kind of against the engineerintelligentsia trend to say that compression is normally bad trend that I've noticed in magazines over the past several years.

-Scott

[McLilith]

I usually hate heavy compression applied to everything in a mix. I love things like Pink Floyd's "The Wall", Dire Strait's "Money for Nothing", Peter Gabriel's song "San Jacinto", etc.

I don't see how any of these examples could have been made with heavy compression applied to the whole mix. Just listen to the intro of "The Wall". It starts with some faint mutterings in the background, immediately followed by a huge crescendo that makes you realize that--yes, you really do have the volume of your CD player turned up. I'm sure that quiet intro has caught more than one person by surprise.

If you want another example of dynamic range, look to Pink Floyd's "Your Possible Pasts". There's a lot of range in that song.

The whole of Roger Waters' album, "The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking", is very dynamic in nature. The recording quality is also excellent in my opinion, and I don't see how heavy compression would ever help you recreate an album like that.

I know I've mentioned a lot of Floyd, but I consider these good examples of high-quality recordings with a lot of dynamic range. You also shouldn't have to like their music, to understand that these were well-recorded albums. I'm sure I could find other artists with good examples, but I don't want to turn this into the Top Ten Recordings Featuring Large Dynamic Range thread.

By now, I think my point is clear. I hate too much compression, and I think far too much gets used in modern recordings. I think more people should discover the high-quality recordings which were made without being squashed to death by the mindless over-use of compressors and limiters.


take care,
McLilith

[Z3R0T0N1N]

@platnumears: yeah, me too.

@other folks: I don't use it very much. Only on drums that really need it, like if I have a sloppy kick, or something, and I do use it on some bass. But I was scared off it by what some ass-bag did to one of the best tracks my old group had for our cd; Just f**king mutilated it, and that was my first lesson in compression: CAREFULLY, and only when necessary.

[SJ_Digriz]

I find the AP quote very interesting since he says that he always uses it on bass guitar. I see that as kind of against the engineerintelligentsia trend to say that compression is normally bad trend that I've noticed in magazines over the past several years.

-Scott

NONONO, you miss the point. I'll bet you $100 he means he uses compressors IN LINE on the bass guitar. Like a chorus stompbox or any other effect. It is part of the recorded signal and a basic structure of the tone. Not engineered in after the fact to control level.