Compressing questions

[aciddose]

using a modular host like energyxt you can construct your own multiband compressors using filters and 'standard' compressors. once again, dont generalize the idea of compression too much. you might one day want to take a really steep bandpass and apply compression to that, then mix it back in with the original to strengthen a specific accent/phoneme in vocals, or a specific string/harmonic in a guitar or some other instrument. it is hard to speak about compression in a generalized sence in my opinion.

think of a compressor as a tool used to modifiy dynamics. it is just like a 'fader', you can adjust the amplitude of any signal, a control signal for a filter cutoff, for example. you can also use a compressor in that way.

if you want a discription of what a multiband compressor will do, though, generally they apply compression in isolation to multiple frequency bands. so for example, if you have a strong bass tone, with a normal compressor you will get your hihats pushed down. with a low/high compressor, you will not get that effect because the bass will be modified independantly from the highs.

[funkadil]

Is there such thing as a compressor that references a curve to apply compression, rather than a threshold? Sort of like a waveshaper, but using amplification on larger bits of sound with attack and release and such? Or am I in my own world..? (im not sure I even understand what a waveshaper is).

[No name]

I remember somebody saying once "if old recording were so good...how come some of them sound so crap?"

And some forget that little fact. We bang on and on about sometime irrelevancies such as how much limiting to use and hark back to the wonder years...do you ever sit down and really listen to some 60s/70s and definitely some 80s recordings? Some of them sound f*cking awful. The vocals are almost distorted, the saturation and tube shenannigins reduce the sonic quality to drivel occasionally, the frequency range seems to stop well below even my poor limit, and some are just downright muffled and distorted to hell. Uusally the vocals drown out every little nuance of the music. Thank god that style has changed for the better.

Even a poor recent over-limited radio play of some current music is alot clearer than some of the crap that was out in the 60s/70s/80s. Yes, some of that era music was recorded with quality and care - and much of it was shite too. But we don't hear that said, do we?

Though this album is good (lyrics and all) sound wise this portrays what kritikon says exactly. Jimmy Hendrix's The ultimate experience. It's a decent album, but it sounds awful. Is that what everyone wants to replicate so bad?

[eduardo_b]

using a modular host like energyxt you can construct your own multiband compressors using filters and 'standard' compressors. once again, dont generalize the idea of compression too much.

Okay, I see your point on this. Essentially, compressors can be used as creative tools, and these plug-ins represent similar yet different ways of approaching tweaking or radically changing either specific frequencies or overall sound.

I've noticed that these types of plug-ins tend to be more expensive than other types of plug-ins from the same developer. This seems to indicate either more complicated coding or an assumption about what customers are willing to pay for these. I also notice that unlike other types of plug-ins, there doesn't seem to be much advocacy for or against various compressors in general (other than comments about good for drums but not much else) -- usually a query for recommendations results in lots of responses.

[aciddose]

well compression is a pretty basic effect. if you want to try playing with the most basic implementation of a feedback compressor possible, i have one available in my effects pack at xhip.cjb.net

there are different types of compressors as well. feedforward compressors, combination feedforward/feedback, some compressors have a lookahead longer than their shortest attack time, in order to allow for a truly instant attack.

"or an assumption about what customers are willing to pay for these"

i think that nails it.

the only compressors i've ever used which use a lookup table for compression ratio would be the compressors in audio editors. it wouldnt be difficult to write one as a vst.. i think. there should already be atleast one out there.

[Highvoltage]

"Jimmy Hendrix's The ultimate experience. It's a decent album, but it sounds awful."

Interesting, but i really love the 'awfullness' of that album. I mean i really told myself nowadays, hmm this album sounds good. That music i think really gains from being distorted into one mass, a clean mix would ruin it for me. Ok thats just me and my shitty taste.

[Music Engineer]

Is there such thing as a compressor that references a curve to apply compression, rather than a threshold?

compressors with softknee characteristic do this kind of thing. the characteristic line does not snap off immediately at the threshold but changes it's slope gradually.

[funkadil]

Oh that would be cool! I was wondering how it would sounf to set up some kind of curve that would make very digital harsh sounds in the waveshaper. Im thinking a compressor version would make some really crazy unstable sort of volume pumps.

[kritikon]

Waveshaping and compression...you should try the demo of the Compadre Beatpuncher. It has a waveshaper mode that's really capable of doing some odd distortion pumping type stuff. It sounds odd to mix waveshaping with compression (basically, waveshaping is just extreme compression - i.e. limiting.) So all you're doing is limiting then compressing (and it's normally the other way around).

I don't think I'd suggest it as a particularly nice effect on alot of material (especially anything musical ) but as the name itself suggests, it's a compressor geared towards drums - and drums can often take an awful lot of abuse. Load up a drum loop, set Beatpuncher to waveshaper mode and let her rip. There's often a very fine line where the threshold has a huge effect - one little area where you can actually get some nice distorted pumping going, then one little tweak and it clamps down so hard that it's unusable...but that sweet spot can work wonders on drums.

I suspect it's exactly the sort of thing you're looking for? And it's not a bad normal compressor too - comes loaded with its own sidechain filters and can be as subtle or obvious as you want.

[Killvehicle]

"Jimmy Hendrix's The ultimate experience. It's a decent album, but it sounds awful."

Interesting, but i really love the 'awfullness' of that album. I mean i really told myself nowadays, hmm this album sounds good. That music i think really gains from being distorted into one mass, a clean mix would ruin it for me. Ok thats just me and my shitty taste.

Exactly, I think when people want to capture the "old" sound, it is more abou the vibe and energy of the recording. WHat HAS happened to a lot of recordings today is the technology is so Great and clear. THat every recording can sound very similar. This can be great for some things but aweful on others, making it cold and sterile, or whatver terms nowadays. I personally think Jimi Hendrix Axis: Bold as Love sounds great, HUGE TOM sound and the snare is bright yet has balls, Great recording.. YOU have to know what benefits your style. I use valve mics and old compressors, and hopefully nmore vintage equiptment soon and I usually record real heavy gitar oriented music. MOst wouldnt want to record like I do for this style, but it works for my sound

[DRS]

I think this has been posted before, but anyway, it's a very good series of articles from Bob Katz.

Besides compression, he explains the importance of level practices and depth and dimension (which might be, in most cases, more important than the use of compressors).

[Jbravo]

"Jimmy Hendrix's The ultimate experience. It's a decent album, but it sounds awful."

Interesting, but i really love the 'awfullness' of that album. I mean i really told myself nowadays, hmm this album sounds good. That music i think really gains from being distorted into one mass, a clean mix would ruin it for me. Ok thats just me and my shitty taste.

I'm not really a fan of retro rock, but I think a lot of music benefits from being dirtied/muddied up quite a lot. I always add a certain amount of compression and overdrive just to get a grittier sound like well-used vinyl. I can't bear the clean, polished sound that says "I just made this on my computer". Bands like Boards of Canada go out of their way to add a load of grit and artefacts and I think the results have paid off hugely.