10 commercial compressors compared in a dance context

[tech44]

Before reading the thread, my initial reactions were that 2 and 8 were the best. Good to know I was in agreement with most here. It would be cool to do this with the UAD stuff in the mix as well.

[3*s]

Heh, I don't think I'd ever use a classic compressor on an entire mix, side chain or not. That creates a single wall of dynamic "moosh" which I don't like at all.

I use compressors to pump the drum bus in the classic sense/style, having the kick or snare clamp down on the hats/percussion, and allowing the release curve to swell into the next beat.

Listen to some classic Motown, they do that all the time. It's much more subtle and less damaging that heavy side chaining.

I might use some sonic maximization on the master, but no daft punkizing my mixes, please.

[blakflag]

for Dance tracks you have to use the compression with side chain....

If you put compression over the whole track too much it sounds like crap....


just did an small example to show you:(may not be a best track in a musical way)

But you easily hear: when kick comes every other sound drops volume....

So there is much compression, but it does not completly destroy the sound of the song:

http://home.arcor.de/soundspace1/reverb/sidechain.wma

dood, to be honest, that's just plain ugly, no really I wanna smack my head on the table, how can anyone do something like this?

LOL I think the obsession with sidechaining is for the generation raised on squashed dynamics. If there's a quiet 1/10 of a second, their nerves just cant take it.

[hifiboom]

I think DAW automatisation is nice but just needs a lot of work to do...I also use it...
But it needs more time than adding a sidechain, I think...

But there are also other ways to make things sit in the mix more dominant....

For example a litlle bit distortion on a kick can make wonders on the groove...

But be careful: with too much compression an dirstortion, you are going too sound like Benni Benassi

[Zaphod (giancarlo)]

But be careful: with too much compression an dirstortion, you are going too sound like Benni Benassi

agreed

Just a personal opinion here (not directly linked to your post) : someone thinks benny benassi was wrong for having overcompressed its song; anyway it was #1 in Uk, Germany, France... so there isn't something really wrong here. Some purist could say : ehi, this song is destroyed, but remember it's dance. What about noise on samples, distortion on samples to get a vintage feel. In dance it works what it sell and not what is right. Dance is plastic, is simply funny.
So "much compression" and "distortion" "could" be a tool, or a wanted effect and not necessary it is always wrong.

About "lot of work": when you have 6 loops only ("the weekend") you need 10 minutes to make a clever automation. It takes less than tuning a compressor on your tracks

[hifiboom]

ah uh,

I think the compression belongs to the song and makes it sooo unique....
Its the art of creation.

But if you go out and make an album like this you are going crazy by listening to this one....

I think the Benni Benassi Song was a one time trick...

By the way: I set up a sidechain in 1 min....

And this is very precise ....

[Zaphod (giancarlo)]

Precise like a daw could be? A fade ranges more than 40-50dB (an HUGE value for a compressor) and could be really short (few milliseconds). Few plug compressors are fast and ranges so much without other side-effects. And a fade on a track takes 1 min too. Or less. But this is not the point. A daw automation has exactly the slope you draw (for example an exponential) and you could be very accurate without too much effort. And you see on the screen what you are doing. You see the kick that fades and draw the bass fade in with the slope you look at.

[Zaphod (giancarlo)]

Again: I waste a lot of time on tuning compressors, because I'm focused on what I'm loosing with a product or with a different one. I know that daw automation is not modifying the frequency content and it has the best quality possible. It is just a fade in the place I want... So I draw fades and I don't need so much time for listening because I know it isn't modifying my source in the wrong way. From this point of view, fading is fast.

[Zaphod (giancarlo)]

But if you go out and make an album like this you are going crazy by listening to this one....
.

the point is that you don't listen dance. You dance, period!

[djsubject]

who won then?

[O.L.T]

who won then?

And more to the point.... What did they win?

[djdorian]

I liked c05 and c08;

But could someone please explain what's so great about c02? In layman's terms or technical, either is fine!

[hifiboom]

I liked c05 and c08;

But could someone please explain what's so great about c02? In layman's terms or technical, either is fine!

I'm not being sarcastic. honest.

with different audio material this test would look completly other .....

[rsadasiv]

with different audio material this test would look completly other .....

Marquis is designed specifically for this type of track.

"While Marquis works fine with normal compression levels, it works exceptionally well for brutal "tape" drum compression."
http://www.voxengo.com/product/marquiscomp/

But based on the clips, I would have to agree that the Marquis does work exceptionally well on this type of material.

[TOTAL]

another vote for