Dynamic Music Compression Settings for Horns, Piano, and Percussion, Popular Home Music Recording Software Programs, The Right Computer Setup for Home Recording. You're trying to figure out how loud each instrument and … Always check the sound in context of the mix as well. Compression as with other FX, is very much a listening choice. Still, if you use a compressor, start with these settings: Gain: Adjust so that the output level matches the input level. Sample settings would look like this: Adding compression to the snare drum is crucial if you want a tight, punchy sound. This is great when you have instruments that have a wide frequency range if you need to only compress certain aspects of that instrument. Hundreds Of Plugins Exclusive Deals Leading Online Shop. Threshold:–1dB 2. Even two of the same model will have slightly different characteristics. Using compression to even an erratic piano performance takes a little more finesse. Compression The compression on keys often sounds great with an attack time between 25 milliseconds and 60 milliseconds, and a release time between 50 milliseconds and 120 milliseconds. By mixing the level of the duplicate track back in with the original, it’s easy to strike a balance between a dynamic and a compressed signal. Again, there are no hard and fast rules or formulas that work in all situations. Ratio:2:1–3:1 3. In this case, start with these mild settings: Gain: Adjust so that the output level matches the input level. Always check the sound in context of the mix as well. Compression as with other FX, is very much a listening choice. The blue color represents the fundamental frequencies of each specific instrument while the reds signify their harmonics. Because percussion instruments have high sound levels and are prone to extreme transients, often you might want to use a little compression just to keep these transients from eating up headroom in the mix. Here are good starting points: Gain: Adjust so that the output level matches the input level. You have a lot of choices with the snare. If you want to use a little compression to bring the guitar forward and give it some punch, try these settings: 1. Now, on a scale of 1-10, give each track a volume level rating with 10 being the loudest instrument in the song. For most hand drums, start with the following settings: Because percussion instruments have high sound levels and are prone to extreme transients, often you might want to use a little compression just to keep these transients from eating up headroom in the mix. The kick drum responds well to a compressor when tracking. As with other acoustic instruments, you probably wont need to use compression on a piano unless you’re going for a specific effect or want to even out an erratic performance. Try starting with these figures, & then adjust things until it sounds right. You don’t need much added gain. Ratio: 3:1–6:1. You don’t need additional compression when you track the guitar unless you use a clean (undistorted) setting on your guitar. You need a bit of added gain here. All rights reserved. But on a more rhythmic instrument, such as drums, you should use a hard knee. Gain:Adjust so that the output level matches the input level. Welcome to Loop+! Using a soft knee on vocals, piano and melodic instruments can make compression less obvious and more natural. Often people only check the compression in solo, things can sound quite different once the sound is in place in the mix. As you can see in the chart below all the instruments have a specific place in the frequency spectrum. The cc for the piston is entered as a positive number on a -cc Dish or Flat top piston and a negative number on a dome piston. Here are some basic settings by instrument that work well for VCA compressors. Compression Chart & Cheat Sheet Compressor: An audio processing device that reduces the dynamic range of a signal or in other words reduces the difference between the softest and loudest part of the signal. Multiband compression is a lot more complicated than that. Now, on a scale of 1-10, give each track a volume level rating with 10 being the loudest instrument in the song. These settings were originally posted here. The sounds in your mix will always have their own context and characteristics. Don't be afraid to experiment often, a horrendously compressed piece of audio can give a very dramatic effect. That being said, I come from the camp that subtractive over additive tends to be better for your mix in most cases. The great thing about multiband compression is that you can target specific frequency ranges of instruments. Copyright © 2008-2020 Loopmasters. Attack:25–30 ms 4. Generally, electric guitar sounds are pretty compressed. Listen to your favorite song and make a list on a piece of paper of all the instruments and different vocal tracks. The only time you may want to use one is if an unnatural variation exists in levels due to poor playing (although its preferred to to ride the faders to even the levels instead of trying to fix the problem with compression). You're trying to figure out how loud each instrument and … compression is “Dynamic Range Compression”…which still sounds like something we’d need a doctorate to understand, and so, in the doctoral spirit, let’s dissect it: first is the term “dynamic range”. You don’t need much added gain. People will usually use a higher compression ratio for parallel compression ranging from 4:1 to 10:1. In the chart which explains atack and release time, naming of *input and output signal* is inverted either in the text or in the chart. Now, I'm not saying to live in a strictly subtractive world; I do make boosts from time to time when needed or appropriate, but it's probably a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio of cuts to boosts. We hope you enjoy. Because music compressors are used so frequently in home recording, it might be helpful for you to have some basic settings for various instruments to get you started.

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