If you want “Excitement”, focus on getting that primarily from your mix itself! WH: Kevin, do you mix with mix-bus compression? References and experimentation help. Peter: "You may need to make slight adjustments while you are starting your mix out, but it is typically better to leave the compressor static once you have decided on your settings. (Good for control of “macro dynamics”. There are also many misconceptions about how and why mix-bus compression is used, and if used incorrectly, it can diminish a lot of hard work. A well-tuned compressor on the mix bus can make a big difference in your mix! How to Set a Mix Bus Compressor: In Detail. Can be very useful and subtle, or can be completely ineffective.). So in absolute terms, mix compression will tend to make the lead vocal quieter, and you may need to compensate a bit more with positive fader values to achieve the loudness that you want from the lead vocal — but also consider that the louder you push the faders, the more you will compress the output! So if you are going to put a bus compressor on at the end, I ‘d suggest you do it for one of two reasons: Do it because you’re experimenting with bus compression to hear what it does, or do it because you’re mastering a track for somebody else. Does the experienced mastering engineer want me to use it? Great care has been taken to ensure accuracy in the preparation of this article but neither Sound On Sound Limited nor the publishers can be held responsible for its contents. (This is generally done before routing the signal to a mix buss compressor.) It is typical to use multi–band compressors in the mastering stage, but even then they are more of a surgical tool for mix problems after the fact, like when I have to perform liposuction on a mix!". Peter: "I would recommend that mixers get into the habit of using proper mix-bus compression. Justin Colletti is a mastering engineer who is happy to call Joe Lambert Mastering his home away from home. Typically, slower attack times are used for a more natural, subtle sound. Try experimenting with extreme attack and release settings, like fast attack and slow release, and vice versa, to learn how different settings are affecting the music. Classic tube compressors such as the Fairchild 670 and Manley Variable Mu offer a unique, 'expensive' sound!Many modern compressors contain vacuum tubes within their signal chains, but a true 'variable–mu' tube compressor uses a valve to actually achieve the compression, by re–biasing the tube to control the amount of gain reduction — in hi–fi language, 'mu' means gain. Consider a lead vocal that was compressed during tracking and is also being compressed in real time during mixdown. Some compressors go further and allow an external stereo equaliser to be connected through the side–chain circuit. Try effects. The one thing most mix engineers will agree on is that your mix bus compressor shouldn’t do a lot. It can help glue tracks together and make them sound like they exist in the same space. You can use this technique on each and every song, or you can use it to establish a “default” approach that you tweak as necessary. What I get is an over–compressed/limited mix that I cannot undo. For instance, if the song is driven by strummed acoustic guitars, you can set the release time so that each guitar strum triggers gain reduction, before the meter then returns to unity gain in time for the next strum, but not at a quicker rate than the groove dictates. It’s frequently used, but rarely done right. And if it’s overall “Loudness” you’re after? I was wondering if anyone had some basic guidelines for mix bus and or mastering compressor settings. Another important factor is the availability, or otherwise, of a side–chain filter. These are related qualities, and there will be tradeoffs between them. Slower Attack, Faster Release A compressor can help make sure that song sections flow well into one another. With this compressor I can find a balance for most mixes. Can loose too much life and impact if taken too far. Can be too aggressive and “pumping” if taken too far. But as a mixer, you should focus mainly on just two of them: “Glue” and “Control”. I am aware of why some mixers prefer to use mix-bus compression, but I choose to control all of the dynamics internally. Why Use a Mix Bus Compressor At All? By approaching compression in this layered way, you’ll achieve a drum sound that’s up-front and impactful, without sounding lifeless or overprocessed. How will my use of mix-bus compression affect the mastering process? Assuming that you care enough about your work to make sure it goes to a great mastering engineer for a final QC, this is one of the things they do best, anyway. Know that faster attack times will smooth out your mix, while faster release times will give you more “grit”, “pump” and aggression. First, set the attack as slow as possible. Mind you, this is not proper mix-bus compression that is applied; what happens is that the mixer will apply an L2 or other brick–wall limiter to the mix bus for the sole purpose of making the mix louder. Think of compression as a really good paint job on a car. If you take just one strategy away with you today, let it be this. Moore routinely masters Doyle's mixes. To get some other perspectives on the issue of mix compression, I talked to mix engineer Kevin Doyle, whose credits include Anne Murray, Alannah Myles, Emmy Rossum, Glenn Gould, the Passion Of The Christ soundtrack and Sinead O'Connor, and mastering engineer Peter J Moore of The E Room Mastering in Toronto, whose credits include Bruce Cockburn, Cowboy Junkies, Diana Krall, Finger Eleven and Oscar Peterson. So either put it on before the halfway point of your mix, or leave it off.
Houses For Sale Evergreen Park,
Blues Piano Licks Pdf,
Coffee Oil For Cooking,
Cedar Bluebird Box House,
Barbell Tricep Extension Muscles Worked,
Mct Creamer Powder,
Low-dose Statin Every Other Day,