Define: "Compress the shit out of..."

[TwoGOneSee]

So I've seen this phrase used countless times on this forum and am wondering in actual details what a serious compression chain looks like (i.e. parallel, stacked, thresholds, attack values, etc). I realize it also depends on the source, taste, genre, but I'm just looking for some examples so I can get a good frame of reference.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Skinny Viking]

squeezing the signal until there is almost no more dynamic range

can be done at once

can be done in stages

stages can usually sound better but not always necessary

thresholds & attack values depend on the source and the goal

 

[thefalloftheheretic]

For my "compress-the-everloving-shit-out-of" chain:

-40 threshold
Gain reduction: hard
Attack: fastest possible
Release: fastest possible

But generally, it all depends on the source.

Vocals for instance: I normally try to compress clean vocals very little, so as to not add artifacts of the compression process.
However, for harsh vocals, compression actually brings out throat sounds, so I compress heavily on those.

 

[Doctor Gay]

you'll hear the compressor sound weird at higher ratios. usually happens with singers with bad mic skills.

i saw a video where lolzgreg said on vocals he starts with a 6 to 8 ratio and aims for -10db reduction. now for attack and release i personally can't hear any difference when i adjust it, dexcept i notice it changes the compression reduction.

so to answer your question, compressed to shit is just a fun way of sayin.. am i boring you.. noticeable gain reduction!

 

[JeffTD]

It basically just means lots of gain reduction or general abuse of the settings to get a ton of coloration.

 

[Clark Kent]

So I've seen this phrase used countless times on this forum and am wondering in actual details what a serious compression chain looks like (i.e. parallel, stacked, thresholds, attack values, etc). I realize it also depends on the source, taste, genre, but I'm just looking for some examples so I can get a good frame of reference.

Thanks in advance!

It's when something sounds amazing and someone gets jealous of how good it sounds and wants to bash you by saying: "you've compressed the sh... "

 

[Clark Kent]

On a more serious note... this might come as a shock: it means a lot of compression. With the right attack and release settings it can sound amazing, with the wrong settings it'll sound unprofessional and bad.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

For me personally it means more than 12 db of gain reduction at more than or equal to a 10:1 ratio (attack, release, threshold always set to taste).

 

[TwoGOneSee]

Guys, thanks so much for the responses! So then what is clearly TOO much compression? (again, understanding that the source, genre, etc is a large variable) For example, I read somewhere that if you're using more than a 20:1 ratio, you might as well throw a hard limiter on the track instead... Thoughts?

 

[egan.]

This is a taste thing. Too much compression is when it sounds bad either because you've crushed all the life out of it or you hear the compressor working and/or distorting the signal. It's not a particular setting but simply how it sounds. Different compressors handle different settings differently so it's difficult to give hard and fast rules.
For my money, I'd rather have stages-- a limiter, a level rider and a color compressor -- than have one comp doing 20dB of reduction, but some hardware comps sound great working that hard (the 1176 for example).

 

[kronk_1985]

 

[Sloan]

 

[AudioGeekZine]

when its too much compression and you add a bit more just because. That's "compressing the shit out of it" to me.

 

[bryan_kilco]

I always thought a higher release time or slower release was a "harder" setting?

And...can anyone explain what "Knee Size" and "RMS Size" are?

My ears don't hear any difference when playing with the Knee Size.

And also, the HP/LP filters built into the Comp.....is this basically for compressing only a certain freq range, almost like multiband but not...quite?

 

[Fandus]

A knee gives control over how the compressor kicks in. A hard knee means compression starts as soon as the level goes over the threshold, a soft knee means it will start a bit before it goes over and kind of eases it's way into full compression.

 

[Fandus]

And the HP/LP isn't multiband. It's still compressing it as a whole but it will reject anything you filter out from
TRIGGERING the compressor. This is most usefull when you find a track pumping because the low end is triggering to compressor too much, filter it out and now the compressor only reacts to transients higher up the spectrum.

 

[bryan_kilco]

And the HP/LP isn't multiband. It's still compressing it as a whole but it will reject anything you filter out from
TRIGGERING the compressor. This is most usefull when you find a track pumping because the low end is triggering to compressor too much, filter it out and now the compressor only reacts to transients higher up the spectrum.

Thanks, that's what I assumed. I said "multiband" for lack of better wording. I figured it would be filtering out the freqs of the entire signal that you didn't want compressed.

What about RMS size? And....when you say triggering the compressor, is this only in the case of sidechaining? Or you mean just any signal that causes the comp to react? Sorry if this is newb-ish.....

 

[AudioGeekZine]

Knee only helps if you want transparent compression.