Master Comp GR!?!

[NSGUITAR]

Hey guys..



A reoccurring thing I get on my mixes are "Sounds great, but it's a little smashed".. I never really understood this, until I took myself out of the box and listened from a different perspective, and now agree.



Typically on my master chain, I have SSL buss comp, with these settings:

Attack:30
Release:.1
Ratio:2

And getting about -4 gain reduction, according to the marker.


Is this to intense? I've heard of people going as far as -6 gr, abut I've never dared to go that far..

Is there anything else that can add to this "smashed" sound?

 

[professorlamp]

I'm usualling aiming for anywhere between -1 to -2db GR but sometimes i'll add another one doing a TIIINY bit more compression if that doesn't seem like enough, but my mixes aren't as loud as yours either so who knows.

 

[Pedro Teixeira]

What you say about people going to 6dB and stuff correlates to having a compressor on the mixbuss since the early stages of mixing, so all your decisions are surrounding that, hence you can go pretty high on GR, I mix like that, I can't really do it any other way as I just love it.

But first thing there is, try a bit less GR, say, peaking at 3dB MAX, check the low-end of the kick, see if there's any unecessary sub-lows or if it's in general too loud as the G comp is a very reactive and "pumpy" compressor, mainly the Waves one, if sort of, "breaks" very very easily.

You can also try setting the release to Auto as it can probably flow with the song a bit more and pump less, it really depends of the song, but it should help a lot.

It seems to me that what's happening on the other song is the kick being the main thing to "move the needle" so to speak, so when the kick comes in the compressor doesnt have enough time to release, in conjunction with all the sonics going on there, hence the cymbals getting really ducked and behind everything else.

 

[demirichris]

I've always found that setting anything other than auto on my masterbuss comp makes the comp far too noticeable. However, I imagine a really awesome hardware comp might take to quicker release times a bit better.

 

[NSGUITAR]

Thank you guy for these tips! I've always been taught to use a .1 release,

 

[Pedro Teixeira]

I've always found that setting anything other than auto on my masterbuss comp makes the comp far too noticeable. However, I imagine a really awesome hardware comp might take to quicker release times a bit better.

It definitely does! I mixed an album with a drawmer me 1969 slapped across the mixbuss doing about 8dB GR , around .25ms attack and .1 release, this compressor is so smooth and silky, it just adds a creamy topping on the whole mix and it's pretty transparent as well if that makes sense.

 

[NSGUITAR]

Have you guys ever tried the API comp on the master buss?

 

[crillemannen]

Have you guys ever tried the API comp on the master buss?

Yes i have, but only the Waves Plugin. Works great, have a bit different flavor then the SSL. A bit more aggressive, try it man . Try it with the SSL, you can always have 2-3 different master comps if you want some different flavour.

I usually have 4:1 ratio or 2:1 auto release and about 1-2db's of GR.
And as people say, if you mix into the buss compressor you can get away with more GR, up to 6-8 actually.

If you don't have a hardware unit try the Glue, which sounds great now when they have updated it, better then Waves.

 

[timislegend]

no make up gain

+15 threshold

.1 attack

auto release

no "analog"

ratio 2:1


just a tickle of compression

 

[NSGUITAR]

HOLY SHITTT!

Yessss. I just put Waves api comp on this beast, and it sounds soooo much more full and unsmashed! Can't wait to post this haha

I'm officially calling API my go to master comp.. at least for this fast stuff.

This glue plug looks amazing too

 

[crillemannen]

HOLY SHITTT!

Yessss. I just put Waves api comp on this beast, and it sounds soooo much more full and unsmashed! Can't wait to post this haha

I'm officially calling API my go to master comp.. at least for this fast stuff.

This glue plug looks amazing too

The glue is amazing, try it man!!! It will give your mixes punch and clarity. You can use oversampling which is awesome to.

Waves version always sounded kind of lo-end, the gain on waves version is terrible. Not saying that the waves one is bad but..

 

[Pedro Teixeira]

The glue is amazing, try it man!!! It will give your mixes punch and clarity. You can use oversampling which is awesome to.

Waves version always sounded kind of lo-end, the gain on waves version is terrible. Not saying that the waves one is bad but..

Have you compared it against the Duende one? The Glue I mean

 

[gabriel g.]

The waves ssl comp is great, but I can somehow feel that when it was released, it was there first emulation.

Its more a hit or miss thing with it on the masterbus.
Most of the time it works great, but sometimes it doesnt.

The waves api is awsome. I made a shootout with a friend who owns the original and I must say, for me it is close enough to the real deal.

Cant wait to check out the duende version...

 

[BLUElightCory]

If you're engaging the compressor towards the end of the mix, I probably wouldn't use more than 2 or 3 dB of gain reduction. If you're mixing INTO the compressor while you mix, you can get away with more.

As far as WHICH plugs to use, I agree that The Glue is pretty awesome.

I'm not really into any of the Waves stuff on the master bus; it always seemed to do more harm than good. But The Glue is pretty spectacular.

I also really like some of the UAD plugs, particularly the Neve 33609 (though I'm not sure about using it for metal).

 

[NSGUITAR]

"f you're engaging the compressor towards the end of the mix, I probably wouldn't use more than 2 or 3 dB of gain reduction. If you're mixing INTO the compressor while you mix, you can get away with more."

Can you explain this a little more?

I always put the MASTER compressor on the MASTER buss... Or are you talking about where I put it on the chain in the master buss?

 

[BLUElightCory]

"f you're engaging the compressor towards the end of the mix, I probably wouldn't use more than 2 or 3 dB of gain reduction. If you're mixing INTO the compressor while you mix, you can get away with more."

Can you explain this a little more?

I always put the MASTER compressor on the MASTER buss... Or are you talking about where I put it on the chain in the master buss?

What I mean is that if you have a compressor on the master when you begin your mix (or early on in the process), you can get away with more gain reduction because you're making your mixing decisions based on how the master bus compressor is affecting the sound.

If you don't set up the master bus compressor until you are further into the mixing process, it's better to use a milder setting with less gain reduction (because you've been making mixing decisions without accounting for how the master bus compressor is going to change the sound).

 

[crillemannen]

Have you compared it against the Duende one? The Glue I mean

No i haven't but i have to say the Glue is so damn real to the hardware that a hardware unit is not necessary. Trust me i own a hardware unit So i usually use the Glue on drums and then use Hardware on master comp. Listen on my The walk mix http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12967127/walk_mastered.mp3 and real drums btw . Glue on drums (no parallel compression) and hardware unit on master.

The hardware does beef up the transients a little bit better, and if i did a A/B test most people wouldn't hear any difference.

 

[colonel kurtz]

HOLY SHITTT!

Yessss. I just put Waves api comp on this beast, and it sounds soooo much more full and unsmashed! Can't wait to post this haha

I'm officially calling API my go to master comp.. at least for this fast stuff.

This glue plug looks amazing too

waves api + saturation + ozone =

 

[Pedro Teixeira]

No i haven't but i have to say the Glue is so damn real to the hardware that a hardware unit is not necessary. Trust me i own a hardware unit So i usually use the Glue on drums and then use Hardware on master comp. Listen on my The walk mix http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12967127/walk_mastered.mp3 and real drums btw . Glue on drums (no parallel compression) and hardware unit on master.

The hardware does beef up the transients a little bit better, and if i did a A/B test most people wouldn't hear any difference.

Hm... I may have to tap into that! I do have an aws900+ at the studio, but sometimes I use the other one to mix, so obviously the G comp is embedded into the console, which is mega sucky to just go there sometimes and have to do insane routing for the comp and other outboard etc. So I may really grab the Glue, I remember reading on GS and they rave about it quite a lot! Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[Williamn]

The glue is great !
I find the sound when using it compared to the waves version more "tight".. where the waves is more rounded.

I use both and switch depending on what I want.