Mixing with Stereo Bus Compression : Making Better Mixes

[Zuranthus]

probably at the luau with all the famous people

 

[fistula]

fuck
how one tip could change the whole thing... cant believe what im hearing - mixing through comp - is the shit

 

[Metaltastic]

Check out Daunt's Faderwear parallel compression guide, that thing fucking rules

 

[Ronnie_Rocker]

So far Ive been compressing after mixdown but have been thinking about this a lot recently. Has anyone tried the new Neve compresor for the UAD cards?

i have it, and i like it. glues togheter the mix nice, but as Brett says, it sucks dsp power deluxe. i only use the "real" compressor when i master tracks and SE when mixing.

 

[mintcheerios]

I tend to think it's better to let the ME decide how to handle the entire mix's dynamics in lieu of bus compression. The ME knows what he's doing. Probably.

The bus compressor doesn't handle anything since it's inanimate.

 

[006]

Yeah I often don't mix through a comp on the 2bus but I will use it when I'm done mixing. I actually can't remember the last time I had a comp on the 2bus from the start. I usually try to get my mix going how I want it without any compression or limiting at the end of it, and then once I get that I'll slap on two compressors and two limiters on the master bus/2bus. The purpose for this is to stage the compression and limiting. I've found that having both compressors divide up the work of one gives a totally different effect, same with limiting. With one compressor and one limiter the mix is squashed and pumping. But with two compressors and two limiters staged...all of a sudden my mix is still there but everything as a whole is louder and more glued. I recommend trying it, it's very cool...to me anyway.

I understand where metalkingdom is coming from about relying on 2bus compression...you really shouldn't. Compression on the master bus really does glue everything together though, that has to be the main addiction to it for me.

~006

 

[smy1]

For some reason the better your mixes are, the less difference the 2bus comp will make. Years ago, if I took off the bus comp, my mix fell apart. Now it only changes very, very little (less punchy without the comp). I do mix with the compressor on from the beginning and I check that the gain reduction is 2-4db only though.

A trick for setting the compressor:

1) Set the attack to slow, release to slowest and turn up the threshold so that you get 10-15db of gain reduction.

2) Look at the needle or gain reduction meter and change the release so that the needle or GR meter is moving somewhat in rhythm with the beat of your track.

3) Then bring the threshold back so that you get 2-4db of gain reduction.

If you A/B this against compressor-bypass and/or compressor with longer attack time, you'll mostly find it is punchier. Do this from the beginning of the mix and check your gain reduction every now and then and you should be fine.

 

[Machinated]

Yeah, I mean I'm taking off no more than 1.5dB's - I have the output on the compressor set so if I turn it off, the level is about the same, so I can hear the effect its making more effectively. I think having it on while your mixing yields a different effect to using it when you are mastering though. I won't have it on from the very start, but once things are taking shape I'll put it on.

 

[recycle]

So far Ive been compressing after mixdown but have been thinking about this a lot recently. Has anyone tried the new Neve compresor for the UAD cards?

its very sensetive and i cant really get a hang on it... its cool to have the headroom switch, if you want that vintage/colored sound. with some tweaking you can probably get amazing results... but i still think the ssl stereo comp is the best, yet...

 

[Daunt]

Mixerman uses 2bus compression even in the tracking stage. It may sound extreme, but hey...

There are no laws... nothing is sacred... total satan anarchy!

- The Crown