Overhead compression

[Ermz]

What sort of overhead compressor settings do you guys teeter towards?

I used to be a 10 to 15ms attack/100ms release man, but then I checked out the CLA presets where he rolled with the 'fast' attack setting on the e-channel, which is around 1ms. This probably corresponds to using an 1176 on the OHs, with the superfast attack.

So what say you? Let those cymbals pop through and tame the snare on the back end with a limiter, or brickwall the shit out of it (only doing minor reduction)?

Overheads tend to be consistent enough from project to project to be able to default to steady 'factory' settings, but I've never quite found a set that works for me.

 

[brianhood]

do you do alot of real drums, or just re sampled stuff?

 

[GarethSE]

i stopped compressing overheads ages ago because i cant seem to get anything that pump like fuck and sound disgusting

or maybe its just AD's overheads
but i just mixed a track with S2.0 overheads and it sounds just as pumpy
probably something im doing wrong

 

[Melodeath]

I usually use a 20 ms attack, maybe 10, soft knee, with only 2 or so dB of reduction

 

[Ermz]

do you do alot of real drums, or just re sampled stuff?

Real drums.

 

[TheWinterSnow]

Being a bit different here, I foudn that Overhead compression ususually enough to have a noticable effect cases some pretty nasty pumping, and personally I can;t stand when i Hear the cybals pumping. I actaully really like to keep the overheads completely uncompressed and use the room mics as an almost parallel compression, I compress the fuck out of the room to where It has that consistant pumping like the old vintage intro effect, then bring up the room until I have the compression voume to my liking. Usually brings out punch and separation, but downs sound like the overheads are pumping.

I like to keep a slow attack and moderatley slow release. 20-40ms attack and 200-400ms release. Basicallly lettin gthe peak of the transient get the most of the reduction and let the sustain be brought up in volume through the makeup gain. I duck the thrshold down pretty hard, usually a 4:1 ratio with the threshold at anywherer from -20 to -40 db, usually at least -30db on drums.

i know a bit different but I thought I would share.

 

[KeithTidd]

Compressing overheads is one of the things i find incredibly hard to get my head around. Personally i only lightly touch the peaks on the snare. I find compression is too easily overdone on overs.

 

[TheWinterSnow]

Compressing overheads is one of the things i find incredibly hard to get my head around. Personally i only lightly tought the peaks on the snare. I find compression is too easily overdone on overs.

+1

 

[Psych05]

I changed to a fast attack (1ms) recently. After doing three projects with this setting (real drums), I can say that I clearly like it better. At first I couldn't decide. It didn't sound better or worse, just different. But when mixing time came and the whole project was coming together, it was quite clear to me.

 

[Ermz]

I changed to a fast attack (1ms) recently. After doing three projects with this setting (real drums), I can say that I clearly like it better. At first I couldn't decide. It didn't sound better or worse, just different. But when mixing time came and the whole project was coming together, it was quite clear to me.

This is what I wanted to hear. Thanks!

 

[abyssofdreams]

1ms here as well. Funny enough I got this "idea" from the CLA presets too

 

[Soundlurker]

Depends on what you are trying to achieve and also what cymbals were used and how they were recorded. Often times I have to deal with very unbalanced tracks, in which some of the cymbals are way louder than others. In such cases I try to limit the biggest peaks. If the cymbals sound balanced I try not to go overboard as it usually brings up the hat too much. The issue with using a fast attack on OH, I think, is flattening the cymbals. It seems a lot of people prefer to hear more initial attack from the cymbals than a lot of sustain .

 

[Ermz]

Indeed. It's a compromise. But I suppose I'm assuming that the OH tracks are 'ideal'. Fairly nicely balanced and you only want the compression to bring out some more shimmer resonance and just add that final bit of balance.

 

[Soundlurker]

I'd imagine that a combination of the right cymbals, mics, mic postion and room would barely need any processing other than some high-passing. Unfortunately, there's almost always something wrong. I have yet to record good cymbals that are not old or new cymbals that are not crap

 

[Ermz]

I find good OH position to be half the battle. That's the longest part of my drum setup. The OHs are not something you can afford to get wrong because there's no real way to salvage them after the fact, unless you're a gung-ho crazy tech editor who replaces cymbals.

 

[crillemannen]

I dont see the purpose to Limit out the snare in the OH. I feel that the snare sound in the overhead contributes to the snare sitting well in the mix. If it dosent sound like shit, i suppose hahah.

IF it is all recorded well then you dont need that much processing (but that is the case with all instruments)
I dont compress the OH that much. I compress the OH mainly to get some more punch and sustain from the Cymbals etc.

CHeers

 

[MetalMiller]

One thing, do you guys compress the OH´s as a stereo bus track or the two mono´s separetely?

 

[colonel kurtz]

i never used to compress OH's, but are smacking then with the fast attack on the SSL e-channel on my latest project to kill the snare transients, and really love the result...at 1st it was pumping really hard and bugging the fuck out of me, but if you play with the release enough, you should be able to find a happy medium - at least i did

 

[Psych05]

One thing, do you guys compress the OH´s as a stereo bus track or the two mono´s separetely?

If you compress them as two mono, you'll fuck with the stereo image. Just imagine, everytime someting loud happens on the right side, compressor kicks in, but not on the left side. This would be like playing with the pan knob all the time ;-)

 

[Soundlurker]

I dont see the purpose to Limit out the snare in the OH. I feel that the snare sound in the overhead contributes to the snare sitting well in the mix. If it dosent sound like shit, i suppose hahah.

If you're quantizing drums and leave the original snare in the track the result can be pretty ugly. Also if you are mixing someone else's recording chances are the snare in the OH tracks won't be in the center.

If you compress them as two mono, you'll fuck with the stereo image. Just imagine, everytime someting loud happens on the right side, compressor kicks in, but not on the left side. This would be like playing with the pan knob all the time ;-)

Unless you've went for maximum seperation when positioning the mics and you're filtering out everything but the highs.