Ratio < or > 1?

[-Loco-]

For compressing bass. I compressed it twice, one with ratio of 4 the other with ratio of 2 both with longer attack times and slower release. Is this the best way to get the notes evened out?

 

[ParsonsMatt]

Ratio of 1 doesn't do anything.

 

[-Loco-]

Sorry i meant to type 2.

 

[TheWinterSnow]

saturation is the only way to really naturally compress and even out the volume. Compress as much as needed and try messing around with a tape (best) or tube saturation sim or a limiter.

 

[P-E]

I tend to use a fast limiter + saturation (I tend to put slight saturation pretty much everywhere actually) to compress the bass.

 

[ahjteam]

Use a compressor that saturates, like the Waves CLA plugins or similiar. And don't be afraid to compress the bass guitar; I use usually 4:1 ratio and sometimes as much as 30dB of attenuation on the bass, because if the level of the bass drops 3dB it means that some notes can become inaudible and sound like the bass player isn't playing at all.

 

[-Loco-]

Thanks guys. What does the digital saturator actually do? AHJ thanks man, did you mean 30dB of make-up gain/output gain on the compressor? Yeah I just want to know how to configure it, first to make sure the notes sound even and then to maximize the volume of the track.

 

[BLUElightCory]

Thanks guys. What does the digital saturator actually do? AHJ thanks man, did you mean 30dB of make-up gain/output gain on the compressor? Yeah I just want to know how to configure it, first to make sure the notes sound even and then to maximize the volume of the track.

A saturation plug just applies a bit of subtle distortion to the signal (which adds harmonics to the sound and also compresses it a little). The more you push it the more saturation/compression it applies. These plugs are usually pretty subtle, but when you use them on everything the overall buildup of harmonic distortion is similar to what happens when tracking/mixing through analog gear.

When people refer to the "analog" sound, they're generally referring to the subtle harmonic distortion (and tape compression) that analog recording gear imparts to the sound. Digital recording mediums don't add any of this harmonic distortion or compression to the sound, which is why sometimes people think digital audio sounds "cold" or "sterile" (when actually digital recording doesn't really have a "sound" - it essentially just puts out what comes in). So people use saturation plugs to makes their recordings sound closer to analog recordings.

As far as the 30dB thing, I think he's referring to using up to 30 dB of gain reduction (which is a shit ton on most things, but can sound good on bass), and whatever amount of makeup gain sounds appropriate.

 

[-Loco-]

As far as the 30dB thing, I think he's referring to using up to 30 dB of gain reduction (which is a shit ton on most things, but can sound good on bass), and whatever amount of makeup gain sounds appropriate.

Thanks for your response. I take it the gain reduction produced by adjusting the threshold and ratio balance? Is it best to just apply the saturator to the MB or other components of the mix too?

 

[BLUElightCory]

Thanks for your response. I take it the gain reduction produced by adjusting the threshold and ratio balance? Is it best to just apply the saturator to the MB or other components of the mix too?

Yes, lowering the threshold and/or raising the ratio can both increase the amount of gain reduction. Be aware that on some compressors (like the 1176) the threshold control will automatically be raised at higher ratio settings, which makes it behave more as a limiter. I usually lower the threshold first to get things going and then adjust ratio/attack/release.

I put saturation all over the place personally, on individual tracks and on the master bus, but it's really the engineer's decision at the end of the day.