Snare compression specifics.

[Seizure.]

Guys!

I searched for a thread like this but i couldn't find what i was searching for.

Personally i compress my snare with something fast (vca like, think dbx 160...), hard knee, mostly around 7/10 attack, between 50/100 release at a 5:1 ratio, mostly about 4 db of gain reduction.

Works allright and gives me what i like, but i hear all you guys get great results aswell, and i seems the way people compress snare isn't the same most of the time.

So post your favorit settings, plug ins/hardware, way to work ( top or bottom individually or compress them both) etc!

Could be interesting!

 

[derfbonker]

I don't usually go under 25ms for attack, and that is if i need to tighten the sound up. 10ms seems really fast.

 

[Sinister Mephisto]

Yeah man. I used to use really fast attack times (15ish) and high ratios. (5-10). But lately I've been useing an attack time of more like 25-30ms and pretty low ratio. Like 3:1. And if I need it to sound more slammed, I just lower the threshold. When I was using really fast attack and high ratio I think I was taking all the life out of the snare.

 

[ahjteam]

Remember: No rules, just make it sounds sweet Heres still some of my suggestions...

Preparements:
* Attack to 1ms and release say 150ms
* Ratio to 6:1
* Threshold so that each "solid hit" cuts 10-30dB and so that the more dynamic hits (like blastbeat) cuts atleast 6dB (I really recommend to automate the compressor settings for the blastbeat parts)
* Makeup gain to zero. For now.

Loop a small section (say 2 bars) of solid beats and you might notice that the punch might sound very weak or that the compressor might even distort the snaresound, which is usually bad because its digital distortion. Open up the attack one millisecond at a time so that the the solid lets the punch get thru. When you find the perfect spot, add 1-3 milliseconds to it just in case and then start playing with the release.

You can even count how long the release can be without listening to it at all. The formula is "one second in milliseconds / hits per second / (beats per minute / minute in seconds)" and same with numbers (4th notes at 120bpm):

1000 / 4 / (120/60) = 1000 / 4 / 2 = 125ms

or 16th notes blastbeat at 251bpm:

1000 / 16 / (251/60) = 1000 / 16 / 4.1888... = 14,94ms = 15ms

So that is the time maximum that you have before the next hit comes, but I would still advice you to decrease the amount with atleast the amount of attack you inputted earlier + an 64th note. Just in case, unless it sounds like shit.

Then just put the output gain to what is the average of the gain reduction of the solid hits.

edit: remembered the formula wrong, that gives the earlier result (on 120bpm 1000ms is 1/2, 500ms is 1/4, 250 is 1/8, 125ms is 1/16 notes)... I'll have to recheck it.

edit2: According to this, it seems to be (1000 * (60 / bpm)) / hits...

(1000 * (60 / 120)) / 4 = (1000 * (0.5)) / 4 = (500) / 4 = 125... no, it still gives me the same result, with a different formula.

edit3: ah, it WAS basically the same formula, just a different method

edit: or if it is

1000 / (4 / (120/60)) = 1000 / (4 / 2) = 1000 / 2 = 500ms

Then it is correct... Same formula, just the subdivisions were done first

edit: fuck it, just make it sound good

 

[Metaltastic]

Wouldn't it be unwise to have the compressor have such a short attack time, cuz it'll choke the transient?

 

[crosstalk]

I have a stupid compressor related question. Say you set your attack to 30ms. If you set the output gain to say 6db, should those first 30ms be amplified 6 db as well as whatever falls after 30ms, or should just whatever comes after 30ms be amplified? If that makes sense.

 

[crosstalk]

Wouldn't it be unwise to have the compressor have such a short attack time, cuz it'll choke the transient?

I think he was saying start at 1ms and keep adding ms until it sounds good. You wouldn't actually be only using 1ms.

 

[Ermz]

I have a stupid compressor related question. Say you set your attack to 30ms. If you set the output gain to say 6db, should those first 30ms be amplified 6 db as well as whatever falls after 30ms, or should just whatever comes after 30ms be amplified? If that makes sense.

Everything gets amplified, so yes the transient you let through will be amplified as well. This can sometimes lead to problems when overcompressing with long attack times, so a limiter on the back end can come into play.

I used to use 20 to 30ms compression on most of my drums when i was using Rcomp as my main drum comp. Since I've moved over to the SSL E Channel, I use the 'slow attack' slider setting, which sounds to be around 20ms to me. Release is a setting that has to be musical. It depends on how fast the drum is being played, and whether having the release come up just under the next hit sounds nice and musical. Generally for metal my releases tend to be faster than rock music or other 'smooth' and less frantic styles. Settings tend to go anywhere from about 80ms to 200, but generally center around the 100 to 120ms mark.

 

[LSD-Studio]

I found that my snarecompressor-settings are going prettymuch parallel to my mixbus-settings (at least attack and release)

in Metal I'll have like 35ms Atack and the shortest possible release...

in pop and Rock it can be a short attack and 200ms release...but with a lower ratio

 

[greyskull]

I had a fucking ephiphany when i realized that MEDIUM attack is where its at for snare. and fast release
give's you loads more of the SMACK.

 

[Seizure.]

Looks i'm gonna have to change my snare compression ways! Thanks alot for all the info thus far and keep it coming, good info!

For some reason i allways liked the transient "choking" the fast attack gives me i gues, but next to that it also allways got lost in the mix quit alot of times, maybe a more medium attack will help with this

 

[punkrockacademyfightsong]

i hardly ever go under 25 ms attack, usually i'm around 30 ms
release pretty fast, normally around 20 ms .it has to be totally released before the next hit so that the initial transient comes through with full impact IMO

 

[Exocaster]

I had a fucking ephiphany when i realized that MEDIUM attack is where its at for snare. and fast release
give's you loads more of the SMACK.

Agreed. You can't clamp down on the snare too hard or you might as well be dropping a 909 sample in there.

 

[Ermz]

i hardly ever go under 25 ms attack, usually i'm around 30 ms
release pretty fast, normally around 20 ms .it has to be totally released before the next hit so that the initial transient comes through with full impact IMO

Props to any drummer that can do consecutive hits at 20ms :zombie:

 

[ffaudio]

I'm more of a fan of tape plugs to compress my snare drum. I like DFP Dominion to give a little snap if needed and then the saturation to fatten it up. I usually have a couple db getting comped at a waves SSL before it, though. Maybe 3 db at the hardest hits.

Also I find that when you place a sample in the drums, the sample mixed with the uncompressed snare give it a dynamic sound like it's actually a snare, but the sample keeps it to a certain level of audibility so you don't really need to comp that hard for level reasons.

 

[Seizure.]

Damnit!
I've been working with your advice on alot of different snares and i have enough smack as with my superfast attack but its alot more naturalsounding now! it seems fatter in a way, thanks guys!!
Love this forum

 

[greyskull]

no worries matey!! We all love this forum; Think its safe to say that everyone has learnt a lot from each other on here!!

 

[Glenn Fricker]

I've recently discovered slow snare comp attacks too. 30ms attack & fastest release possible. It was precisely what I was looking for.

-0z-

 

[agentmetal]

Has anyone used two comps on a snare, one to tame the attack and the other to tame the decay ?

I'm now experimenting this setup. First comp with ratio 4:1, long attack (25 ms) and short release (20 ms), to clean up the transients ; second one with softer ratio (like 1.5:1) and short attack/release (5 and 10 ms at the moment) to get that punchy sustain. This seems to shape the attack and decay of the snare drum nicely, but I've just dialed it in so it might be boring and/or useless, I don't know...

Any recommendations about this ?

 

[greyskull]

30ms??
fuck mine is LOOOOADS slower than that.. at least on mh channelstrip!