Natural compression?

[MattChen]

Hey guys I want to ask for some help/suggestion.

I want to add a bit of compression to vocals but I want to keep it minimal.

On one hand I like the punchy presence of compression, but then lately I also like my recordings to be as natural as possible.

So I was wondering if there is a rule of thumb for the settings.

For example is it as simple as keeping every setting (i.e. attack, ratio, etc) as close to zero?

Feel free to suggest me specific settings if you have any to recommend.

I use the defaults compressor on logic studio.

Thanks guys.

[ronmac]

I am sure that some will pipe in and let you know the "best" settings for vocal compression, but I won't.

Compression is one of the most difficult concepts to master, and also one of the easiest effects to execute once you have a handle on proper control adjustment. Take the time to learn what each of the controls does (they are self-explanatory) and how they interact with each other.

DBX has an excellent paper on compression, including sample settings:

ftp://ftp.dbxpro.com/pub/PDFs/WhiteP...sion%20101.pdf

[Ty Ford]

Attack: 10 ms
Release: 30 ms or more
Ratio: 4:1
Gain reduction: no more than 3 dB

[RRuskin]

Originally Posted by Ty Ford

Attack: 10 ms
Release: 30 ms or more
Ratio: 4:1
Gain reduction: no more than 3 dB

Even at gentle settings such as these, some compressors will anything but subtle.

[Ty Ford]

and if you have an Aphex compellor, you won't even be able to hear the difference. When I reviewed one years ago, they told me that they frequently got calls from new owners.

"Hi, I just bought a Compellor"

"Thanks!"

"It's not working"

"Why do you say that?"

"I can't HEAR it working!!"

"Yeah, we get a lot of that."

To prove it, I took a piece of classical music and ran it through the Compellor. I had both tracks on the timeline. The original tracks had dynamics you might expect from a classical piece. The Compellor is sort of like an invisible hand that gently adjusts the gain. Extremely impressive, but perhaps NOT what you want if you expect coloration.

For an economical channel strip, try the dbx 286a. Surprisingly good preamp, and enough dynamics and EQ control to get you in and out of trouble if you want that. Not world class perhaps, but affordable, solid kit for "most folks."

Regards,

Ty Ford

[RRuskin]

Originally Posted by Ty Ford

and if you have an Aphex compellor, you won't even be able to hear the difference. When I reviewed one years ago, they told me that they frequently got calls from new owners.

"Hi, I just bought a Compellor"

"Thanks!"

"It's not working"

"Why do you say that?"

"I can't HEAR it working!!"

"Yeah, we get a lot of that."

To prove it, I took a piece of classical music and ran it through the Compellor. I had both tracks on the timeline. The original tracks had dynamics you might expect from a classical piece. The Compellor is sort of like an invisible hand that gently adjusts the gain. Extremely impressive, but perhaps NOT what you want if you expect coloration.

For an economical channel strip, try the dbx 286a. Surprisingly good preamp, and enough dynamics and EQ control to get you in and out of trouble if you want that. Not world class perhaps, but affordable, solid kit for "most folks."

Regards,

Ty Ford

1. I said "some" not "all." For less then natural sounding, Alesis compressors come immediately to mind. (They sound best when used as doorstops.) The original & revered dbx 160, 165, & 165A's aren't my choice for invisibility either.

2. The FMR RNC can be set up to be very transparent.

3. I'm not "most folks." <g>

[ferg]

I also use Logic Studio, and I often opt for the "Silver Compressor", because it is a simpler effect as compared to the "regular" compressor. I take the default settings, and compress about 6:1, and I like it a lot.

However - how much gets compressed vs. the threshold depends entirely on the level of the signal being compressed. You MUST take that into account. If you have a fairly low signal, you'll want to lower the threshold, and vice versa.

But really, if you choose a ratio somewhere in the 1:4-8 mode and tweak the threshold depending on your signal, you should be able to find something that sound fairly natural - at least that's my experience.

[MattChen]

Thanks for the suggestions.

TY, I look forward to trying those settings. Thanks a bunch mate.

[Ty Ford]

1. I said "some" not "all." For less then natural sounding, Alesis compressors come immediately to mind. (They sound best when used as doorstops.) The original & revered dbx 160, 165, & 165A's aren't my choice for invisibility either.

-- Agreed

2. The FMR RNC can be set up to be very transparent.

-- pretty much. The compressor in my STT-1 is very open.

3. I'm not "most folks." <g>

-- me too.

-Ty Ford

[MattChen]

In my experiments it seems the lower the compression ratio, like 2.5:1 being lower than 4.5:1, the more "realistic" it sounds.

Ty I'm curious why you recommend a relatively high ratio for natural compression??

Thanks!

[Ty Ford]

but you're not curious about the dB amount of gain reduction?

-Ty

[Joseph Hanna]

Originally Posted by Ty Ford

but you're not curious about the dB amount of gain reduction?

-Ty

I don't understand this answer?

[MattChen]

I don't understand that answer either.

I'm very new to stuff like this... so I am confused about all of it. That's why I need some settings to get me started.

[Ty Ford]

each compressor may effect the audio of a source differently because of its unique design. That's was Ruskin was alluding to. An SSL two buss compressor sounds different than dbx 160 or 165.

The Alesis 3060 is known for being a raging piece of crap. An Urie 1176 limiter is pretty amazing.

Your basic controls are
attack - how fast compression occurs after the signal exceeds the threshold.
release - how quickly the compression releases after the signal falls below the threshold.
ratio: the higher, the more compression. Most people consider 20:1 ratio limiting. That means for every 20 dB increase at the input, the output only increases 1 dB. 20:1

Amount of gain reduction: measured in dB. How much is the gain being turned down after it crosses the threshold into compression. The more the gain reduction, the more it indicates compression.

There are soft knee circuits that present a more gradual (less linear) transition into compression and harder knee circuits that simply say, anything over a set level is directly compressed.

There's more to it. If you want to get serious about it, do some research on your own like most of us who have been doing this a while have.

Regards,


Ty Ford

[Herb Hunter]

I think the last thing anyone expects when posting a question here is to get a reply saying, look up the answer yourself. If one has nothing to contribute or doesn't want to make the effort to provide a useful answer, it would probably be better not to post a response.