Natural compression?

[Ty Ford]

Hey Herb,

Who peed in your Wheaties? When you lose sight of the fact that a major part of this pursuit is discovery, you need to think really hard about where you're at in this forum. I would have expected more from a Charter Member, Herb.

When you say something like this to me (sorry, you actually said it ABOUT me, not really TO me, which is even slimier) after the amount of content I have added to this particular thread, much less this forum, I gotta' say, you're remark is uncalled for and comes off as ignorant.

Ty Ford

[ronmac]

....a major part of this pursuit is discovery....I couldn't agree more.

The reason I didn't offer any "numbers" to the OP, and instead offered a link to a paper that explained generally what the tool does and how it does it (including some sample numbers to start with), was to promote the idea that there is no right number for all situations. A solid understanding of how the tool works, and some dedicated practice, will give you the knowledge to be prepared for all situations.

Isn't that better advice than "7, 42, turn left 16, etc."?

[Herb Hunter]

Originally Posted by Ty Ford

Hey Herb,

Who peed in your Wheaties? When you lose sight of the fact that a major part of this pursuit is discovery, you need to think really hard about where you're at in this forum. I would have expected more from a Charter Member, Herb.

When you say something like this to me (sorry, you actually said it ABOUT me, not really TO me, which is even slimier) after the amount of content I have added to this particular thread, much less this forum, I gotta' say, you're remark is uncalled for and comes off as ignorant.

Ty Ford

I should have acknowledged that you have at other times posted helpful information that took time an effort and apologize for that omission.

I sincerely have no idea what you mean by telling me that I need to think really hard about where I am in this forum.

[Herb Hunter]

Originally Posted by ronmac

....a major part of this pursuit is discovery....I couldn't agree more.

The reason I didn't offer any "numbers" to the OP, and instead offered a link to a paper that explained generally what the tool does and how it does it (including some sample numbers to start with), was to promote the idea that there is no right number for all situations. A solid understanding of how the tool works, and some dedicated practice, will give you the knowledge to be prepared for all situations.

Isn't that better advice than "7, 42, turn left 16, etc."?

Providing a link with information that answers a question is helpful and you certainly don't need to justify doing that. I appreciate links to technical papers and often bookmark them even when they are subjects about which I have an understanding. However, were I to post a question I would not like to be told to "take the time to learn..."

Sometimes when we write a well meaning post, we may not always consider how it reads. That was the poorly made point of my post and I'd have done well to have paused to consider how mine read before hitting the Submit button.

[ronmac]

Herb, I appreciate your comments, and point of view. My submission, and perhaps a bit of an over-reaction, is that for many there is too much reliance on the quick fix and not enough on learning fundamental theory and skill building.

I believe that everyone who posted on this thread has a genuine desire to be helpful to the OP. Our approach and philosophy vary, so it is up to the OP to take/leave what is offered and run with it.

[Ty Ford]

Ron,

Exactly! I was in a small club where a friend was trying to figure out what to do about EQing the PA. As I approached him, he said , "HELP!"

I sat down and began clearing the mix. As I continued, I noticed he was looking over my shoulder and writing something down. I gave him a questioning expression. He said he was writing down my EQ settings so he could use them later. I told him that info would be pretty worthless because the situation changed moment to moment, verse to chorus, song to song. You have to be able to hear the problem and know what to do to correct it.

As much as you might think that EVERYBODY can do this, they can't. Some brains are wired for sound, some can learn some of it, some can study their entire lives and not be able to hear what they need to do.

Regards,

Ty Ford

[Ty Ford]

Originally Posted by Herb Hunter

I should have acknowledged that you have at other times posted helpful information that took time an effort and apologize for that omission.

I sincerely have no idea what you mean by telling me that I need to think really hard about where I am in this forum.

Well I'll tell you. You fire off a worthless shot at me and then do worse than what you accuse me of. You offered absolutely NOTHING to the OP. You just tried to crank on me. That's all you had. It didn't work, Herb.

Your post was not "well meaning." I was totally mean-spirited and reminds me of folks who have a HUGE and very misguided sense of entitlement and think everything should be given to them for free and with a smile. They don't believe in working for anything and take no pride in figuring it out for themselves. Maybe because they simply can't. If that's you, I'm truly sorry for you. The rest of your life will be pretty miserable.

If your post is meant as an apology, you missed the mark. Apologies have in them somewhere the phrases, "!'m sorry" or "I apologize." They are not all about YOU. They are about what you did to someone else.

-Ty Ford

[Herb Hunter]

Originally Posted by Ty Ford

Well I'll tell you. You fire off a worthless shot at me and then do worse than what you accuse me of. You offered absolutely NOTHING to the OP. You just tried to crank on me. That's all you had. It didn't work, Herb. ...

You are quite mistaken as to my intention. It was nothing personal.

[ronmac]

Peace dudes

Time to adjust the attack and release controls

We haven't heard back from the OP. I hope he has been able to gain something from the discussion.

Man, I gotta limit the use of puns in this thread. The ratio is way out of whack. If there is any way I can make it up to you, let me know....

[Ty Ford]

Ron,

It's cool. It's really interesting. Some guys just can't get "I'm sorry" or "I apologize" out of their mouths. He must be one of them.

-Ty

[Joseph Hanna]

Gas lobbed on an open flame..that'll help.

[Ty Ford]

Joe,

I do have a thing about people taking responsibility for what they say and do.

I had to learn to say the dreaded words, "I'm sorry" and "I apologize." They go a long way in putting out an open flame.

Know what I mean?

-Ty

[Herb Hunter]

Originally Posted by Ty Ford

Joe,

I do have a thing about people taking responsibility for what they say and do.

I had to learn to say the dreaded words, "I'm sorry" and "I apologize." They go a long way in putting out an open flame.

Know what I mean?

-Ty

..................

Originally Posted by Herb Hunter

I should have acknowledged that you have at other times posted helpful information that took time an effort and apologize for that omission.

I sincerely have no idea what you mean by telling me that I need to think really hard about where I am in this forum.

[Ty Ford]

thanks Herb,

Accepted. Have a nice day. Hope you got new strings, capos and all the stuff that makes you smile all year long. I look forward to reading many good posts from you in the new year.

Do you have links to your music? I'd like to hear what you're doing.

Ty

[kellyb]

To the OP:

Some general guidelines...

For nearly all comps, the slower the attack and faster the release, the more 'natural' your recordings will sound. A slow attack allows more of the sound (transients) through before squashing, and a faster release means it will stop compressing faster. If that makes any sense.

That said, curves are also important. Optical comps tend to produce more natural curves, whereas vca seem to introduce unnatural (but sometimes terrific) curves (often referred to as "knees").

Typically 1.5-4:1 ratios are more natural. Beyond that, on most devices, you're "limiting." Which can be natural, too, if it's soft and/or fast.

Sometimes driving a class A amp will introduce a little comp. Sometimes tube mics compress a touch, too.

That logic compressor will cover a lot of ground. Play with the presets as a starting point, and start tweaking. It takes awhile to hear what compressors do. I've been tweaking for years, and I still struggle to get it right at times. The logic comp can do a great job training you to hear compression.

Best of luck.