True, that's why experimenting works wonders with this.
A compressor is like a GPS, it bring bring you ANYWHERE, as long as you know where u want to go. Applying compression without a purpose, just for the sake of it, doesn't work.

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I usually use compression to free up other sounds and dont usually add any gain until I need to

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rule number one when it comes to compression: dont use it if you dont know how or why.

quote:

Originally posted by clay rule number one when it comes to compression: dont use it if you dont know how or why.

But its the only way to learn and discover how to use it

compression is better learned by reading imo.

Readings easy, took my ears ages to notice the effects of what I was doing. I'd say I feel confident now using one, no longer just dialing in randomness to see what happeneds (and getting it totally wrong)

thats sort of my point. know what it does before start turning those knobs. its not a like filter you understand right away just by ears - its more going on and by reading up on it before trying it, things might go smoother. compression has basically ruined the last decade of edm, pop and rock and i think this is the reason - people just slam on a compressor to get louder volume.

Wouldn't go as far as saying "ruined" but it is really noticeable and in some cases way over the top. Of coures it helps if you read up but you got to get hands on with it to hear and understand whats going on. I used to read loads on compressors and they all pretty much had the same infomation in them, I think it comes down to your judgement making the right decisions for the track and you cant read up on doing that

quote:

Originally posted by clay thats sort of my point. know what it does before start turning those knobs. its not a like filter you understand right away just by ears - its more going on and by reading up on it before trying it, things might go smoother. compression has basically ruined the last decade of edm, pop and rock and i think this is the reason - people just slam on a compressor to get louder volume.

It took me 2 solid years to learn how to set one properly, and is one of my proudest achievements (not kidding). It is a combination of practice and reading. Knowing which parts of the song need which form of compression is crucial, especially transients. I never compress any of my percussion, even on the bus, before like 10-15 ms. Ever.

See i have read pretty much all the compression guides/tuts on this site and honestly still don't really know when to compress. I have took to following someones setting guide to try and figure out all the technicalities of it.
So you see how when problems like this occur i have no choice but to ask people who have more experience.

I will try and post some samples for you to hear.


thanks for the input gents

Oh and yes i did mean 0.0 to -1.0

VP

You compress under three circumstances
1/when you want to even out an inconsistent level
2/when you want to enhance a transient
3/ when you want to glue several sounds together (basically the same as 1)

quote:

Originally posted by Von Pistol Basically i EQ the kick first(hp at 50,notch at 800) with the db level around 0.0 to -0.1 and then i compress with the settings mentioned above. This usually creates a sweet kick thats hard and snappy. Just what i want. AAAAAAnd then this fuzz prob started. I know that if i reduce the lower freq then it will disappear. I want to know why the attack control is solving the problem and not the release? the more i increase the attack the more the fuzz fades.. thanks VP

You do realise that (depending on the slope) the filter will probably be smearing your transients to ******y?

I don't understand what you mean by fuzz TBH. I'd say that maybe you're hearing some sort of clipping or something due to an automatic makeup gain distorting the compressor's output. The attack might be making a difference, because if you make the attack long enough, it means that the kick isn't getting compressed because the attack isn't kicking in until after the signal is already back below the threshold. That's my guess. Post a sample.

PS
How come I can't say fuck anymore?? Actually, it appears to just be ******. Fucking word filter ******s.

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back to basics, VP: Why do you want to compress this specific kick?

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