parallel compression tricks

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janbaars
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parallel compression tricks

Post by janbaars » Mon Jun 20, 2016 6:13 am

Hi guys,

How do you guys use parallel compression?

-Do you bounce your mix, compress it, and then put it on a separate track or do you do bus it?
-If you bus it, then what do you bus? All of it? Or everything without reverbs and delays?
-Pre or post fader? Mono even?

And most importantly: why? :D ;)

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Re: parallel compression tricks

Post by WeWillWriteUaSong » Mon Jun 20, 2016 6:55 am

I often use parallel compression. Drums and vocals and sometimes bass. It gives me a nice thickness and punch. The method changes depending. If you have your drums bussed - send a level to a new bus. On that bus I may throw a 1176 type compressor with all buttons in and turn the attack and release to taste. The dry drums provide the snap and the parallel will give me an added attack/punch/thickness. All about taste. There are also lots of compressors with a MIX knob. With these, just turning the mix knob to taste will provide some parallel compression. I like Rocket compressor for this use. Sometimes on a bass track i will duplicate the track and add some heavier compression like an mjuc, and also creatively use the hi and lo pass filters to shape a different sound on the parallel track. Then blend to taste.

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Re: parallel compression tricks

Post by mojobone » Mon Jun 20, 2016 8:00 am

My favorite compression 'trick' is to never let a single processor do all the work; all your classic recordings featured multiple stages of compression, because the classic medium, analog magnetic tape, has a more limited dynamic range than live music; adjustments had to be made. Every analog process you pass your signal through either adds or subtracts at least a little something, so the cleanest signals will have the least processing, but...the buildup of these subtle distortions is what makes the difference between a recording and a record.

In the analog kingdom, when you have more instruments or parts than you have physical tape tracks or mixer channels, you have to bounce to free up more tracks and each bounce adds a little more head bump and a little more compression, in addition to whatever happens at the bus and mastering stages. The interaction between the record head(s) and the tape reduces dynamic range in a natural and pleasant way, and multiple passes through an analog mixer also have a salutary effect; it turns out that the resulting second and third-order harmonics tend to tickle the brain's pleasure center. Each generation or layer of tape also loses a bit of top end, so engineers learned to add a bit of pre-emphasis of the trebles to fight losses from tape and compressors, (not to mention vinyl pressing, a can o' worms that I ain't gonna open, here) which were originally developed to help keep the signals above the noise inherent in analog systems.

Compressors are kinda like tubes; when you work them too hard, you get a number of non-linearities, some more pleasant than others to the human ear, so the ideal is to stay in control of which impurities you're introducing; you build it up in the same way that an artist builds an oil painting, or the way a chef spices your food-a little at a time, cuz you can't unbake the cake. As the French say, once you've cooked the carrots, the carrots are cooked. Probably the biggest mistake I hear from rookie mixers is assuming that compression has to happen at all; in music's natural state, the musicians mix themselves. We only need to mix and balance things when a piece of music is built over time in multiple sessions.
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Re: parallel compression tricks

Post by janbaars » Mon Jun 20, 2016 1:37 pm

great explanation man!
Thanks!

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Re: parallel compression tricks

Post by Joseph » Tue Jun 21, 2016 5:07 pm

Check out these videos:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=j7rpw-8LvY8
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=t5jJGZCtG1s

I usually follow something along these lines. Recently, I've been adopting a "less is more" approach so I only want to do techniques like this if I feel something REALLY needs it. I don't think parallel compression on the reverb and delay would yield a desirable effect, but if it sounds good it is good so try it out.

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Re: parallel compression tricks

Post by lesmac » Tue Jun 21, 2016 7:07 pm

It's not uncommon to straight out compress reverb returns.
I suppose a fast attack with a slower release might push down the transients and make the reverb not draw so much attention to itself.
There are probably other benefits like bringing out low level detail as well....put the reverb in a box....etc

Michael Braurer is the Grand Daddy of parallel compression.

https://brauerizing.wordpress.com/2014/ ... -to-guide/

According to this article, maybe he's not :oops: :lol:

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Re: parallel compression tricks

Post by mojobone » Tue Jun 21, 2016 11:24 pm

lesmac wrote:It's not uncommon to straight out compress reverb returns.
I suppose a fast attack with a slower release might push down the transients and make the reverb not draw so much attention to itself.
There are probably other benefits like bringing out low level detail as well....put the reverb in a box....etc

Michael Braurer is the Grand Daddy of parallel compression.

https://brauerizing.wordpress.com/2014/ ... -to-guide/

According to this article, maybe he's not :oops: :lol:
Interesting approach; I usually EQ the reverb sends to keep from washing out lows and mids, when the mix is busy. I suppose compressing a reverb return is functionally equivalent to squashing room mics on drum tracks-sounds HYUGE.
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Re: parallel compression tricks

Post by lesmac » Wed Jun 22, 2016 1:51 am

Found where I first read about compressing reverb returns.

Compressing your reverb returns a bit can thicken them up in a cool way, try it #protips

— Steven Slate (@Slateproaudio) April 25, 2012

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Re: parallel compression tricks

Post by janbaars » Wed Jul 20, 2016 6:54 am

Cool, I'm gonna try that!

I'm experimenting with side chaining my reverbs now.
Side chain it with the original signal, so the the original signal is dryer at first and becomes wetter when it decays.

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Re: parallel compression tricks

Post by cassmcentee » Wed Jul 20, 2016 9:46 am

lesmac wrote:Found where I first read about compressing reverb returns.
Compressing your reverb returns a bit can thicken them up in a cool way, try it #protips
— Steven Slate (@Slateproaudio) April 25, 2012
Thanks Les, been EQ'ing my verbs but not Compressing... another thing to play around with! :D
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