HOW TO USE A COMPRESSOR PLUGIN

I remember back then in my early stage of mixing , i would ask a more experienced mix Engineer "Does the compressor really make a difference?". Of course it does. In this post i will share with you what i have learnt so far. Setting up a compressor is not a difficult task. However, if the compressor settings are not properly applied, you can loose  details from your original material or even mess up the whole material. So you have to be careful when using our friend.
 I will be explaining 6 basic parameters that you will find on nearly any basic vst compressor, and then share my tips, and also tell you my favorite vst compressor. I will be as brief as i always prefer.


                                                        Waves api2500 comoressor

1. THRESHOLD: The threshold control refers to the point from which compression will begin.  The Lower the threshold, the higher the compression at the set ratio.
***my observation: watch the gain reduction while controlling the threshold, you should get natural compression with 3db gain reduction. Be careful  with anything beyond that.


2. ATTACK: This control knob refers to the time it takes for the compressor to be activated, and it affects how much of the input material is actually compressed related to other set parameters. So a fast attack as shown below will lead to "more compression", and a vice versa.
***my observation:A fast attack gives a tighter sound but "a large portion of your input material may be lost, a very slow attack might give a loose sound with more of the original detail.

  

3.MAKEUP GAIN: This is like the Volume compensation control after compression has taken place. That is you can raise the volume of the compressed signal.

4. RELEASE: This control indicates the time it takes for the compressed signal to get back to its uncompressed state. A fast release will make your input material "pump" and be "in your face", meanwhile a longer release will give your track more breathing space.
***my observation: short release narrows the stereo width of the material and vice versa

                                                           toneboosters compressor

5. GAIN REDUCTION: This is a meter that shows the amount of compression that is actually taking place.

6. RATIO: The ratio control sets how much compression takes place with respect to the input sound, at a given threshold.
***my observation: very heavy and fast instruments should be compressed at their peak by a higher ratio than other soft and slow materials.
                                                        MY FAVORITES

As i said earlier i will share with you guys my favorite compressor plugins.
a. Tonebooster compressor (for individual instrument/vocal)
b.waves puigchild 670, ssl duende buss compressor( bus compression)
c. waves cla 2a for parallel compression.( boost up that kick that just wanna hide in the mix)

 Okay, as you guys already know, i love to keep it as short as possible( Gotta get back to work)
I hope we have learnt something.Please don't forget to share your tips in the comment box, so the learning chains survives.
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