2-bus compression

[The Kid]

I like Native Instruments Supercharger or ReaComp. I'm not heavy handed with them.
What's your compressor of choice for the mix?
Not talking about mastering.

[Tod]

Originally Posted by The Kid

I like Native Instruments Supercharger or ReaComp. I'm not heavy handed with them.
What's your compressor of choice for the mix?
Not talking about mastering.

I don't use compressors on my Master-FX, only on individual tracks, instruments, and/or vocals that need it.

I've got NI's Supercharger, but haven't used it, I'll have to check that out kid, thankyou.

[The Kid]

Originally Posted by Tod

I don't use compressors on my Master-FX, only on individual tracks, instruments, and/or vocals that need it.

I've got NI's Supercharger, but haven't used it, I'll have to check that out kid, thankyou.

You're welcome!
I hang out with people from different countrys because I'm awake at funny hours lol

[JRTaylorMusic]

DMG Audio TrackComp, usually the G-Bus model, avg 1dB GR or less, almost never hitting -2.

[The Kid]

Originally Posted by JRTaylorMusic

DMG Audio TrackComp, usually the G-Bus model, avg 1dB GR or less, almost never hitting -2.

That looks very good, very complete.
I don't have the money for it I'm afraid.

[serr]

I use ReaComp pretty often in mixes. Targeted specific uses on individual tracks as well as subgroup buses. I AM addicted to parallel processing as well. Parallel subgroups and all that. I've used ReaComp for mastering duties when the need for compression comes up. Just to be clear, I don't do the shrill volume war "mastering" destruction that's still in vogue. I also don't do the "Hulk smash" technique of mixing into a compressor. (Some seriously lazy misguided shit IMO!)

I still have the UA compressor bundle from Protools TDM days. Except a newer version that uses their equally archaic pci cards. I still pull the 1176 and 670 out often enough. Back in 2003 or whenever it was, there weren't decent plugin compressors around yet and UA made quite an impression with those. They still sound great. Compression with analog artifacts and distortion built in that delivers musical results. I'd never recommend these products in a million years anymore though! I think they treat their pci card needing business like copy protection now.

[Judders]

It depends on the music!

If I want stodgy pump, I'll use the Brainworx Townhouse, if I want clean pump I'll use the SSL Bus Compressor, if I want a more vintage feel I'll go for the Overloud Fairchild 670. It might be anything else, depending on my whim.

[roumaa]

Usually go with SSL or 1176 for faster compression, LA2A for slower. If I don't know what to use I switch to ReaComp for the finer tuned control. Mainly produce metal so don't think this toolbox would work as well for other (less compressed) genres.

[ashcat_lt]

ReaComp is all.

[drummerboy]

Dramastic Audio Obsidian or ocassionally api 2500 (when it‘s not on drums).

[The Kid]

Originally Posted by drummerboy

Dramastic Audio Obsidian or ocassionally api 2500 (when it‘s not on drums).

Thanks for sharing, they must be very nice, never heard them in person

[foxAsteria]

I like spl Iron and Slate VBC Rack on the master but without any actual compression. Instant turd polish working in the background, right out the gate.

[The Kid]

Originally Posted by foxAsteria

I like spl Iron and Slate VBC Rack on the master but without any actual compression. Instant turn polish working in the background, right out the gate.

Good strategie!
You could try 1 or 2 db of compression, it can´t hurt too much

[ashcat_lt]

@foxAsteria - I use ReaComp for that, too.

[norbury brook]

I think the main thing with master bus compression is it has to b e there from the start of the mix so you mix INTO it and therefore your individual track levels etc are made mixing into the mix bus compressor

I use many different ones depending on the track.

The Glue SSL bus comp is very good. I use many of the Acustica Audio compressors too.

El Ray, Ultramarine (Fairchild) , Navy(neve)

For ultra clean I use Tokyo Dawn : https://www.tokyodawn.net/tdr-kotelnikov/


Lovely transparent comp


M

[The Kid]

Originally Posted by norbury brook

I think the main thing with master bus compression is it has to b e there from the start of the mix so you mix INTO it and therefore your individual track levels etc are made mixing into the mix bus compressor

M

I agree. That said, I barely touch the gain reduction
Maybe I'm not doing anything lol who knows
It FEELS like it's doing something.
This is a case where a little goes a long way, just adding little bits of something to make a mix work.
It's not just one thing that changes everything, but small moves all over the mix.
I don't want to rely on the 2-bus compressonr to make the mix work. It's just a little glue or something

[Lynx_TWO]

If I need a compressor, I use POWAIR.

https://www.soundradix.com/products/powair/

It replaced all my compressors to include Fabfilter’s C2.

“ POWAIR was designed to be a smarter, more natural sounding compressor. It’s a dual-stage loudness leveler / compressor / limiter powered by a novel, proprietary compression engine which provides greater transparency and control than ever before.

The first stage is a K-weighted loudness leveler, perfect for leveling a voice-over or auto-adjusting the level of different pieces of music. In its second compression stage, POWAIR uses an innovative gain detection and reduction engine, capable of fast gain changes with minimal distortion and adaptive response to the source.

The unique Punch feature enables full control over the transients’ levels during the attack stage, making it possible to shape the transients’ lengths while keeping peak levels under control.

And in an industry first, POWAIR features Adaptive Compression to maintain an average compression action, adding intensity and glue while keeping the natural dynamics of the recording.”

[The Kid]

Originally Posted by Lynx_TWO

If I need a compressor, I use POWAIR.

https://www.soundradix.com/products/powair/

It replaced all my compressors to include Fabfilter’s C2.

“ POWAIR was designed to be a smarter, more natural sounding compressor. It’s a dual-stage loudness leveler / compressor / limiter powered by a novel, proprietary compression engine which provides greater transparency and control than ever before.

The first stage is a K-weighted loudness leveler, perfect for leveling a voice-over or auto-adjusting the level of different pieces of music. In its second compression stage, POWAIR uses an innovative gain detection and reduction engine, capable of fast gain changes with minimal distortion and adaptive response to the source.

The unique Punch feature enables full control over the transients’ levels during the attack stage, making it possible to shape the transients’ lengths while keeping peak levels under control.

And in an industry first, POWAIR features Adaptive Compression to maintain an average compression action, adding intensity and glue while keeping the natural dynamics of the recording.”

Is this company your sponsor? lol

[Lynx_TWO]

Originally Posted by The Kid

Is this company your sponsor? lol

Lol nope, not affiliated with them in any way, just use POWAIR and Pi by them, two plugins I’ve found to be unique and invaluable

[beingmf]

Originally Posted by norbury brook

I use many of the Acustica Audio compressors too.

[…]

For ultra clean I use Tokyo Dawn : https://www.tokyodawn.net/tdr-kotelnikov/

This and this ‒ in addition to your choices Acustica Erin (EAR) can be wonderful as well as Gold (Neve 5254).
For radical retro programme material I might also end up with an algo opto (e.g. HorNet), followed by an appropriate "Mojo" Nebula program, in this case more than 1.5dB if the style dictates it.

[foxAsteria]

Originally Posted by The Kid

Good strategie!
You could try 1 or 2 db of compression, it can´t hurt too much

It happens. I think the ratio on some is like 1.1:1 so I get a tickle now and then.

Originally Posted by ashcat_lt

@foxAsteria - I use ReaComp for that, too.

You use a transparent compressor for coloration? Hows that now?

[ashcat_lt]

If you set all time constants to 0, knee to around 6, and ratio to infinity, it makes a perfectly fine standard saturator, and if you then whack the low pass filter way down to like 20Hz, you get something very much like transformer saturation. Especially now with multi-mono support, it works out pretty well. If/when I want filtering or EQ effects, I use ReaEQ before or after or both. I honestly don’t use the transformer thing on the master bus very often, but I probably should more.

[Junolab]

Unisum. Awesome comp for busses and mixbus. Very transparent but can be pushed for some grit too.

[The Kid]

Originally Posted by ashcat_lt

If you set all time constants to 0, knee to around 6, and ratio to infinity, it makes a perfectly fine standard saturator, and if you then whack the low pass filter way down to like 20Hz, you get something very much like transformer saturation. Especially now with multi-mono support, it works out pretty well. If/when I want filtering or EQ effects, I use ReaEQ before or after or both. I honestly don’t use the transformer thing on the master bus very often, but I probably should more.

The only trouble with ReaComp for saturation or distortion is that it doesn't have oversampling.
That said, if it sounds good, nobody is going to notice a bit of aliasing.

[Glennbo]

I frequently use U-he's Presswerk on my instrument and drum subs, but mostly peak limiting on my final stereo sub.

Screenshot of REAPER on my most recent song.

https://sclkssl.ssl.hwcdn.net/27/img...205_811135.jpg

What I like about U-he's Presswerk is that it has a saturation section with individual controls for an arbitrary amount of saturation, or the sensitivity for adding saturation dynamically. The saturation does a great job of rounding off hard edges.

https://u-he.com/products/presswerk/...i-1150x791.jpg

It also has a controllable HP filter and separate expansion functionality on the dry side, where you can either just make the dry side have less bottom so that when compression is happening, less bass also happens, or with the expander turned on and the HP filter knocking some lows off, you can make it so it turns up the brighter filtered dry side on compression to keep intelligibility and focus sharp.

[The Kid]

Originally Posted by Glennbo

I frequently use U-he's Presswerk on my instrument and drum subs, but mostly peak limiting on my final stereo sub.

Screenshot of REAPER on my most recent song.

https://sclkssl.ssl.hwcdn.net/27/img...205_811135.jpg

What I like about U-he's Presswerk is that it has a saturation section with individual controls for an arbitrary amount of saturation, or the sensitivity for adding saturation dynamically. The saturation does a great job of rounding off hard edges.

https://u-he.com/products/presswerk/...i-1150x791.jpg

It also has a controllable HP filter and separate expansion functionality on the dry side, where you can either just make the dry side have less bottom so that when compression is happening, less bass also happens, or with the expander turned on and the HP filter knocking some lows off, you can make it so it turns up the brighter filtered dry side on compression to keep intelligibility and focus sharp.

I use ReaComp on the folders (bass, guitars, keys, drums, vocals) but on the drums folder I almost always use the wet/dry of ReaComp for parallel compression.
Lets me mute the room mic lol it's always messy and weird, so I put it in the room for the drummers to be excited about it lol
On the mix bus, I barely touch the compression. It's doing just what we call "marcar la cancha" wich means to mark the limits of the playing field. It's there to let me know if I'm pushing too far with something. At least that was when I used ReaComp on the mix bus.
But nowadays, I almost don't look at it. Supercharger is cool for me, I aim for 1 or 2 db tops, and forget about it. I don't touch it anymore.
Your Reaper looks very different from mine, duh thames lol but still weird to look at. I stuck with the default 6.

[Glennbo]

Originally Posted by The Kid

I use ReaComp on the folders (bass, guitars, keys, drums, vocals) but on the drums folder I almost always use the wet/dry of ReaComp for parallel compression.
Lets me mute the room mic lol it's always messy and weird, so I put it in the room for the drummers to be excited about it lol
On the mix bus, I barely touch the compression. It's doing just what we call "marcar la cancha" wich means to mark the limits of the playing field. It's there to let me know if I'm pushing too far with something. At least that was when I used ReaComp on the mix bus.
But nowadays, I almost don't look at it. Supercharger is cool for me, I aim for 1 or 2 db tops, and forget about it. I don't touch it anymore.

Yeah, I use ReaComp on just about every track to keep dynamics from getting jumpy, and I use combinations of parallel or pure compressed with ReaComp depending on what the source material of the track is.

I used to use PSP's Vintage Warmer on my subs, and loved what I could do with it, but it was a Windows and Mac only plugin. I can run it in Linux, but I prefer to not bridge plugins if I can.

U-he's Presswerk is available for Mac and Win, but also as native Linux plugin, which was what first drew my attention to it, but after I bought it, the more I used it the more I realized how cool the tone shaping capabilities it has are. I like it far more than I ever liked PSP's Vintage Warmer now.

YOur Reaper looks very different from mine, duh thames lol but still weird to look at. I stuck with the default 6.

That is the Lucas' LCS short dark mod of White Tie's Imperial theme. I love it and have used it for a LOT of years now.

[The Kid]

Originally Posted by Glennbo

Yeah, I use ReaComp on just about every track to keep dynamics from getting jumpy, and I use combinations of parallel or pure compressed with ReaComp depending on what the source material of the track is.

I used to use PSP's Vintage Warmer on my subs, and loved what I could do with it, but it was a Windows and Mac only plugin. I can run it in Linux, but I prefer to not bridge plugins if I can.

U-he's Presswerk is available for Mac and Win, but also as native Linux plugin, which was what first drew my attention to it, but after I bought it, the more I used it the more I realized how cool the tone shaping capabilities it has are. I like it far more than I ever liked PSP's Vintage Warmer now.



That is the Lucas' LCS short dark mod of White Tie's Imperial theme. I love it and have used it for a LOT of years now.

This is my Reaper. Look how minimal it looks. Yours is the Enterprise lol

[Glennbo]

Originally Posted by The Kid

This is my Reaper. Look how minimal it looks. Yours is the Enterprise lol

White Tie is at the core of both themes. The Imperial theme is this.

http://www.houseofwhitetie.com/reape..._imperial.html

Lucas did an excellent job of making that theme fit on a single monitor, which is all I have. The official REAPER theme, which is also a White Tie creation was "governed", or else it would have looked a lot more like the White Tie Imperial theme.

[The Kid]

Originally Posted by Glennbo

White Tie is at the core of both themes. The Imperial theme is this.

http://www.houseofwhitetie.com/reape..._imperial.html

Lucas did an excellent job of making that theme fit on a single monitor, which is all I have. The official REAPER theme, which is also a White Tie creation was "governed", or else it would have looked a lot more like the White Tie Imperial theme.

I had a modified default v4 for ages. Then I started teaching Reaper via Zoom, and updated Reaper and stuck to Default v6
I want to have the same look than my students have.
Now I really like it.

[Glennbo]

Originally Posted by The Kid

I had a modified default v4 for ages. Then I started teaching Reaper via Zoom, and updated Reaper and stuck to Default v6
I want to have the same look than my students have.
Now I really like it.

I can dig that. I've just got 45+ years of looking at physical hardware that looks like what White Tie wants to create as themes, and those feel more comfortable and at home for me.

This is the mixer I used before switching over to a computer based DAW.

[The Kid]

Originally Posted by Glennbo

I can dig that. I've just got 45+ years of looking at physical hardware that looks like what White Tie wants to create as themes, and those feel more comfortable and at home for me.

This is the mixer I used before switching over to a computer based DAW.

your link must have a typo

[Glennbo]

Originally Posted by The Kid

your link must have a typo

Actually, I linked to a 24 channel version of the same 16 channel version mixer I had, and just edited the link to the 16 channel version.

This is my 16X8X2 Carvin mixer and 1" Ampex recorder from the 80s.

[The Kid]

Originally Posted by Glennbo

Actually, I linked to a 24 channel version of the same 16 channel version mixer I had, and just edited the link to the 16 channel version.

This is my 16X8X2 Carvin mixer and 1" Ampex recorder from the 80s.

The only thing I kept from the 80s is my Yamaha



Minimal as well, like all my studio. And my personal room in the back lol were I sleep.

Now that I think about it, I got rid of a lot of stuff. Minimal life. Love it.

[Glennbo]

Originally Posted by The Kid

The only thing I kept from the 80s is my Yamaha

Minimal as well, like all my studio. And my personal room in the back lol were I sleep.

Now that I think about it, I got rid of a lot of stuff. Minimal life. Love it.

The only gear I still have from the 80s is a Sequential Circuits Prophet 2002 rack mount sampler. It still works fine, but to sell it would require seeking out a buyer who just really has to have one of those, coz I ain't giving it away. So it lives in the closet and I break it out now and then, just to verify that it still works.

[The Kid]

Originally Posted by Glennbo

The only gear I still have from the 80s is a Sequential Circuits Prophet 2002 rack mount sampler. It still works fine, but to sell it would require seeking out a buyer who just really has to have one of those, coz I ain't giving it away. So it lives in the closet and I break it out now and then, just to verify that it still works.

If I had gear like that, would be to have nice pictures of the studio.
I have so little gear that I shoot black & white.
In another thread a guy was asking if 199 dolars was ok for Roland virtual gear.
I said that it's a lot of money for me.
I think about it: paint the whole place, add nice lights, buy some pictures to hang.

[ashcat_lt]

Originally Posted by The Kid

The only trouble with ReaComp for saturation or distortion is that it doesn't have oversampling.
That said, if it sounds good, nobody is going to notice a bit of aliasing.

Yeah, I think the whole thing with aliasing is a bit overblown. Analog gear can have heterodyne distortion that can look and sound very similar. When you're using it for subtle saturation, the artifacts are so far down in amplitude that it can't possibly bother anything. Course, I do often use ReaComp for much heavier distortion duties. In fact, I've just recently switched to using it as the non-linear element in the "amp sims" on my live rig. ReaEQ tone stack > ReaComp>ReaEQ speaker profile>Rock. For studio stuff I slide toward more dedicated effects like PodFarm or some of my own JS plugins for heavier distortions, but less and less every day it seems.

[The Kid]

I still have to buy a proper rack for the Tascam and the power amp.
The one the Tascam has is one I made once out of wood to play a gig outdoors, and it stayed forever.

[The Kid]

Originally Posted by ashcat_lt

Yeah, I think the whole thing with aliasing is a bit overblown. Analog gear can have heterodyne distortion that can look and sound very similar. When you're using it for subtle saturation, the artifacts are so far down in amplitude that it can't possibly bother anything. Course, I do often use ReaComp for much heavier distortion duties. In fact, I've just recently switched to using it as the non-linear element in the "amp sims" on my live rig. ReaEQ tone stack > ReaComp>ReaEQ speaker profile>Rock. For studio stuff I slide toward more dedicated effects like PodFarm or some of my own JS plugins for heavier distortions, but less and less every day it seems.

Unless aliasing hurts our brains in ways we can't possibly imagine lol
ReaEQ and ReaComp are 90% of my mixes.
Some people use Soothe, I use ReaComp in series to tame stuff and it does smooth sounds out!
You can use it like a normal compressor as well, all good.
I can't use other compressors still after years, because I'm so familiar with it.
The exception would be Supercharger on the mix bus.

[ashcat_lt]

I also use ReaComp exclusively, and don’t very often use traditional compression techniques. I’ve been almost forcing myself to do more normal things with it, but most of the time if I’m really messing with the dynamic envelope of individual events (notes, drum hits...) it starts to feel wrong and I wonder if the source was really right for the mix to begin with.

Here’s my US1800:

The rack itself used to be 7 feet tall and full of crap, but about 15 years ago we cut it down to like 8 spaces and built it into this wooden box for use as our live rig. It used to house a pair of Behringer VAmps, an ART Dual MP, dbx compressor, a MIDIman line mixer, and a couple other things. There’s a power conditioner installed in the back of the thing. Altogether it was just a little more than I was willing to carry on my own, but luckily the other guys in the band were in better shape and liked to show off. This is now pretty much permanently installed in my mix room. I’ll grab a shot of my new live rig (including my US1641) in a bit.