As far as mixing processors go, compression is the second in command after EQ as far as I'm concerned.

EQ is simpler, and as we went over in yesterday's post, a concrete approach and method to EQ'ing usually gives you some pretty good results.

However, compression is a bit more complex but it's also more subjective to the person who's using it.

If your mix is muddy it's just muddy in general to everybody most of the time.

If it's muddy there are a few ways to fix that but it generally revolves around cleaning up the low-mid area.

But compression is different.

Compression is highly subjective and I think you can use it so many different ways.

You can use compression 5 different ways that all sound different but still GOOD. It really just depends on the style you're going for, and the sound you want out of your mix.

That said, there are certain things to keep in mind when you're using compression.

Here are three things to think about:

1. Why?

You've probably heard that professional mixing engineers use compression when they mix. So obviously you should do the same.

But using compression and knowing how to compress are two different things.

It comes down to the mentality of using compression as a tool, not as a crutch.

So instead of slapping a compressor plug-in on each track because that's how you think it's done ask yourself what the end goal of using the compressor is going to be.

• Do you need to tighten the drums?
• Do you need to level the vocals?
• Do you need to tame the attack of the transients?

All of these questions have different compression answers depending on what you're trying to accomplish.

So when things are nicely balanced and EQ'd, the thing you reach for next is the compressor. Only this time you should ask yourself why you're doing it and then try to accomplish those goals.

There is no set it and forget it setting on your compressor!

2. The Importance of Compression Types

A compressor is a compressor is a compressor right?

Wrong.

There are multiple types of compressor types that all sound different.

Let's talk about some of the most common ones:

• FET 
• Opto
• VCA

Any plug-in that emulates a FET(Field Effect Transistor) is emulating an 1176. The 1176 is perhaps the most famous FET compressor. People like to use them to get punchy drums.

The LA2A is an optical compressor. It works a little slower, and doesn’t react as quickly to your audio. It works well for parallel compression since it’s always pumping away in the background, not just when you reach the threshold.

The VCA model is fast and transparent. The VCA model doesn’t color the sound as much as the other models, so they’re ideal when you want your compression to go unnoticed.

Compressors tend to build upon these models. There are different emulations but these are the most common and popular out there. They have a specific sound or character that's different from generic, stock models.

So it's no surprise that an LA2A sounds different than an 1176 in your mix. Their "circuitry" is completely different. That's why many all-in-one compressors have a "type" button that allows you to change the character of the compressor.

The Logic stock compressor has a lot of different models that all sound different.

The Fabfilter Pro-C also has three different types that sound drastically different from each other.

So once you've decided why you're compressing a certain instrument the next question should be what type of compression to I want to use.

3. Two Compressors Doesn't Mean Overcompression

The why of using compression doesn't have to have only one answer. You might need to use compressors for different things on the same track.

That's how these two aforementioned concepts come together.

You can decide that you need to use a fast, FET compressor to tame the peaks of the signal.

• Use a low threshold so that it only reacts to the peaks.
• Use a high ratio so that those peaks will be cut down effectively.
• Use a fast attack and release so it reacts immediately to the peaks but resets just as fast so it doesn't affect the rest of the audio.

But afterwards you might still want to thicken up the track or control the levels even further.

Then you can add a second compressor in serial, and an Opto style LA2A model comes in handy here because it's slow to react and doesn't make your signal sound overly compressed.

You use that compressor on the overall signal to tighten things up.

That way you've used two different compressor models to accomplish two why's of using compression.

Try it out on overly dynamic vocal phrases, irregular guitar performances or inconsistent drummers.

I use this exact technique in the week 3 of the Mixing With 5 Plug-ins Course for one of the vocal performances. I show you both how I do it with a compressor that emulates different models as well as using the actual 1176 and LA2A plug-in emulations so that even if you don't have fancy plug-ins to work with you can still use the technique with whatever plug-ins you have in your DAW, even if it's just the normal stock ones.

The course closes to new members tomorrow so sign up right now and get started with the introductory video, the multi-tracks and the Facebook community.

Here's what Thomas Dash, one of my earlier students. had to say about his experience:

I decided to watch the video step by step which is some kind of copying what has already been done but so I could follow each of the decisions in detail track by track - pausing the video, experimenting with sweeping etc. and do some tweaking here and there. I would strongly recommend this approach because I had some really strongs moments when I heard the first time what the problem at certain instruments and a special frequency really was. It's like a completely different hearing of a track. It's like you're not listening to the instrument anymore - you're listening for ringing and annoying disturbing noises that are in the background of an instrument - hard to explain but you will get there I'm sure... So thanks Björgvin for this experience.

No thank you for the kind words Thomas!

It sounds like he really nailed the act of pinpointing annoying frequencies in the instruments instead of aimlessly wandering around the frequency spectrum.

If you want similar results, grab your membership now before I close it down again.

www.MixingWith5Plugins.com