Today I wanted to talk a little bit about compression and give you a sneak peak video into the compression chapter of Mixing With 5 Plug-ins (get a $50 discount if you order before tonight).

Applying Compression

Compression is a never-ending subject for me. I always feel like I learn new ways to use compression with every mix I do. Sometimes it’s as simple as slapping on an LA2A and calling it a day, sometimes I wrangle with the attack and release without getting the punch I want out of the instrument.

That said, here are a few techniques I tend to use when I'm applying compression.

Preset Mixing

A technique that can often help to speed up your mixing is starting with presets.

I often pick a preset that seems to offer what I’m looking for but then I tweak it according to the song and the track.

Obviously the preset designers haven’t listened to the song I’m mixing but starting with a preset puts me in the ballpark of what I’m going for.

Compression presets can work great as a starting point. Often all you need to do is adjust the threshold so that the right amount of gain reduction is reached.

Submixing

If you’ve followed my methods of top-down or middle-out mixing then you might be wondering where to put the compressors.

What I tend to do is put compressors on each submix and group to glue all the tracks together.

Then, if the individual tracks need some extra punch I’ll experiment with more compressors there. The trick to using a lot of compressors throughout the signal path is to not compress a lot each time. So aim for a few dBs of gain reduction on the groups to tighten them up, and then use your own judgement on the individual tracks as to how much more gain reduction you need to apply.

What’s The Point of Compression?

A good rules of thumb when using compression is asking yourself:

“Why am I compressing this track?”

Always have a reason for compressing something.

If you have a problem with the peaks then know what you’re targeting when you add a compressor to the track, like with the vocal tip above. If you need thickness to your drums, know how you can go about it with high ratios. But if you throw compression on a track and it doesn’t sound better no matter what you do then maybe you should just leave it off.

It’s perfectly fine (and fun!) to experiment with different compressor settings once you’re learning to use them, especially when you’re figuring out which compression style works the best on which tracks.

But in the end, having a plan and a goal whenever you’re adding compression to a track is more efficient and effective when you’re working for clients and not just for fun.

Finally, the one simple rule to live by if you're just tweaking and experimenting to see what comes of it is simply:

“Tweak it until it sounds good!”

It’s really as simple as that.

Watch the video below for more tips on using your compressor effectively, and if you like what you see head on over and become a Mixing With 5 Plug-ins member before the discount runs out at midnight.