Mix Bus Compression Guide
Posted: Sat May 13, 2017 6:21 pm
Right then, a simple guide here to compressing your 2bus/master bus.
Part 1:
1stly why would you want to compress your master bus? Don`t mastering engineers tell you not to?
Well, for dance music in general, and especially techno, master compression really is a part of the sound for dynamic drum based music, and you are missing something if you don`t do it *properly*. Mastering engineers tell you (if they know what they are doing and not just repeating shit they have been told or read online) to take off stuff from your master bus generally if it is effecting the dynamics where loudness is the consideration. A good mastering engineer should have no problem with compression done for colour and for creating dynamic movement. I have no problem with it as mastering engineer, providing it has been done properly.
What mix bus (master channel, or whatever you want to call it) compression can do for you is a number of things. It will glue the mix together, but also it can provide a cohesive glue to the groove of the mix, adding more movement to the overall sound that works sympathetically with the whole groove. It can add punch and that "secret special sauce" that makes the mix work.
To do so you will need a "musical" compressor, which I will explain later.
Do not be afraid of doing this, it actually is fairly simple a process.
So to begin with you want to "mix in" to your mix bus compression. That is, when you start making your tune, the compressor is sitting over the mix bus right from the beginning. That way your mix is always tuned to that compression. Adding compression later can change tonal balance and dynamic balance in ways you might not want.
So pick your compressor. For this example I will be using the Klanghelm MJUC Variable Tube Compressor. It`s pretty awesome and at 28 euros, crazy not to own it.
I also am attaching to this tutorial an example Ableton project (tough shit if you don`t use it) that you can download and look at. You will need the MJUC, but everything is with stock ableton plugins (latest full version, sorry crackheads) and stock ableton samples.
So, throw your compressor on to your mix bus.
1stly, once you have the basics of a groove down, some drums and bass and synth or whatever, we can start tuning the comp.
Take your bass channel and mute it for the time being.
Set your compressor attack to it`s fastest setting, set the release to it`s slowest setting. Dial the ratio to around mid way (roughly between 2 and 4 to 1).
Now with the music running, pull down the threshold until you get compression, we are going extreme first off, so keep lowering the threshold until you get around 6-8 db gain reduction.
Now slowly dial back the compression release until you get some pumping going on, continue doing so until the sound is pleasingly rhythmic and works with your groove (albeit in an extreme way).
Now slowly dial back the attack, you will hear the body of your kick drum returning, dial it back until your kick is comfortably back to the thump that it had pre-compression.
Now unmute your bass, this will probably throw everything out, so firstly you`ll probably want to reduce the bass channel volume a little to let the kick through and also to reduce the size increase the compression will have given it.
Next you want to find the sidechain control on your compressor, it might be called sidechain, hi pass, EQ, or sidechain EQ. But you want to hi pass/low cut out the low lows so your kick is the thing the compressor responds too rather than your deep bass. Normally 60hz or higher will do the job.
Ok, now dial back the threshold until you have between 1 and 3 db of gain reduction.
You may then want to retune the other elements in the mix just to re-address your overall mix balance, and possibly bring up the make-up gain on the compressor to return your tune to a decent listening level (or higher if you want).
That`s about it for the basics.
Now as you add elements to your tune and EQ them they will be done inside the compression and so will be made to fit.
Periodically check your levels going in to the compressor, you may need to pull down all your channel levels as you add tracks (always helps to have a meter before your comp on the mix bus, satson users will already be doing this (or other console emulation people), and/or adjust your compressor threshold to make sure the gain reduction isn`t rising above 1-3db (but never entirely returning to zero. You always want the compressor to be "working").
And that`s your deal.
Now some compressors are better than others, I use the MJUC as it mimics the characteristics of variable mu compressors, which respond in a program dependent way, so your attack and release settings work alongside to the way the compressor reacts, on it`s own, to the input. This would be called a "musical" compressor.
I`ll make a list of other great soft-compressors on another post in this thread, as they all exhibit different audio response and have different curves to the attack and release portion.
With the MJUC I recommend you start with the Mk2 setting as it is a good middle ground between the mk1 (very program dependent, fairchild like) and the mk3 (less program dependent, much more reliant on your attack and release control, a very modern comp), as it is a great place to start. And the example ableton project I include is using this comp on the mk2 mode.
Try just running the loop and switching the compressor in and out (I have gain corrected so the level stays the same, allowing you to hear the difference).
Without compression the groove kinda falls apart a bit, loses it`s swing, and the elements disconnect a little. Switch it back in and things start moving and swinging as the comp pushed and pulls the sound, and sticks it together a little.
Any further questions, stick em in the thread. Maybe someone can sticky this as well, as I still don`t think I can.
Part 2: Further down this thread
Part 1:
1stly why would you want to compress your master bus? Don`t mastering engineers tell you not to?
Well, for dance music in general, and especially techno, master compression really is a part of the sound for dynamic drum based music, and you are missing something if you don`t do it *properly*. Mastering engineers tell you (if they know what they are doing and not just repeating shit they have been told or read online) to take off stuff from your master bus generally if it is effecting the dynamics where loudness is the consideration. A good mastering engineer should have no problem with compression done for colour and for creating dynamic movement. I have no problem with it as mastering engineer, providing it has been done properly.
What mix bus (master channel, or whatever you want to call it) compression can do for you is a number of things. It will glue the mix together, but also it can provide a cohesive glue to the groove of the mix, adding more movement to the overall sound that works sympathetically with the whole groove. It can add punch and that "secret special sauce" that makes the mix work.
To do so you will need a "musical" compressor, which I will explain later.
Do not be afraid of doing this, it actually is fairly simple a process.
So to begin with you want to "mix in" to your mix bus compression. That is, when you start making your tune, the compressor is sitting over the mix bus right from the beginning. That way your mix is always tuned to that compression. Adding compression later can change tonal balance and dynamic balance in ways you might not want.
So pick your compressor. For this example I will be using the Klanghelm MJUC Variable Tube Compressor. It`s pretty awesome and at 28 euros, crazy not to own it.
I also am attaching to this tutorial an example Ableton project (tough shit if you don`t use it) that you can download and look at. You will need the MJUC, but everything is with stock ableton plugins (latest full version, sorry crackheads) and stock ableton samples.
So, throw your compressor on to your mix bus.
1stly, once you have the basics of a groove down, some drums and bass and synth or whatever, we can start tuning the comp.
Take your bass channel and mute it for the time being.
Set your compressor attack to it`s fastest setting, set the release to it`s slowest setting. Dial the ratio to around mid way (roughly between 2 and 4 to 1).
Now with the music running, pull down the threshold until you get compression, we are going extreme first off, so keep lowering the threshold until you get around 6-8 db gain reduction.
Now slowly dial back the compression release until you get some pumping going on, continue doing so until the sound is pleasingly rhythmic and works with your groove (albeit in an extreme way).
Now slowly dial back the attack, you will hear the body of your kick drum returning, dial it back until your kick is comfortably back to the thump that it had pre-compression.
Now unmute your bass, this will probably throw everything out, so firstly you`ll probably want to reduce the bass channel volume a little to let the kick through and also to reduce the size increase the compression will have given it.
Next you want to find the sidechain control on your compressor, it might be called sidechain, hi pass, EQ, or sidechain EQ. But you want to hi pass/low cut out the low lows so your kick is the thing the compressor responds too rather than your deep bass. Normally 60hz or higher will do the job.
Ok, now dial back the threshold until you have between 1 and 3 db of gain reduction.
You may then want to retune the other elements in the mix just to re-address your overall mix balance, and possibly bring up the make-up gain on the compressor to return your tune to a decent listening level (or higher if you want).
That`s about it for the basics.
Now as you add elements to your tune and EQ them they will be done inside the compression and so will be made to fit.
Periodically check your levels going in to the compressor, you may need to pull down all your channel levels as you add tracks (always helps to have a meter before your comp on the mix bus, satson users will already be doing this (or other console emulation people), and/or adjust your compressor threshold to make sure the gain reduction isn`t rising above 1-3db (but never entirely returning to zero. You always want the compressor to be "working").
And that`s your deal.
Now some compressors are better than others, I use the MJUC as it mimics the characteristics of variable mu compressors, which respond in a program dependent way, so your attack and release settings work alongside to the way the compressor reacts, on it`s own, to the input. This would be called a "musical" compressor.
I`ll make a list of other great soft-compressors on another post in this thread, as they all exhibit different audio response and have different curves to the attack and release portion.
With the MJUC I recommend you start with the Mk2 setting as it is a good middle ground between the mk1 (very program dependent, fairchild like) and the mk3 (less program dependent, much more reliant on your attack and release control, a very modern comp), as it is a great place to start. And the example ableton project I include is using this comp on the mk2 mode.
Try just running the loop and switching the compressor in and out (I have gain corrected so the level stays the same, allowing you to hear the difference).
Without compression the groove kinda falls apart a bit, loses it`s swing, and the elements disconnect a little. Switch it back in and things start moving and swinging as the comp pushed and pulls the sound, and sticks it together a little.
Any further questions, stick em in the thread. Maybe someone can sticky this as well, as I still don`t think I can.
Part 2: Further down this thread