I could listen to this guy talk about production techniques for days. Always interesting, always knowledge based, always effortless listening. Peace, love & much respect to you sir! Salute!
Excellent video - I have a Drawmer 1960, and when I bought it used, many years ago, my first reaction was that I didn't hear its effect on the music. Thus started my adventure with compressors, and the Sonnox plugins, and TC Electronics,... the world of compressors is fascinating.
Here's a similar trick you can try that I learnt from CLA. set the ratio to zero and attack to it's slowest and release to auto. Turn the threshold to it's lowest now turn the ratio up, you'll immediately hear the compression kick in. Have a play with the attack and release times
Lol, i have to laugh at this point, because i've known about this stuff for years but i have to echo everyone else and say that your presentation of information is so pleasing to follow that i could watch you make a series on everything audio ! A great teacher who i would highly recommend to newcomers and beyond. Of all people you should be selling courses or education in some format.
Thank you ! .... I am kind of ramping up to a full course, but what's ever so useful is we can use all the videos here to gauge the information thats the most useful to everyone ... The history of music technology and production has such an enormous impact on the current toolset but is so often not even discussed and will get lost if our generation ( who still remember the pathway music took over the years ) doesn't propel it forward again ... Thank you for the comment - thoughts like this spur us onto the next topic
@@F9Audio Good point. I agree it could easily get lost. It was an art and development that happened pretty much behind closed doors. The internet has helped to bring a fair bit into public hands, but yes it can easily be left behind. I found the more i learnt about the past, the more i understood the present ;)
Thank you ! ... Having been witness to a whole load of hilarious control room > Live room conversations, we have to make light of all this a little - it's easy to forget it's supposed to be fun !
It's unbelievable that you are so knowledgeable full of valuable information with only 19K subscribers and then you have kids that have no clue about any of than with their pathetic tutorials and they make music with premade splice loops with no knowledge of eqs and compressors and they have 300K subscribers. Such unfair world.
Very kind Jack - We don't run this in the same way as other channels - No wish to chase the YT algorithm as our sound design business is the core - here we are free to get reall decent information out there without the trappings of rankings external sponsorship - Life is all about motivation and that gets lost on YT sometimes - Happy to build naturally and have a great audience.
That "nostalgic" sound from 1980s US FM radio was actually more than just the amazing Optimod. The competition to have the loudest signal was on in many of the top markets and it led to experimentation with some really interesting output chains. The chain from Z100 in the late 80s was: Howe Phase Chaser (used to ensure proper mono audio from tape, where the signal may drift) -> Texar Audio Prisms (early version, with single LED bargraphs) -> EXR Exciter -> Barefoot Optimod 8100 (believe this was even before the company Orban was created) -> CP-803 composite clipper -> Continental 802A exciter -> FM transmitter. Would be fantastic to recreate that chain one day...
Thank you Lars - this is so interesting ... You've now sent me chasing the clipper - I had no idea that even existed and I love the fact this was a broadcast version of the loudness war ... Yes you are right - would be fascinating to put a chain like this together on studio programme material
Once again an absolutely fascinating and brilliantly coherent explanation of compression. Thank you so much for sharing your invaluable knowledge in such an articulate and concise presentation. Your videos are thoroughly enjoyable to watch, Bravo!
Brilliant vídeo, I’ve searched a lot to find videos like this. A series about each piece of iconic audio gear would be amazing to see. Btw Kramer PYE on room mics sounds amazing
Just for info- I believe the EMI TG12345 desks in Abbey Road were the first desks with compression and EQ on every channel. Abbey Road and Dark Side Of The Moon were recorded on those desks. Phil Collins was actually recording drums on a Peter Gabriel album when the got that drum sound with the LMC. Gabriel was experimenting with not using cymbals at the time- that’s an important part of the sound. I met and chatted to the engineer who recorded it- Hugh Padgham. I introduced myself to him by saying “aren’t you the bloke who invented gated reverb?”- which is different but also something he innovated. He is a very nice bloke. P.S Great Videos 👍🏻
Than you Matthew - I also found another sold state before this as well - I sat in front of the TG at British Grove studios a few years back - wonderful thing and still in use for certain projects and I'm so glad they're all get salvaged and restored. My friend Guy interviewed Hugh about this and more right here - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BP8HJingCJY.html I love the fact that loads of booking took place in there afterwards and they did'nt know not to use cymbals ( or overdub them after with out the LMC processing ) as it obliterates the sound .. .Such a shame there were no IRs ( that I know of ) take before the studios were broken up ... I've worked in that room briefly - wonderful place
@@F9Audio nice to see it’s still going. I’ve probably driven past it 100 times and didn’t even realise. The more I read about these old studios it’s depressing- pretty much all of them except Abbey Road have been turned into flats. Yes it’s a shame that they didn’t capture those rooms before they were all turned into bathrooms! At least people seem to be saving as much gear as they can, I’ll check out that video thanks. I really enjoy your videos mate and the way you work with hardware i find it much more inspiring and have a few hardware bits and pieces myself. If you have the time maybe you could do a video where you go through the different genres (obviously not every single one) and talk about a few things that define them, eg tempos, drum sounds, pads etc. Drum and bass, techno etc, what kind of sounds and bass lines they tend to use etc. I think it would be very useful to have one video that gives a quick overview of it all- obviously if you have the time! 👍🏻
I also like using the 160 on distorted guitars, too. Can't beat its RMS detection circuit for bringing out some more life and the "chugginess". Being able to trigger on RMS instead of peak, when the peak level information is gone (sausage waveform) is so useful, especially when you can HPF the sidechain to isolate any squealy guitar sections.
It's such a brilliant design - I came to the 160s late but utterly love my 160X pair at the studio ..I can imagine them on guitars - just great engineering throughout all their products
PART 2!!! I´ve been waiting for this!! :) So much information in both Part 1, and Part 2, I think I´m going to watch both a few times to grasp all of it. This has been extremely educational. :)
Thank you Ben ... 3rd one will wrap this all up in modern working methods and tips and tricks ... let me know if there's anything in particular you want to see in ti
awesome series..!! keep up the good work.. I did my paper on the Sony DASH 24/48 series when I was an intern at sony broadcast & professional back in the day. Only ever seen one in real life, but studied the manual inside out.. crazy machines.
There's a couple of excellent interviews with Trevor Horn and Steve Lipson where thery mention the time when they discovered the offset capabilities between two 3324s during the Frankie Era - Apparently this was the birth of that whole 1st side of Welcome to the Pleasuredome ... Feel very honoured to have used a 3348 - I've never seen anything quite like it and I'm still utterly amazed they managed to get 48 tracks on and off that tape with error correction ... They sounded amazing too - It's almost sad to see them go for next to nothing now ... I feel Sony never really reaped the rewards for it's incredible input to digital audio, and I've often wondered if this was due to the Japanese financial crisis in the 90s
@@F9Audio :) I have to search for that interview, thanks. Sounds interesting. Yeah it's the same with a lot of other equipment back in the day, the first true digital D1 video was sony, as well as the much used digital betacam 2:! format. Used to cost the same as a house, now it might bring in $300,- if you are lucky. I also think Sony never reaped the rewards in many areas either. Maybe it was because a lot of products were based upon other companies successes, such as the excellent oxford console which was based on SSL succes, and the old analog ones were rebranded MCI's. The 8 track digital multitrack were exactly (part fro part) like Tascams answer to ADAT, the ES7 edit station was a bad ripoff from Videomachine & media100. Sony music used to be CBS, sony digital camera's were minolta, etc etc. They did develop some awesome pro level DAT recorders though. And although their video switchers were based on early Grass valley products, the mics, videomonitors and camera's always have been Sony through and through. I don't think the 90s recession was a reason. I know quite some ppl who worked at Sony Europe in the day, and the biggest problem with Sony Japan is that it's basically all different companies running under one name.. So it's not always Sony Audio division, which get the sony components first, it might be another company they sell it to. If all of sony would combine forces, they would be indestructible. The experience & knowledge in pro video / audio,, the software from the PlayStation division, the media contracts from film and music and design of their consumer products...
I'm a big one for individuality John as we are all made genetically different and I hoenstly feel we all hear timings differently ... Bruce Swedien always said he never used them ( although i've heard conflicting stories anecdotally from those who knew assistants of his ) and Michael Braurer has made it his mission to only work with them in an extreme way ... The great thing is there is room for everything and I encourage all to find their own preferred way to work - cherry pick what works for you and ignore all that doesnt - a way to a happy life in sound I feeel
Supporting this channel right away. Subscribe! We need more rational and educational alternatives, to all these endless RU-vid channels of "bedroom audio experts" - with no or little real life studio experience. Advertising and self promotion. 😊
Love these videos and hearing more about the development and evolution of music technology. Truely amazing. I would love to hear more about using compressors in a mix, instead of just the technical side. By now I am familiar with all the parameters, but I am still struggling to hear compression and use it in my music at the right amount. In addition, I would like to hear your opinion on producing right into a master chain with a compressor. (e.g. in Reason Studios turning the master bus compressor on during the producing phase to get this louder and glued sound right away). Anyway, thanks for these videos and I am excited for the next one.
You're such an excellent producer.. and teacher - thanks for that (and all other) vids.. learning a lot.. my main issue with compressors is simply: which compressor for what, how much or less and what settings to use on which instrument and in which case :/ or smth like.. do i need a bus compressor if my instrument is already compressed well within the stack? or the other way around: no instrument compression at all if i do bus compression..? way too many options available.. could u maybe make part 3 with some examples of "ideal cases" would be awesome 🙏 thank you!
You have pretty much described the script for Video 3 ! ... These two were all about the terminology and history as it's vital to understand when confronted with the options we have ... I would though in the meantime ask you to try something - instead of asking yourself - "How do I compress this, element, buss or mix ? ' ... Ask yourself "why am I compressing? " often this answers your own question and if you nail down a thought process along these lines, you'll create your own unique workflows that sound right for you ... Those last two words are crucial - "for you' .. you are an individual and your ears are unique so someone else's compressor attack settings are unlikely to sound right to you
@@F9Audio right.. will try that out, i mainly want to keep the loundness even and the instrument more present when i use a compressor but often im way too confused by the many options and cant feel confident that i have done enough / the right thing or still too less to contribute to the overall mix benifically.. also because if i compress instrument a, instr. b changes too only due to the relation in the overall mix.. such things often block me from the musical, fun part of a song creation, to make it groovy etc.. which freaks me out sometimes..anyway looking forward to the vid, again: thanks a lot 👍 great to learn stuff from a house legend
i wanted to add that this is pretty much the same with eqing as it also influences the volume.. i often find myself gain staging my overall mix ten, twenty times or more when i do adjustments where i feel they could better.. and thats very tiresome..not my fav part of making music ;) but great that u also show the history of everything, it def. helps for the question "why actually".. also loved that house music history vid 👍👍
These are perfect points and I must admit I was the same for years ... It took me to start F9 where i had no choice but to do lots of steps repeatedly to gain confidence - that's the key word -"confidence' .. The moment you can gain some of that, you'll not get paralysed by the voice inside or the choices that seem endless sometimes I'm planning a whole video on our (immensely annoying ) internal critics and show how I managed to get mine at least mostly under control - For the moment though, restrict yourself to say 3 compressors and try them again and again - don't ever get upset if the results are bad - that's only natural - just remember exactly what you did when something sounds great and then ask "why is that sounding great ?" .. if you can work that out from the settings then you can repeat it Which DAW are you on by the way ?
@@F9Audio ok yes.. sounds great, thanks 👍 i use logic and im a house head since the early defected days.. freemasons, shapeshifters, disco darlings, michael grey etc was the time when i came to house which i think until today is the groove that its my head when i make a track / influences me.. ;) so im more into the soulful/funky side of house or music.. in general.. so its double cool for me that theres F9 👍 to be really honest for me also simply one compressor would do the job, propably because i still cant find the hugh difference between them until today but i want to keep learning especially on the mixing part, i think the musical part is quite decent already..producing is kinda a long lasting hobby passion of me.. what i also finding out again and again is that less is more, less compression for a fuller song and snappier transients.. (but hard to find the balance between this and "too weak") im still working on a go-to way for myself for each step eq, compressing etc. where i feel confident, but too many opinions on the net and ways how people do it, doesnt make it much easier.. so its constant trial and error.. and thats time intense beside a regular job..another question i ask myself: why not do parallel compression only? isnt it more convienent to just dial in the bus with a super strong compressor instead of compressing each individually? but then why would u still need a compressor on a track at all if everyone would do it like that..i really lack a bit of theory / too many questions in my head.. but dont wanna give up ;)
No it's a TLA Desk - absolutely love it - We had the newer ( unbalanced ) version during the Freemasons era and it's here for a few releases Tickling that sound again
I'll try and roll it all together into a practical video using the plugins we now have but refernecing the history and making sure the question being asked is always "why' should we reach for a compressor ?
SSL is just OTT/Soundgoodizer for boomers... Actually, nah, scratch that, a lot of zoomers like me use that glue compressor from cytomic... Legendary vid, hope to see part 3 soon.