The Secret Science of Stacking Compressors 

What a fantastic explanation. This video could have been twice as long and I'd still be sad it was over. RU-vid abounds with in-DAW tutorials, but what I really crave are these deep explanations of the theory, the why. Thank you so much.

Flatten the transients and bring them up together. 🤦‍♂️This is the first time I’ve understood the logic of it. Thank you!!!!

The only podcast I will nerd out to. Every episode is a milestone👌🏼Thank you for posting awesome and useful tips that give perspective to this process.

Stacking limiters, in mastering, is a trick I use to get my masters loud - without crushing the audio and causing pumping

It was the exact thing I needed to watch.I was just thinking and questioning all these to myself this afternoon and now you come and answering them all and more in a great point of view

This is a really excellent video. I still struggle with compression and figuring out exactly what problem I'm even solving in the first place, so being specific with "these settings to deal with transients, these settings for sustain" is way more helpful than the blanket "do what sounds good" advice you hear parroted. Because amateurs don't really know if what they're hearing sounds good, or how to fix it. Really appreciate this, gonna be checking out the rest of your videos for sure.

Thanks for addressing how different sample vs analog/live performance usage can be. A lot of people forget that and just think about techniques for an instrument type not the source origination.

Great vid! I knew all this but most don’t and you explained it perfectly- nice job!

Couple days ago I checked on Creative sound lab's foldback compression trick. Stacking and feedbacking into a single compressor rack... I'm loving it.

If anyone is looking for a cool trick, following the compressor on the SSL channel (making sure the compression is happening after the EQ) with the LA2A is absolutely fantastic on vocals. I've been doing this for quite some time, and it really keeps the vocals right in your face.

Dude, you're the best. Thanks for the wisdom.

I keep finding time to watch your videos, my friend.

saturation before compression also helps, basically a limiter anyway

Thank you for this, I'm a major benefactor of your podcasts.

Great information. Glad I do a lot of this already, but learned a few new things too. Thanks for all your great content!

So well done, Justin. Thank you again!

Super helpful Justin!! I feel like I’m actually starting to almost understand compression! Lol

Tasty serial compression! Bound to be a popular ‘take-away’. Serial, cereal, surreal. Even comes with a free ‘triple-entendre’. All jest aside, always grateful for your interesting lessons and this was particularly informative to this nerd 🙏😎

OD’n with one compressor will give you the sound of that compressor but at the expense of the performance. Try clip gain, automation, & peak limiting on vocal material. Use your DAW meters as a measurement tool. Try gates, envelope shapers & transient shapers on rhythmic material. Go there first before assuming a compressor is what you need.

Justin is our Superman in the world of Music Production .

Great explanation, might have to get these courses you offer!

Thanks

just read about this today in mixerman's book "musicians survival guide". He does this on vocals and uses EQ before and after each compressor. He was talking to another engineer and they both agree that analog compressors do much better than the plug-in versions in software packages.

Subscribed. This is such good information.

great video, it just makes me wonder how different this could sound with analog vs digital compressors, especially with the examples given of 1176 into LA2A and various plugin versions of the hardware.

Loved it! Serial nerd stuff. I had thought your example would be 1176 into 160/165, instead of 1176 into LA2A? I really thought also in reverse that you would leave all the transients for SNR with slow attack into 1176 fast attack using your ears for balancing that instrument. Good explanation.

Great stuff Justin 👍🏻

hi I'm jindu a mix engineer in Kingston Jamaica luv di vybz man respect

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today i tried stacking compressors on every channel and mix bus. every compressor ssl bus less than 1 db gain reduction and triple stacking the master bus. sounds overkill but worked well.

I believe you can benefit from stacking compressors in electronic music too since compression is not only about transients

What hardware fast compressor can you think of that does very transparent compression for tracking?

Commenting on another older video, Justin... but I was wondering, with stacking compressors, where do you put an EQ? I know the "correct" answer is probably "it depends" - but most people I know in recording/mixing prefer EQing into compression; but I can see reasons to EQ after on the master bus (as long as you don't get crazy with boosting lol). Is there a signal chain you set up just as a matter of course, even if you don't use everything; and is it EQ > compression? Compression > EQ? Compressor 1 > EQ > Compressor 2? Or is it different each time you roll up to your desk?

Really trying to learn this technique more than ever. Currently working on a track where I'm using the SPL IRON and then the Elysia Apha on the mix buss. The SPL adds some thickness and the Alpha is more transparent and precise, and it has the soft clip 😉

Really helpful

some compressors add harmonic content as well - even without dynamics.

Cool bro

(1) How do you eliminate phasing with parallel compression? (2) How do you high pass mix bus compression if the compressor doesn't have a high pass setting?

I made the mistake of using the fastest attack possible on vocals (Rcomp .5 attack and 10 or 11ms release @ 3 or 3.5 to 1 with up to about 7 to 10 DB of gain reduction on the big ass notes) because I was told you were supposed to do that and the mic had esses that were strong and unattractive and that helped catch and round out and sculpt the tone which was nice. The other settings I don't mind...but I wish I had learned to run it with a slower attack setting to keep from stealing the performances. Not only that but I learned to sing overemphasizing certain sounds knowing how they were going to push into the compressor and work in the mix. Then when you get new better mics and equipment you're in hella trouble. You have to learn to resing. It's weird. I'm thinking about using a fabfilter multiband from like 5k up with a fast attack and release to cover the top end transient problems that come with compression, and then a slower comp for the meat of the vocal. Maybe vice versa even. Frequency dependent attack and release. Lots of people just use a desser but i've never found one that sounds good to me and I have just about all of em except the Weiss one that looks hella nice. I've heard people love the 1176 into an la2a but...that la2a tone has never really worked for me. These are ALL great ideas. I love serial compression done the right way. I usually run an L2 or true peak limiter for extreme crest factor peaks of fast notes and transients and then a slower one for the rest of the volume differences which are less aggressive and don't cause as much compressor strain. Long comment but I hope it helps someone. Peace.

that's a common misconception to think that Teletronix LA-2A has a slow atack. It's atack varies from 100 μs to 1 ms program dependant. The slowest atack on UREI1176 RevE is 1 ms. So the same job on processing atacks can be done with either of them. But the release of the LA-2A is super slow and the release curve is different from the 1176. That what makes a perfect combination. Using LA-2A for drums creates much deeper and more distinct room effect.

What about VST instrument, especially superior drummer 3 or omnisphere?, it has already have a great sound

wow you amazing me man

Hi Justin. My name is Mike kelley. You are the best. Do you have some tricks to controlling sibilance. I've been doing this a long time and i still have a hard time with de-essing or just taming the sibilance. I dont feel like i ever get it perfect. one guy i record always wants his lead vocal pitched down and i feel like that also adds to the problem because now my sibilance is lower in the freq range. should i use the original sibilance before the pitch down. i am working on a vocal right now and i tried clip gainging with de-essing and it sounds lispy, so now i undid the clip gain decreases and just stuck with de-essing with the waves f6 with 3 points at which i am controlling in the sibilance range. one for ess, one for f's, and ch's and its the closest ive got to sounding natural although natural went out the window with the pitch down but i have to make it work. thank you

Same surname, with an i added at the end. Could we be distant relatives??

This would have been so much better and more interesting if he just could show some examples of how it SOUNDS along with the talking. (That should be no problem on a podcast.) The theory is fine, but show us the proof of the pudding... before I fall asleep. ;-)

How many minutes till your personal sale pitch ends...?

video doesnt start til 4 minutes in

"let's get right into it" -- 3 minutes later, after shout outs, promos and digressions. Very good content, but you don't get right into it.

very little information stretched out to 20 minutes... eh... I guess that's typical of these "free workshop"tubers