I've *paid* for recording masterclasses that had less concrete information... I'm a tad envious of people who are starting out in audio with ressources of this quality and I think you're doing the community a great service with this easy to understand, "concepts applied to a real scenario" format. Thanks for the great video :)
17 years into my recording and music production journey and I'm still learning new compression tricks and perspectives. Thanks for the great video, Colt!
THIS ! Is the comprehensive and understandable tutorial I think we've all been searching/waiting for. Playing the track while making REAL adjustments helps much more than saying "this or that level is where you wanna be" Seeing and hearing the real time application of level changing , attack and release settings and practical application of setting the correct depth of the vocal in the mix. Good stuff bro!
Hi Colt. I am a frustrated home hobbyist who has struggled with with compression since my 1st mix. Your tutorial is BY FAR the best Compression tutorial I have watched in the past couple of years.. You are a gifted engineer and teacher. Gifted Engineers are a blessing, Gifted Teachers willing to share their passion are twice the blessing. I learned more from you in this one video than I have in the past 2 years combine. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge in such a humble and down to earth, comprehensive presentation. -Jay
I have found dozens of “how to compress vocals” RU-vid vids, most of which are focused on recommended settings and levels rather than what you did, which is succinctly breaking down the aspects of what makes up compression, individually and as a whole. Now instead of just using recommended levels, I feel like I have more freedom make my own choices based on the new knowledge and understanding. Very well done, Colt. Subscribed and thank you!
Best explanation of compression I have ever heard. I work in the CNC machine world and a lot of this relates to how we dial in servos and amplifiers. Come in hot and the machine is in your face and bucking like a bull. Come in slow and easy with ramps and acceleration, it then is as smooth as a baby’s bottom
Dude, this was fantastic. This is exactly the type of content I'm looking for. The way the release time affects our perception of distance is way cool! Thanks so much for doing this.
OMG how many of these compressor videos have I sat thru and not understood or heard the difference. COLT!!!!! you are the MAN!!! when you had me listen to that vocal as you turned down the release time on the 1176 I could so easily hear the vocals getting pushed back into the mix. Also, using COUNTRY Artist for the example was so rare!!! Thanks so much for your work.
Wow. I just want to let you know as someone who’s been trying to learn how to mix vocals in his spare time for 3 years, out of the hundreds of videos I’ve watched about compression, you have single-handedly blown them out of the water. With your descriptiveness, and how you explain HOW and WHY each and every knob of the compressor does what it does. Great job, great video, and you’ve earned my subscription, keep up the great work and thank you 🙌🏿
Most valuable point mentioned in the video for me: Set the compressor so at the quietest part, there's no compression. That's HUGE man. I've done weird things automating compressors in the past, which usually leads to uneven, unnatural changes. THANKS COLT! :D
Having watched many dozens of RU-vid videos explaining compression, I think this must be the best compression tutorial on all of RU-vid! I fully understand everything you did because you explained it so well and in such detail. To my ears the vocal sounded more pop in style after you applied the third compressor, so I am gonna try that when working with highly dynamic vocals in pop songs. My favourite tip you shared is checking the softest part of the vocal does not get compressed - brilliant idea! Thanks for all the amazing tips!
This was highly informative as I am just figuring out the tech side later in life. You did a great job keeping it relatable and moving the information forward without feeling rushed.
Dude, you did a great job of explaining some good old head techniques in a short RU-vid video. Learning this craft in the pre-internet days was a whole lot of “what happens if I do this?” And man let me say that compression was the hardest thing for me to understand entirely. You gave 30 years of trial and error and consulting by phone with friends to a lot of people here, for free, in a concise and well instructed video. Also, that chorus is an ear worm, and pop country is not something I enjoy listening to. Good job to you and the artist
I made it all the way to the end of this video! Really good explanation of how compression impacts the track and how the parameters wrk without getting too technical. Regardless of whether someone chooses to use your strategies, knowing the techniques to consider are a tremendous value. This one should be kept and watched multiple times.
man, i d like you to be there to give you a high 5. So efficient lesson, which takes us much further than most of other Chanels. Thank you, thank you !
Hey Colt. My name is Ifil Shortte. I'm from St. Vincent and the grenadines. You are by far the best teacher on these subjects. I love listening to you. Thank you so much for such in-dept enlightenment ...
Hey there! Without the need of being rude or pedantic, most people get the attack and release wrong. 😅 The attack is the rate at which the compressor reaches the desired amount of gain reduction and the release is the rate at which the compressor restores that amount of gain. Both happen instantaneously, once the signal goes above/below the threshold. There is no delay between the crossing of the threshold and the compression attack on that signal. It’s a design thing especially the beginners should grasp I think. Sorry for the intrusion. 🤐
This is the first explanation in the past couple of years that I've been trying to grasp an understanding of compression, that actually made sense to me. Maybe the information you provided isn't exactly new or different than what i've heard before, but the way you executed your explanation and teaching style was everything I needed for something to click, man! Definitely subbed.
It's extraordinary how much sheer value you offer here. Really puts to rest the argument of those who try to mix with their eyes..."He's burrying the needle, can't be right". haha. But the results you demonstrate in this video are spot on imho. Dude's vocal ended up near perfect in the song! Thanks, for sharing!
Great Video! About Attack-Time: What you said is what most Peaple saying about Attack-Time. But I am not sure if that's really correct. I think it's the Time how long it needs to reach the full Attenuation. And not when the Attunation begins. That is more what I hear when Compression happens. And that explain me why a Compressor has a Groove. If the Attack-Time is faster then the Transient you will hear less Transient and so on like you learned.
Fair point, I was just doing my best to explain it in a way that someone who had no idea what compression was could understand it. Thanks for the comment!
Thanks for these videos man. The info you give is invaluable for us newbies. Compression is tricky. It is also very commonly used as an effect I have noticed on certain sections of songs or instruments such as intros or a small bridge to give the effect of being almost in the background or to give a section in front a build of volume. It took me a long time to understand compression and how to use it. Still learning. This was very useful. Thanks so much for your time!
I made it to the end of the video.Good Job Colt.That Ross vocal sounded Rich when you stacked the Fabfilter MB Comp on top of the UA1176.Wow.good song too.
This is so awesome. You really give valuable information and let us know new tricks in a very simplified manner without asking us to sign for a course to get the whole thing. Thank you man for this.
The info you give in your videos is gold... it took me years to understand things and get to a certain level and you display it and explain it in a fast and simple way. Really great content you have here...
@@ColtCapperrune Could you use a shorter Manley cable for your mic? I had Manley make me one for mine, but mine is a 7 pin limited edition, yours is a 6 pin. They didn’t want this one back and still sent me the correct one. I forget exactly, but I think it is 12’ long. I am happy to send it to you as a thank you gesture if you think you’d use it. All I need is an address. Thanks for all the vids!!
Thanks for this tutorial. I'm brand new to production and I love how you quickly cover the basics so that newbies can follow along with the more in depth stuff. Also, I made it to the end.
Some basics of what I learnt in the 70s: A compressor, and amplifier whose output decreases as the input increases. An expander, an amplifier whose out increases as the input decreases. A limiter, and amplifier whose output stays the same as the input increases. anything over 10 to 12 db is considered a limiter (debatable)
Great stuff, man. I've been digging heavily into the technical side of recording and mixing for the past 6+ years and I've never seen the affect of release time demonstrated. Cool tip. Thanks!
I was like woah that 1176 plugin looks so realistic, and then I realized it was a real one lol! Thanks for this amazing deep dive, I really enjoyed it and appreciate your education content!
Awesome Channel and i like the fact that you are not trying to sell some class or mixing course. This gave you so much more credibility! Thanks for mentoring
I appreciate everything you do for the sake of educating us newer engineers. You’re videos are thorough and very inspiring. Made it to the end of the video and im happy to be a subscriber
Normally i m annoyed by too many promotions advertisements but unlike other compressor vids online i found this vid pretty useful and better than others. so i ll subscribe .
Damn straight I made it to the end of the video! So grateful for you taking the time to upload content like this, that’s taken you years to master, and we get it for free!
I Enjoyed How you Enjoyed Breaking Down The Science of Compression... I've Gained more from you Than All others on This Subject, So I Aspire to Make you Proud of Me One Day.
Thank you for the hours upon hours of work behind each video you put out! It’s all about helping everyone make good music. Nobody should have secrets. Music is not a competition, it’s an art. I appreciate you sharing your techniques and knowledge!
You really explained the 1176 so simply I haven’t heard anyone say it was a fixed threshold they always made it seam more complicated than it was but that really helped me understand thank you!!
Thanks for the video in this longer form. Ive been struggling with working on vocal compressors. It was nice to see and hear what you were doing. Made some light bulbs go off! Thanks again!
I not only watched the entire video but I will also probably watch it 2 or 3 more times and probably take some notes as well…. That was probably the most In depth real world training on how compressors work and how they affect the sound of what you are compressing I have ever seen.
I'm starting mixing after years of playing music I don't hear everything yet, but I just watched your video and I'm like "boom. Went further with this plugin" Thanks !
I'm so glad you explained about the 1 and 7 numbers being slow and fast, I've struggled with learning about compression, and I was even more confused than usual. It's often the details we miss out, that might help someone like me finally figure something out. Cheers. Great Sound by the way
