Not gonna lie this is like the best video to go back to so you don’t have to waste time applying and testing every different type of compressor I recommend everyone save this vid for reference
Summary BUS Compressors DRUM BUS - VCA BASS BUS - FET(1176) or VCA for fast songs OPTO (LA2A) Tube (Fairchild) - finger slow songs GUITARS VCA - SSL comp or API 2500 - Never use FET -OPTO can only be used smoothing out acoustic -Tube nice color to help guitars seat on a mix, spec on mid temp music VOCALS -LA2A and 1176 in unison -LA2A and other OPTO - Aggressive vocals (FETS) -Tube is amazing on vocals
Great stuff! Probably diode-bridge compressors (like the Neve 2254 and 33609 or the Chandler Zener Limiter) would have deserved to be mentioned as they are favourites for many of the sources showcased in this video (and they tend to have quite flexible parameters too). Also it's not completely true that opto compressors don't have fully tweakable attack and release times: the old LA-2A and LA-3A don't, but there are many optos which do have tweakable attack and release, like the Tube-Tech CL-1B, the Pendulum OCL-2 and even the FMR Audio RNLA!
I mostly use SSL Comp on Drums and sometimes bass. I usually use DBX 160 on bass, guitars and keys. I stumbled across this video Ive been meaning to study the difference of FET ,VCA and Opto . Thankful for this vid I will look at the breakdowns you have as well. I was used to getting into the session and going which I've had many good outcomes but I want to still know more. Blessings man be cool and safe!!!!
Never really had the time to sit down and compare different bus compressors like this! Thanks! Mostly just reinforced my tastes, but some things stood out as things I'll definitely have to try on my next mix.
For more "compression sensitive" things like clean, low-mid gain guitars and vocals (i'm personally, really particular on vocal compression.)- The native Cubase compressor turned to peak focus, has always been a reliable bus compressor in my toolbox. It's totally digital, but has a transparent sound that'll work on any source. One third-party comp that I do love on select sources; is Kush's Novatron. It can have a lot of color and vibe, stay clean, or get nice and dirty depending on the settings- but it sounds massive and magnificent! It's a beast in of itself! Otherwise, I'm a VCA guy for the 2-bus and drum duties. Not big on the Waves SSL versions though!
I almost replace most my compressor on my channels and busses with Novatron it’s like a swiss army knife. Can go fetish, fairchildish, and vca.. and sounds amazing on master bus glueing mixes.. best on drum bus! Versatility is insane..
@@joeymusic I trust the developer because he’s a drummer, a producer, and also part of making the hardware it was emulated on. And has the best compression hearing tutorial on youtube Ive seen so far.
Good stuff. Did I miss something or did most of the examples have a static image of the plugin? Would have been great to see the GR. Still useful though. Thanks!
Lmao because that’s how I know them. I have the hardware versions of all of these except the tube ones. The plugins are made to act like their hardware equivalents so I hope it gets the point across 😀 -Miami
I've been doing some things this way but when it came to guitars it was a few things I experimented and somewhat tried doing what I saw Engineers use on here within the box (ITB). I was against double stacking compression on vocals but you've taught me it's cool on vocal buss itself. I've been working on Jazz a lot but once I tap into this vocal stuff I want it to be on point.I do Live Sound as well!! Thanks for this info!!!
The attack of tube comps are actually very similar to classic VCAs. It’s the release which is usually slower. The G bus and Fairchild both share a minimum attack of 200ms just different slapback tendancies 😂
WOW, tube does sound great in vocals. The 1176 + LA2A combination used to be my go to choice, I like that the 1176 makes stuff even and upfront and the LA2A kinda beefs it all up. How do you guys use the tube ones? Alone or in exchange for the LA2A (or the other)?
I do the same thing, but with a Nakamichi CR-7 cassette deck that I bought from the thrift store for about $25. It sounds a lot better than those plugins and restores most of the analog soul that the DAW has managed to snatch away
@@MrMahn21 Because you cant control the coloring apart from the compression on those plugins. More control means you can make it more like how it sounds in your head. Also not sounding like everyone else is important. This is for a mixing and mastering perspective.
Analog Emulations changes phasing through harmonic distortion. The only real reason besides saturation to use Analog Emulators. Your argument isn’t valid because it does more than simple color as every unit pushes different harmonics and changes in the time domain. Use what ever the mix bus needs. Sometimes it‘s a fast digital linear compression, sometimes it‘s the non-linearity that you need.
I love to use SSL on everything, except bass I like to use API for bass. 1176 works on almost everything, even if it's weird somehow it's still awesome! Great video !
Id honsetly love a clear document on all the compressors and their specialties so I have a quick reference. My gold fish memory wont remember any of this haha. Still a great video!
I dont compress hi gain, and hardly compress mid gain, I compress cleans loads (usually with the Klanghelm DC1A3 for clean , Mid gain, or Leads). Bass I tend to use what ever I feel like at the time, and for me I worry more about the saturation/clipping and just use the comp too catch peaks Drums I use an 1176 Emulation on the stereo bus I used an SSL based plugin into a Klanghelm MJUCjr (the MJUCjr is just for glue and the needle hardly moves, it adds depth to the low end, the SSL on auto giving 1-3 Db gain reduction) I use Saturation as well on Buses
Glad you commented on it. There was actually zero change. I think they forgot to put a real bass being compressed by the different compressors so they could be put to test. Why use a midi bass that's already hyper compressed as an example? Clearly the bass example part was a mistake. The rest was awesome.
Ive been searching for hours to whether me putting limiters after my bus comp is a normal thing? Apparently not, but the fact you think in the same way is good enough for me. Control those dynamics completely
Great video! Thank you. I do have a question about Vocal compression. You mentioned using an LA-2A and a 1176 in unison. Do you mean in a series? 1176 first then a LA-2a in the inserts?
this is great stuff. i know this is off topic but wasnt there supposed to be a Free sample pack coming up of drum samples? i think awhile back you ask for participants to send in their drum samples.
In this song I sent everything. Sometimessss I’ll send the shells to one bus and cymbals to another bus. Using a slower comp on the cymbals makes them not as bitey and using a vca on the shells really let’s you dial in the attack and release appropriate for the song -Miami
Could the compressor be the reason my guitars mid-high range is grindly hissy? When I cut the gain I lose tone, when I cut the highs it loses power .. but there is a consistent hiss, almost like someone breathing hot breath on the you 😩 You know, like when someone's breath is terrible but they want you to know it. Yeah, that sound.
What about compressors that aren't analogue modeled like most stock compressors, how do they fit into this and what settings wiuld you recommend, since most of them are really adaptable which overwhelms you with options a bit. I use Maximus for both singleband and multiband compression and I'm gonna be honest, I usually just f*ck around and find out, since i don't really know any guidelines for what settings are good for what. A lot of tutorials like this always asume that you are working with analogue modeled stuff that doesn't have a lot of options so the type is important for specific tasks but I'm gonna be honest, I just dont have the money to waste it on a dozen different compressors. I mean if I want 'colour' I can just use a saturation plugin, no need for expensive analogue modeled stuff.
The only thing wrong you said was about drum shells there dynamic range of maple, birch and poplar are not that different and remember Led Zeppelin recorded a hole album with using just a room mic to record drums. It’s more about the mic vs the actual drum set. Even though you can use cheap mics and get really good results.
Aehm ... am i not getting things right , but you are not compressing anything on the bass compressors... the needle at the klanghelm is not even moving and it always depends on the input signal what you are compressing... I may make myself a fool here but only the first compressor from waves seem to compress... or the gui's are not showing whats happening... am I wrong ? And this is not to just troll ... I am not gettin it here at the bass ;-) Can you explain ? Cheers TweakerRay
okay... I may be fooled myself... I guess you just showed a still picture of the compressors ? But thats make no sense to me either... since you don't see whats happening here... hmmm...
okay at the vocal buss you see whats happening... since the plugin is movin... but not at bass buss and not at guitar bus... sorry... you might have good points but explaining it like this is a little strange to me...
I wanted to view... but droning on and on (likely due to to repeated video chops in close succession) without natural vocal pauses... on TOP of a music bed turned into a stream of noise to me. I'm only sharing my experience in the "off chance" that the criticism may serve to aid, especially of others experienced the same.
It's hard to believe these videos these days. It's so annoying if someone repeats untruths. Everyone talks about compression and no one has even one microphone at home, only the one built into the camera or phone. 😂
@@joeymusic RU-vidrs talk a lot about mixing, compression, equalization, how and when. But none of them released any good album. And people believe them in this talk.
@@SpendCroof I was also in a band with millions of streams across platforms that I wrote, produced, edited, and mixed for. What point are you trying to make? -Miami
@@joeymusic What I'm trying to say is that people are duplicating untruths. RU-vid It's a garbage dump when it comes to information. Why no one wants to tell the truth about audio. They focus on. Compression and where are basic facts? Poor people must think that Buy Yamaha ms 10 and La2a, 1176, - This make them sound engineers. others think that if they will be something in front of the 4k camera, people will believe it.