Compression settings for mastering how to#

IвЂ™d say try sharp sections around 4khz to 8, then another one until 11khz and even compress above that with a 3rd section to create what we call pixie dust.

This can be a combination of adding thickness or stimulating the transients. Dull mix: A dull mix usually needs brightness which can be created by stimulating the highs and mid highs.This is a way to control the harshness and presence often very useful to create wobble, rubbery movement. I like to control the highs over 7khz in a way were they donвЂ™t hit aggressively but will have the mids over 1khz enter smoothly. Crazy swirl: Sometimes transitional effects are great but can be not appropriate for your song.You could even lower your section to hit all the way down to 90hz to get some analog feel. IвЂ™d also compress between 4 and 8khz to add some shimmering, which is like adding thickness. Pale pad: Again, say a weak pad needs presence, beefiness between 250 and 600 hz.

Compression settings for mastering how to#

Beef up the first section with slow attack and high ratio and aim to add punch up there (refer to the notes above regarding how to do this).

Wimpy percussion: If your percussion needs presence, thickness and power, set your crossovers so you can control whatвЂ™s happening between 200hz and 800, then up to 3khz.

Now, here are some situations where the effects of multi-band compression can be useful: Ideal for finishing touches, multi-band compression can also be used to bring forward parts of your sounds in the most effective way. You can then shape the tone of a sound or mix, or extract minute details. My perspective on multi-band compressors is that I use them like a shelving EQ where I control each sectionвЂ™s aesthetics in a different way. 200hz) and the other crossover will be where the mids end and the highs start (ex. You set the lower crossover which will set where the low end ends in the mids (ex. For instance, AbletonвЂ™s 3-band multi band will have 2 of crossover frequencies. A crossover is simply a frequency you set. The multi-band compressor has an additional feature: the use of crossovers that set points for where each section starts and ends. Therefore, you can set thickness in the mids, control the high-mids for harshness, and enhance the highвЂ™s transients with a single compressor, but with different settings for each section. The multi-band compressor works exactly as the use-cases explained above, but with a multi-band compressor, we can set a range of frequencies to be affected. The ratio is how much of that effect you want in action, and the release is for how long. A slow attack is to enhance the beginning of the sound.

To sum it up, a fast attack makes the compressor react quickly, which means it is there to control something. Experiment with exaggerated effects and then tone it down. Again, parallel compression, slow attack, high ratio. Very similar to thickness and punch, youвЂ™ll want to add this to multiple channels and busses at once. If your compressor doesnвЂ™t have a parallel option, then you can use the compressor in a AUX/Send bus. IвЂ™d make sure the ratio is as high as possible too. Using your compressor in parallel mode, you can set it to about 50% wet/dry, then compress with a medium attack and a medium-fast release. The ratio should be around 5:1 or even higher to achieve this effect in most situations. The compressor wonвЂ™t jump on the transient immediately but will instead create some snappiness. YouвЂ™ll want the attack to be slow and the release to be fast. If the attack is too fast however, it can distort, so you need to juggle with the settings to find your sweet spot. This makes the whole action of the compressor fast, controlling any aggressive sounds and taming them. Using a compressor, you can set the attack to be fast and the release to also be pretty fast. Compression guidelines Common Use-Cases for CompressionД¬ontrolling harshness. In order to continue, I hope youвЂ™ve first read the first post about compression, and also the two posts about how to use EQs. For many, this beast is a bit of a difficult tool to tame, but IвЂ™d like to break it down for you so you can include it in any of your routine and needs. Continuing with more compression tips, IвЂ™d like to discuss of my all time favorite tool for anything and everything: the multi-band compressor.