How to Use a Compressor like a PRO: Everything You Need to Know

Video Description

👉 Download my Essential Mixing Guide here [FREE]: https://bit.ly/3nh0Vxa Compression explained – The ultimate guide to using compression in your music! 🎧 Check out my student’s beautiful new track here: ‘By The Light – GOLD’: https://spoti.fi/3HOAA2V 🎧 And my other student’s killer new EP, “Day & Night Collective – Into Midnight”: https://bit.ly/3A1eWGM 💪 [WANT COACHING?] Learn how to produce chart-topping electronic dance music and make money from it in a matter of weeks - not years. https://www.edmtips.com/accelerator Understanding compression and how to hear it is an essential mixing skill. In this video I share with you not only what compression is (as many of you will already have an idea), but when, where and how to use it to get the very best results from your mix. So firstly…what is compression? Changing the volume of a signal over time to reduce the dynamic range. The dynamic range is the difference between the quietest part of the sound and the loudest. Compression (depending on how you apply it) either makes the quieter parts louder in volume, or the louder parts quieter. This is useful for making a sound more even, or to give it more body. Most sounds consist of transients and decay. Transients are the initial hit (e.g. of a piano or a drum), and the decay is how long that sound takes to die out. When compressing, you are trying to get the dynamic balance of the initial transients and the decay just right. Too much compression and your signal will sound like a squashed mess. Too little and you won’t hear the quiet decay parts unless you push up the volume of the entire signal, in which case the transients will be too loud. You can apply compression to a single sound, or to multiple sounds together (for example, using a buss), or to the entire mix. Usually, a good mixing engineer will use compression at all of these stages. There is not one setting that will work for compression, as the correct amount will depend on: A - the sound entering the compressor b - the effect you’re trying to create (e.g. country music vs. Dubstep) C - a degree of personal taste Here are the standard compression controls: Threshold Ratio Attack Decay ..And here’s the best analogy I’ve seen! Threshold - The volume at which your mum tells you to turn down your music Ratio - The amount you turn down your music when she tells you to Attack - How FAST you turn it down when she tells you to Release - How quickly you turn the music back up when she leaves the room In this tutorial we go in-depth into: 00:00 – Introduction 00:40 – Non-compressed vs. Compressed 01:15 – Compression explained 03:48 - The controls on a compressor 05:16 - Threshold 05:30 - Ratio 07:10 - Preparing vocal levels for compression 07:58 - Gain reduction 11:20 - Attack 12:40 - Make-up gain 12:58 - Release 14:53 - Parallel compression 15:25 - Knee 16:32 - Serial compression 19:13 - Different compressor options 21:19 - Everything together 🐦 CLICK HERE to share this on Twitter: https://ctt.ac/srm6H 📝…And here’s the blog version of this video: ??? Here's the gear I used to make this video! 🔈 My Audio Gear: Monitors: https://bit.ly/AdamTV8 Headphones: https://bit.ly/MyHeadphones650 Audio Interface: https://bit.ly/3gBE7EQ MIDI Keyboard 1: https://bit.ly/ArturiaKeyLab61 MIDI Keyboard 2: https://bit.ly/AKAILPK25 Microphone 1: https://bit.ly/RodeUSB Microphone 2: https://bit.ly/ShureSM7 Computer: https://amzn.to/3uYU28J 🎛 My Plugins: https://bit.ly/2K4eFHZ 👥 Join our community here! https://www.facebook.com/EDMtipsOfficial ….AND SAY HI ON THE SOCIALS, BRAH: 📌Twitter: https://twitter.com/EDMtipsOfficial 📌Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edmtipsofficial 📌Web: https://www.edmtips.com Cheers, and happy producing! Will OTHER VIDEOS TO CHECK OUT: ► How to Make TECH HOUSE (like FISHER) 👉 https://youtu.be/moxdd3lxUtE ► How to Make TECHNO (like CHARLOTTE DE WITTE, Amelie Lens, Adam Beyer) 👉 https://youtu.be/MwUe1fNVCtI ► How to Make DEEP HOUSE 👉 https://youtu.be/vl0_W5UHfv4 ► How to Make HOUSE MUSIC in Ableton 10 - Step by Step 👉 https://youtu.be/jH2el4xqcZw ► How to make PROGRESSIVE HOUSE (Like BEN BÖHMER, Lane 8 and Anjunadeep) 👉 https://youtu.be/Q-vnm1JnKs0 ► How to Make HOUSE MUSIC (like DUKE DUMONT) 👉 https://youtu.be/PNZQuBh4HZM ► How to Make HOUSE MUSIC (like CAMELPHAT) 👉 https://youtu.be/RIuAE5hpyiU ► How to Make MELODIC TECHNO (Like TALE OF US) 👉 https://youtu.be/9jMbLIzQzT4 AND… ► How to Mix a Track in 30 Seconds 👉 https://youtu.be/EerIGRBoIzw ► How to Turn a Loop into a Song 👉 https://youtu.be/-KUB4_YXE0w ► How to Mix Low End (Kick & Bass) 👉 https://youtu.be/SGx9OalJLLU ► How to Make EDM Chord Progressions 👉 https://youtu.be/KPU19qZjz0M ► How to Make Music Like Flume 👉 https://youtu.be/eUD_9JI7ugk ►► My ENTIRE Music and Video Equipment: https://bit.ly/2K4eFHZ https://youtu.be/os5DKGu-vvs #mixingtips #compression #musicproduction