Limited Compressors

[cliepe12]

I Don't have a multiband compressor, but I do have Waves C1 and and the L1 Ultra Max. What are some good compressor settings for compressing submixes before sending them to the master section. Example, how would I set up the C1 if I wanted to lightly compress the drums as a subgroup before sending it to master??? What settings would you use if you were compressing a group of guitars, or group of background vocals etc... What kind of ratios, thresholds, attack release times etc... (yes I am looking for specifics as to what people find effective, not just, "I like the Maxim better than the L1Ultra Max, or I perfer McDsp to Waves" crap. What works fo you guys as far as techniques!!??

[JasonRomney]

This is like asking "my guitar track sucks, how can I fix it?" There's no way anybody can give you any help until they hear it. There is no standard compressor preset that will work on every drum mix. There is no EQ setting that will always sweeten any vocal recording. Be wary of anyone who attempts to say, "this setting is the only way to go for vocal compresson." You just need to use your ears. I would recommend the Golden Ears ear training CDs. Train your ears and then you'll know what knobs to turn to get the sound you're looking for. When your ears have been trained you'll be able to hear that you need to do a 3dB reduction of a 1/2 octave band centered at 500Hz in order get the "bark" out of that vocal.

I know this probably isn't the answer you're looking for but it is the best advice I can offer you.

[cliepe12]

I am just looking for general guidelines that people generally do. Such as, in general, should I use a small or large ratio when compressing a drum subgroup. That kind of stuff. I realize that things vary from session to session, but I just need a starting point!!

[nmartin]

But there is no real general rules of thumb. The amount of compression you'll want is going to vary depending on the style of the song, how you set up the mics, how the musician played the part.... so many variables.

Come on, it's really easy to preview plugins and to undo changes. Just experiment, and see what sounds good.... eventually you'll have a few regular settings that you keep coming back to. But those settings are going to be completely different for everybody.