Compressing certain frequencies

[DigiDawg]

Folks,

I record a ton of VO and occaisionally run into problems with certain frequencies that would best be handled with compression instead of just simple eq. I'm pretty sure that those of you who record music run into this type of situation all the time. I know there must be a way to route certain frequencies into a compressor so that they are the only things being compressed. I'm guessing this is done with a function called the key input or something, but I must admit that this falls into an area where my knowledge is limited.

Some of the "fer instances" that I'd like to work on...

1) De-essing; The Waves De-esser in the C1 is a great tool, but it really does beat up on the signal a little more than I'd like. If I could just isolate a freq like 8432K and knock it down 8db that'd be great. A recent post (by Jules?) also recommended isolating each ess and dropping each and every volume until it sounds natural. Sometimes this works great and other times it seems not to sound "right". Biggest issue with this technique is that its rather time consuming with a client hanging over my shoulder.

2) Bass tightening: Sometimes there are certain voice talent who've got wonderful low end color that I'd' like to bring into focus. A high-pass takes away some of the useless rumble below 40 - 50hz, but the remaining bottom needs tightneing and punch that I gotta believe can be done with a compressor.

Suggestions? Ideas? Would welcome comments from anyone with expertise in this particular area...

Thanks in advance,

DigiDawg

[Wang]

DD, use the key input on your plugin the same way you use a side-chain input on an analog compressor. That is: copy the vo track and eq it so that the ugly freq is over excentuated. (don't send this track to your mix) Then, insert a compressor over the real vo track and route the eq'd copy to the comp's key input. This will cause the compressor to detect "early" on the ugly freq and reduce its level without effecting the good bits of the real vo track. You'll need to fiddle with the threshold setting a bit. Let me know how you get on!

[DigiDawg]

Wang,

Thank you very much, the technique works great except for the fact that I really need a Bandpass EQ to pull this off well, and neither Waves or Digi appear to offer one. What are folks using for a bandpass in these instances?

Thanks in advance,

DigiDawg

[branco]

Filterbank B1 is a dedicated bandpass/reject filter, with a Q up to12, so you can isolate a single note. As for the initial problem, you can try TC MAsterX plug in. On the hardware side, there was an UREI LA-22, a perfect match for your problem. It has a parametric band-pass filter in sidechain, and you cal listen to it and fine-tune it to the nasty frequency. It has a wide-band mode, and it can work as an expander, too.
Branko

[mcdsp]

Howdy all,

may I also suggest using the CB2 config of CompressorBank - the pre filter is taken right from FilterBank - you get a high pass, low pass, or band pass filter with variable Q, or a parametric EQ with gain control as well.

Either the bandpass filter with a narrow Q, or the parametric with some gain and narrow Q will address your needs.

And if still you're not satisfied - try the CB3 config of CompressorBank - the post comp parametric EQ can be set to 'Dynamic' - its gain will track with the compressor's attack and release times. You can even disable the compressor with a Comp ratio of 1.0 (1:1), and just use the post parametric EQ for frequency selective compression/expansion.

Also check out the expanded view in CompressorBank - hold down the command key when inserting the plugIn on a track. Comp curve, and filter curves for CB2 and CB3.

All from a completely biased source!

Colin McDowell
McDSP
5/24/2000

[DigiDawg]

Thanks all for the responses! In looking at your advice, I've discovered a new way (for me anyway) to naturally emphasize the bass in a VO without it getting outta hand. So many times simple bass boost on a VO just clutters a mix, but its a shame to lose that nice color if its there.

The technique that I just used worked as follows. Insert a Waves C1 compressor on the VO track with a sidechain input from bus 3. Bus the VO track on bus 1 to an aux with the Waves Q10 on it. The Q10 has a preset on it called "telephone." If you slide the upper or lower five frequency bands around you can create a really great bandpass filter with a very tight slope. I had this kick in at about 60hz and check out at about 90hz. The output of the aux is then sent out on bus 3 to feed the compresser on the VO. Once I had set the threshold and make up just right I got great results. The bottom is full, natural and strong without any awful boominess or falseness. Natural, but present. The guys VO dropped in over the track beautifully. Perhaps this is quite common, but for me it was a great revelation.

Branco & McDSP,

Thanks for the gear tips. I'll see if I've got any added scratch to try out some of the gear that you mentioned.

Wang,

tried your technique and got some very good results too. Thanks. I noted another thread that was talking about de-essing and I might have to try and combine some of those ideas too.

Any other great insights out there?

Dawg

[smurphworld]

Yes, the waves C4 multiband compressor. It is brilliant. For your application, you can compress the offending band of frequencies without affecting the other ranges. It's also excellent for overall processing/mastering of your finished project. I'm currently reviewing it for an audio magazine and have fallen in love with it! I believe they offer a trial version of it on their site...

Smurphy

[Qburn]

The waves stuff is great! I also use the Multiband Dynamics Tool(MDT) by Antares Systems. It has a 5 band compressor and lots of presets.

[KingTor]

Dawg -- the main thing that I do to keep the low end of someone's voice and loose the boom-boom clutter factor is to roll off the low end with a shelving EQ at about 300-400Hz and then boost the lower end of their voice (100-150Hz) with a fairly tight Q on a parametric. like butter. personally, I like the sound of the d2 plug for that, but the channelstrip also sounds awefully nice on voiceover for broadcast.

tor

[generator]

Out of all the compressor plugs I've tried, my overall favorite by far is McDSP's CompressorBank. Really versatile. The C4 has its own appeal, but takes up alot more for sample delay, when inserted on a track.