![]() Like they exist in the same world and breathe the same air. “Glue” is the sense that sounds somehow gel together. So what are “Glue” and “Control”, the two most important things to seek in a mix bus compressor? This is also precisely the kind of things that a mastering engineer is best suited to help you with in the end. Getting a little bit of extra excitement, shape and loudness out of a bus compressor is certainly possible, but it should be a bit of an afterthought. So be sure your priorities are straight, and that you’re focusing is on making the song sound as interesting and as authentic as possible. (Though some better than others, admittedly.) Likewise, if you want to adjust the “Shape” (or “Envelope”) of specific sounds, focus on doing this instrument-by-instrument or group-by-group.Īnd if it’s overall “Loudness” you’re after? Forget about it! This is not the time for that. Try digging in hard with compression on one instrument, or on a specific sub group. If you want “Excitement”, focus on getting that primarily from your mix itself! Try fader rides. (More on that in a minute.) But as a mixer, you should focus mainly on just two of them: “Glue” and “Control”. These are related qualities, and there will be tradeoffs between them. In my mind, there are five things you can use a mix bus compressor to obtain more of: “Excitement”, “Glue”, “Control, “Shape”, and “Loudness.” It’s rarely wise to do anything in a mix just because you’re “supposed to.” So before you even turn on your mix bus compressor, you should have a sense of what you’re trying to accomplish with it. Toward the end, I’ll even share a surefire step-by-step approach to get great mix bus compressor settings every time. And that’s to understand what it’s doing inside and out.Īnd that’s what this post is all about. Still, there’s a better way to make sure that your bus compressor is doing what it should. Without experience, fearlessness won’t get you great-sounding mixes. Ultimately, great mixes require two things: Fearlessness and Experience. In certain genres, some of them may compress more than you’re “supposed to.” It also is true that many great mixers do throw caution to the wind. Your mastering engineer is always happy to help if your mix needs a little bit of extra “glue.” And remember that some styles of music may even sound better with minimal, or no bus compression at all. There’s also no rule that says you need bus compression at all. (Internet forums, random blogs and comments sections of websites generally not usually going to be your best bet for this.) Just make sure you’re copying someone whose mixes you actually like and can relate to. If a certain technique works reliably for someone whose work and mixing style you love, maybe it’ll work for you too. These are actually decent enough places to start. They’ll throw caution to the wind and hammer the bus comp like crazy because they’re convinced that’s what some of the biggest pros are doing, really. They’ll be so cautious that they don’t want to use a bus compressor at all.ģ. They’ll be very cautious, pick up a tip from a favorite veteran mixer, and just go with those settings for years-even if they aren’t sure they’re really hearing what the mix bus compressor is doing.Ģ. The mix bus compressor has a uniquely potent ability to intimidate the bejesus out of new mixers, probably because there seems to be the most at stake: “ Only the sound of your entire mix!! “Īnd so, most new mixers will take one of three approaches when they first start mixing with a bus compressor:ġ. If you listen to seasoned pros when they’re being honest, most will readily admit that they couldn’t really hear compression in reliable detail-much less use it with easy confidence-until they’d been in the audio game for years. Setting compressors is usually one of the last skills that engineers get truly comfortable with. Check out part 1 on bass management, part 2 on high frequencies, part 3 on bus compression, part 4 on panning for width, part 5 on depth, and part 6 on getting better balances. ![]() (This is part 6 of a 6-part series by staff engineer Justin Colletti. ![]()
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