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Time_Trap

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    Compression

    in Music Making and Production/Industry

    Posted

    ok some more compression basics:

     

    Reason has a very good compressor.[Not really,a bit outdated but anywayz.] And in Reason 2 it works even better. Compression can really be the difference in a good track and a fantastic track. It is useful to maintain smooth and even levels or it can be used as a creative sound sculping tool. I'll explain the principle's of compression in this tutorial and give you some example settings to work with.

    A compressor has 4 controls with wich you can control the way the compressor works. The following controls are on it:

     

     

    Ratio

     

    Treshold

     

    Attack

     

    Release

     

    Ratio

    The ratio sets the amount of compression that is being applied when the treshold level is being reached. The settings are set in ratio's like 8:1.

    When there is 8db of signal going over the treshold level this will be reduced to 1db when using this setting. So 8db over the treshold level becomes 1db over the treshold level.

    The ratio is very important coss it sets the power of the compressor. If you want to use the compressor as a limiter you should set the ratio to full. Preferably infinite:1 but since the Reason compressor doesn't have this setting 16:1 will do. This will prevent most incoming signals to get past the treshold level.

     

    Treshold

    This is the level at wich compression will set in. If a signal doesn't pass this level the compressor won't touch it. But if it does exceed the treshold level compression with the power of the ratio will be applied.

     

    Attack

    The attack sets the time it takes for the compressor to set in after the treshold level has been reached. If this is set to 0 the compressor will directly work when any signal is passing the treshold level. But if set higher it will gradually set in after the treshold level has been reached. This is useful if you want to maintain the initial attack of the sound you are compressing.

     

    Release

    The release sets the time it takes for the signal to get back to it's original level after it has dropped below the treshold level.

    If you want to have your compressor to pump up your sound you need to set a fast release. Now pull down your treshold untill you reach the desired effect without clipping. If you haven't reached the amount of 'pump' you like but the signal is already clipping you should set your ratio higher. In this case you could also set your attack faster to get to the loud unprocessed attack earlier.

    On the Reason compressor there's also a gain reduction meter on wich you can see how many db reduction you have. If this is to high you have the chance of noise getting to loud and you will definately have no dynamics anymore in your sound.

     

    The Reason compressor is equiped with a make up gain wich makes sure that the ouput level of the compressor is being raised when this is to low.

    Compression is really important in a composition. It's not for nothing that all the big studio's have racks full of these devices. It's also advisable to add compression to all your devices actually. Not only will you have full control over levels but the sounds will be also better to mix together.

    When you are using a compressor to even out your final mix you better not use extreme settings coss this will result in parts that should be in a low volume to rise and parts that should be loud to drop. You should search for a balance between those two. When compressing a mix there are certain to look out for. When you set your treshold level below the level of you bassdrum this will cause the bassdrum to make the rest of the mix also softer. So you can imagine what will happen then. After each kick the mix will drop resulting in a weird sounding bouncing situation wich nobody would wish for to happen with his track. So you have to make sure that the treshold level is set above the level of your bassdrum.

    And this goes for all sounds actualy. If they appear regularly in your mix then the treshold level can't be set under that level or otherwise that sound will control the compressor leaving the mix to be pulled down in volume.

     

    The best way to compress the final mix in Reason is to add it to the output of a mixer and then make another mixer to connect the ouput of the compressor to. That way you still have control over the level wich the compressor produces after compressing.

    What you would really need is a pair of main stereo bus inserts but these are not available on the mixer so this will give similar results.

    Compression is a process that should be used wisely coss it can make sounds better but, it can also make sounds worse.

     

    Here are some settings wich can make sounds nicer. Note that these sttings are a guideline and must still be tweaked to suit your sounds perfectly.

     

    Kick:

     

     

    Ratio: 105

     

    Treshold: 85

     

    Attack: 20

     

    Release: 40

     

    Snare:

     

     

    Ratio: 105

     

    Treshold: 80

     

    Attack: 30

     

    Release: 20

     

    Bass:

     

     

    Ratio: 103

     

    Treshold: 40

     

    Attack: 35

     

    Release: 60

     

    When you use a compressor you should try various settings because every sound is different, and thus needs different compressor settings. These settings are however nice guidelines wich will help you in the right direction. :)

    Compression is one of the few concept that many younger electronic artist have trouble coming to grips with. This article is a follow-up to Dave's wonderful article on basic concepts of an audio compressor. In this tutorial I shall touch upon some of the finer points of uses for compressors. Before I get down to the nitty gritty, I must make one disclaimer: all of this information isn't the matter-of-fact way to compress, but mearly a push in the right direction. An artist friend of mine once said, "Hearing is believing". This saying holds true to using compressors in Reason, mixing with hardware, or on any other digital audio workstation.

     

    Shaping sound with compressors

    If music was an ice sculpture, then think of compressors as the chain-saw used to carve the ice. Using the "attack" and "release" setting can be a great way to make a snare punchier or a bassline smoother. One would think that in order to make a sound punchier, that you would set the a fast "attack" setting to achieve that sound. Actually, its the other way around. It breaks down like this:

     

     

    Punchier/Aggressive sound: slow 'attack', fast 'release'

     

     

    Smoother/Gentler sound: fast 'attack', slow 'release'

     

     

    EQ before compressor, or compressor before EQ?

    One of the constant questions I get is where to put the EQ and the compressor in the chain of signal flow. To be honest its really a matter of opinion, when it comes to this subject. If you place the EQ before the compressor, then your gonna be compressing your EQed signal. Usually this is the way I patch it up, in reason, because I'll EQ out the sounds I don't want then use the compressor to boost the signal of the sound that I desire. Then again placing the EQ after the compressor might be somewhat useful if your using multiple compressors. Which brings me to my next subject matter below.

     

    A whole lotta compression going on

    Is one compressor really enough? It all depends on who you ask. Compressors can be used to not only shape sounds, but make them a bit louder. Most compressors have an input and an output gain. The trick is that you use one compressor to boost your sound's level, then another compressor to shape the sound, then finally another compressor to level everything out. Its pretty much like a train, once compressors connects to another in order to get the sound to where you want it placed in the mix. I shall warn you though, that this method can bring your CPU to its knees, if you don't bounce/sub-mix down your audio tracks. After bouncing down the tracks, normally I just run the rendered audio thru another step of compression to even out the rendered audio.

     

    As I stated before, all this information is to help you build the foundations of a solid track. The only true way to know if your doing your compression correctly is to simply A/B your mix on many different monitors and speakers. If your mix sounds pretty damn good out of crappy, little speakers then your heading in the right direction, with using compressors.

    Dopewars

    in Music Making and Production/Industry

    Posted

    nice trance in general. some comments;

    1) in 8.00 i think the track doesn't really get very good[you know after the melody, it seems as if it's out of rhythm or something.]

    2)it's sorta "statik" for my tastes, but anywayz, it's my taste...

    3)I liked: leads, effects

    4)Btw i think the kick is a bit too loud... :D

    Shift Interview

    in General Psytrance

    Posted

    Psylosophy: What are your influences when it comes to producing?

    Shift: All music influences me. I listen to the radio a lot these days and I come from a rock background. I’m constantly trying to expand my range of trance and non-trance production skills (making house and breaks also, now) so I can't really say there's any one major influence, but I really dig the music of Absolum, Marilyn Manson, Prodigy, Britney Spears and Thievery Corporation.

     

    ]

    228877[/snapback]

    Britney Spears? :huh: wtf ? :blink:

    www.psychedelic.gr

    in General Psytrance

    Posted

    L O L  :D  :D

     

    i have to say it would be a good try but for some reason i ve never ever found a greek forum when u can have nice conversations... 

     

    228784[/snapback]

    in fact i have 2 good greek fora in my mind, one is down atm, the other[www.insomnia.gr is no more as cool as it used to be]

    Cheezy...

    in General Psytrance

    Posted

    Some people seem to call New Kind of World with MFG cheezy........but I just love those twisting, melodic samples with their calls and responses! Cheezy or not, MFG are great!!!!!!

    228597[/snapback]

    tell these ppl to get a new pair of ears :D

    If MFG are cheezy, then what is holymen ? :P

    btw, imo their best albums are Project Genesis and The Prophecy, although i like all of their work.

    melodic blast off

    in Music Making and Production/Industry

    Posted

    i have to disagree withe lead part.i think the sound of the leads is top notch!anyway thanks for your comments.i may have a false ear! :P  ;)

    227373[/snapback]

    :D i just found most of the sounds to be quite "raw",uncultivated/not processed".

    have you used EQs , compressors, filters etc etc ?

    today most disappointing old school was artist

    in General Psytrance

    Posted

    Anyway, back on topic, I guess the one that dissapoints me THE most has to be Tsuyoshi Suzuki ... I think it was last year that he made a remix of Taiyo (which was for me one of THE tracks that defined the goatrance sound)... it was a horrible house mix with the sample "Get get down get down" all over it... ARRGHH!! And now I've heard people say that he spins Skazi and other trendy full-on artists in his sets... Maaaan how can such a great artist sink so low?

     

     

    226353[/snapback]

    well, i dont think tsuyoshi spins skazi or full-on, from what i've heard he's playing lotsa "experimental" electronic stuff. anywayz, he was the one the had put "GOA RIP" in the back of an album , wasn't it him ?

    melodic blast off

    in Music Making and Production/Industry

    Posted

    well here's my feedback[sorta harsh]:

     

    I believe you should work more on the intro.

    I especially liked the parts where no melodies were playing.[really liked the way the kick started at about 1 min]

    That's because i didn't like how the lead sounds. Generally, IMHO, your whole track needs some work on making everything sound better[especially the leads. it seems as if they have been created with some crappy synthesizer].

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