How to make your tracks sound expensive, using compressors

Many audio tutorials on the net today are very general and never seem to leave you with an understanding that you can apply to your own music. Compressors are no exception, as discussions about what compression is and how to use it seem quite vague. Even some of the most professional electronic music artists I’ve met, still have trouble getting their heads around compression.

So what does a compressor do exactly?

A compressor whether it be hardware of software can be basically described as an automatic volume control. Loud sounds over a certain threshold are reduced in level while quiet sounds remain untreated. Compressors allow us the ablilty to control unwanted frequencies.

What’s the advantage of compression?

Lets imagine you have a great sounding bassline and it sounds similar to benny benassi’s however everytime the bass note is triggered there is an annoying click sound. you’ve tried your EQ and your synth’s envelopes but you just can’t reduce click without changing the sound. A compressor can help in this situation by reducing the volume of the peak that the click creates, dropping the click sound down into the mix.

Compression can also give fuzzy out of focus bass more solidity and tightness.

Now lets get our hands dirty!

Compressors normally have four basic parameters, Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release (ADSR), the secret to being able to use compressors effectively lies in the order in which you adjust these knobs. This sequence is extremely important as it prevents you from chasing your tail for the right setting, and allows you to control your sounds exactly as you intend. Before you start this tutorial it will help if you compare your sounds to artists that you listen to, you can use this as a point of reference when shaping your sounds.

Getting started

  1. Set your compressor’s attack to anywhere
  2. Fastest release setting
  3. Ratio to maximum
  4. Threshold to sensitive

1. ATTACK

The Attack Parameter controls how long (usually in milliseconds) it takes for the compressor to compress the sound.

Firstly make sure your compressor is setup as mentioned above (Getting started) then push some audio through the compressor by either lowering the threshold or increasing the input so you can see some activity in the meters.

As audio is fed into the compressor start playing with the attack knob, listen how it changes the sound, hear how the leading edge of the sound is dampened as you apply a faster attack setting. Try to ignore the rest of the sound and just focus on the attack for now. The settings you input into your compressor will vary depending on the sound you are compressing. If your snare drum sounds thin and snappy, then you’ll find using a slower attack will help thicken it. Starting with these settings on your compressor will allow you to clearly hear what the attack is doing, making it easier to fine tune. Remember attack controls the initial “hit” of the sound by controlling the time it takes for compression to duck the level. An example of this is a fast attack setting on a guitar, as this will allow the fingernail pluck through but will dampen the following strum. 

2. RELEASE

Next in the sequence is your release parameter.

Release controls the speed at which the sound returns to full volume after being compressed. The trick is to get that speed to become a musical component of the sound. Play with the release until you find a setting that supports the rhythm of the sound you are compressing. Listen to how the attack setting you’ve created has effected the way the sound is being punched away, and use your release setting to make the sound fly back at the speakers in a way that supports your groove. Don’t just use a compressor because someone told you to, use it to support the groove and purpose of the sound. Forget using compression to sink the sound into the mix, instead think more musically and I promise the penny will drop!

3. RATIO

Now that your happy with your attack and release settings it’s time to adjust the ratio.

The initial ratio setting was maximum which is way too much compression but it let us see just what our attack and release setting were doing to the target sound. Now your job is to lower the ratio as much as possible without losing the effects you created previously. High compression ratio makes the sound “smaller” but controlled, low ratio settings sound larger but are at risk of sounding unclear or out of control. Aim to find a balance between the two, listen carefully, monitor at a low volume and find the sweet spot big and tight.

4. THRESHOLD

The final step to fat expensive sounds will again require you to be patient and listen.

You don’t want your sound compressed all the time, remember compressors help control your sound not change it, so you want to set your threshold to control those spiking peaks. Play with your threshold knob until you get a nice balance between controlled sound and juicy raw bursts of flavor. This also allows dynamic sounds sound big and full in quieter moments but tight and fat in full voltage moments. You don’t want your compression meter to be active all the time, remember less is more and think groove.

Practice, practice and more practice will refine your skill in compression, but remember these techniques and you will come to understand how much fun compression really is.

REMEMBER: Compression is multiplicative, not additive so if you compress your mix 10:1 and then your mastering engineer compresses it 10:1 your track has not been compressed by 20:1 but 100:1 instead!

TIP: All signal processors sound best when used at least as possible, over using them screams beginner.

This Article is based on Paul Stavro’s Compression techniques which appears in “Mixing with your mind”

Also thanks to Adam Gillett for his thoughts.

GOOD LUCK 

Hyphen