Try the below mixing tips for compressing stems and subgroups when you’re in a recording or mixing session. These compression settings are usually effective in mixed tracks that have a healthy combination of fast transient signals (like drums) as well as longer resonance signals (like guitars, bass, synths, etc.). (Note: you can also view the mixing tips category on POLITUSIC for more ideas that might help. Please contribute your own, too :) )
Basically this suggestion revolves around the attack and release time of the compressor:
- Long attack time (around 60 milliseconds)
- Fast release time (around 30 milliseconds, which is pretty darn fast. note faster than the attack)
These times are starting points, but the main question is what’s the point?
The slower attack time means the transients of the track will NOT get too heavily compressed. When you compress the attack too much is when the sound of the track becomes less natural and you begin to “hear the compression” to the point of it sounding like it’s suffocated or squashed – like the music has no life or space to it. So by giving a slower compressor attack time, you’re “letting the attack through” like the stick hitting a drum, but then compressing the resonance after that initial attack of the sound (like, say the boom or swell that happens on a big bass track or a tom drum after the initial attack).
The Point: keeps the natural attack, and controls any swelling resonance.
Since we’re assuming you’re compressing a stem or subgroup, or even an entire mix you want to also make sure that your compression ratio is gental (no more than 3:1), then your threshold setting is entirely dependent on the level of the input signal. Go ahead and be agressive with the threshold at first so that you’re getting a lot of gain reduction, than back it all the way off again so you can hear the difference. From there, start setting the final threshold level.
Doesn’t work for everything (because NOTHING works for everything), but it’s a good trick to keep in your head for stem compression mixing stems.
