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7 Secret Compression Tricks

7 Secret Compression Tricks

Compression in the topic that many people find hard to learn. Yes, it can be a nightmare to understand. However, once you get into it and understand the whole process (and practice of course), it becomes your secret weapon for great recordings, mixes and masters.

In this blog post, my goal is to show 7 secret compression tricks you should absolutely try in your next sessions. All of them are from my personal experience, so you're getting the real value.

Please avoid copying any strict values you see in this blog post because every single instrument/vocals/mix/master is different and will require different treatment.

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Trick 1: More natural compression

FabFilter Pro MB going into Pro C2

To achieve a more natural sounding compression, you can prevent your very low end from messing up the compressor by first inserting a multiband compressor to compress the low end. In terms of settings, default ones will get you started pretty good, just adjust the threshold and ratio.

After, insert the compressor you wanted to compress your signal and adjust accordingly. This trick also performs very well in mastering, but please be very careful how you use it.

Trick 2: Sub-bass consistency

FabFilter Pro MB in action

 

If sub frequencies are not compressed well, they can cause inconsistency in the mix which can be hard to deal with. To prevent that, insert a multiband compression and compress the very lows. Keep the ratio around 2:1-4:1, medium attack time, faster release and the threshold so it basically activates the compressor. Even the default settings can get you going, but always readjust accordingly to your sound.

    Trick 3: Picking Up The Color

    Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor

    This is my personal favorite trick I use all the time.
    You can actually run your audio through Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor or through any other compressor in order to pick up the sound & coloration it offers.
    Basically, there won't be almost any compression, but your track will sound heavier & affected by the unit itself.
    In this example, I'm barely even engaging the compressor, and the sound it offers is simply amazing. This is why I love this trick!

    Trick 4: 1176 + LA-2A Vocals Trick

    Waves CLA-76 & Analog Obsession LALA (Free Plugin)

    Using 1176, I'm engaging a very fast attack and release while keeping the gain reduction only up to 1dB max! By doing this, I'm actually telling the compressor to tame only the highest peaks. Don't forget to match the I/O (Input & Output gain).
    Now, I'm using a tube based compressor (LA-2A Emulation) to compress the vocals a bit more drastic in order to get the desired compression on my vocals. By simply engaging the peak reduction knob and matching the loudness using the gain knob, I can determine the right amount of compression I want. LALA by Analog Obsession did a wonderful job here. However, any LA-2A emulation will do the job.

      Trick 5: Use "Pumping" to your advantage

      Pro C2 going into Rare SE and blending the dry & wet channels.

      We can actually use a compression to emphasize ghost notes and elements in a percussion bus for example. 1176 compressor works marvelously well for that purpose.
      Fast release can be used as a creative effect to achieve punch on drums or kick for example. Remember that 1176 has lightning fast times, so even their "slow" times are still very fast. Always keep that in mind before using an 1176 compressor.
      Also, the controls on 1176 are reversed than on other units. Fastest setting will be on the right, while the slowest one will be on the left.

      Trick 6: Compressing Delay & Reverb

      Have in mind that reverb and delay are time-based effects, so that means they're intrinsically rhythmic.
      One of the important things when applying these effects is to make sure the tail complements the feel of the sound.
      To create a more full and overall better sounding delays and reverbs, you might want to try compressing them. Using a compressor to even out the echoing will be helpful to make the delay more noticeable and audible in the mix.
      Yes, this is the tip you can't find online, so that's why I'm here to share all of those secret tips with you!

      Trick 7: Punchy Drums

      Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor with both Discrete & Opto modes in action!

      Using Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor, I'm engaging both of its circuits (Optical + Discrete) in order to achieve more punchy drums.
      I'm going very soft with this unit, so that means I used a slow attack time, faster release, soft ratio (2:1), and a bit of gain with Discrete mode.
      On the other side, I also used its optical circuit to slightly trigger the compressor (1dB of gain reduction), and it resulted in a very punchy drums that cut through.

      Conclusion:

      Tips like these are almost impossible to find online, because audio engineers don't actually want you to know them. That's why I'm here to share them with you since I spent hours, days and years learning all this stuff. Check out my EQ Masteclass and The Art Of Compression guide where you can learn even more advanced tips & master the art of both equalization and compression.

      If you want to add a recommendation for the future blog post and get featured on, feel free to reach to our DM on Instagram or use our e-mail address: marko@md3sign.com
      Filed in: Compression, Downward Compression, Mastering, Mastering Tips, Mastering Tricks, Mixing, Vocal Mixing, Vocals
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