Hi Stephen, I am a third year music tech uni student. I was wondering if you prefer to use analogue hardware compression or a digital plug-in? Do you think that digital is taking over in studios when it comes to mixing? Every recording & mixing engineer is going to have their own opinions on the […]
For recording & mixing, I love my analog compressors! There is just something about high quality, real hardware analog compressors, that just seem to make my job so much easier! I have nothing against software plugins, and I have a huge assortment of plugins that I use extensively, including software compressors. I've been a computer […]
Breakdown of the mix of Ben Smith's drums The drummer for Heart, Ben Smith, helped me out with some drum tracks for one of the songs I co-wrote with Coreena, "If You Wanna". We tracked the drums at the famous London Bridge Studio, which has a HUGE room, and then I mixed them in my […]
Want bigger & fuller sounding songs? Less is More! The biggest problem I encounter with inexperienced artists, producers, and engineers these days is that there is too much of everything. Too many parts in the song arrangements. Too many tracks in the recording. Too many plugins in the mix. Too many frequencies competing with each […]
Question: does compression affect different frequencies differently? More specifically: if a compressor set at the same settings for attack and release were used to attenuate a 100 Hz signal and then a 5000 Hz signal, would the frequencies react differently to the same settings on the same compressor? And if they do, what are the […]
Just a quick question regarding compression - in the DAW environment, is it better to use "more" compressors on a track or fewer compressors " but work them harder? Theoretically, in the DAW world, you could have "unlimited" compressors on a track, but in a real studio, that is using hardware compressors, most of them, […]
I'm wondering if someone could explain what serial compression and parallel compression is, and the advantages of each and when one would be used vs the other. Serial compression is when the compressor is inserted in the signal chain and you use 100% of the processed/compressed signal. Parallel compression is when you set up a […]
I greatly appreciate this site. It is such a treat to be able to speak to experienced and knowledgeable mixers. Question: I know technology in the recording field has come far in the last 40 years, but compressors were around in the 60's yet you do not hear the "punch" on those records like you […]
What's a Leveling Amp ???? It's basically a compressor/limiter. Here's a link to the modern remake of the most famous and sought after leveling amp, the Teletronix LA-2A. http://www.uaudio.com/hardware/compressors/la-2a.html We had a couple of these in the big studio I used to work at, Triad Studios, and I loved them for bass and vocals, and […]
Lately I have been playing with compressors and gates. My church just picked up a Presonus ACP88 and I noticed it has side chains for both the compressor and the gate. I have read and seen examples on how to use them both. My question is how much do the “pros” use side chains in […]