Compressors in Series

PaulBrewer

We've all heard about Parallel Compression ..... but does anyone use compressors one after the other i.e. in series ? Huh ?

seannash

its fairly common to do this in dance music ive heard.
a few compressors with only a few db's of gain reduction to give it a thicker sound is what ive heard.

i havent done it as that end of things is something im only exploring now

DamagedTrax

ill often do this on drums and vox.

usually a slow compressor (la2a) to level things out a bit and then a faster comp (1176) to catch the peaks.

PaulBrewer

DamagedTrax wrote: »

ill often do this on drums and vox.

usually a slow compressor (la2a) to level things out a bit and then a faster comp (1176) to catch the peaks.

Wouldn't reversing that order make more sense ? Catch the peaks first ?

DamagedTrax

like everything else it depends on your needs. do you want to catch the peaks to have an even level hitting your main comp or do you want to catch the peaks the your main comp let thru because its a little slower.

with a differant compressor instead of the la2a (or most optos) then yes but because of the opto compression characteristics, its much of a muchness.. i just find the way i do it i compress less because the slower la2a will allow some peaks thru and the 1176 catches them whereas i always find subtle compression with an 1176 a tough thing to do (a small child sneezing down the road can slam the needle on the HW models!). im using an la2a as my main comp so i want this first anyway.

but doing it the other way around will get similiar results.

progsound

Im doing it on vocals and bass alot or on anything i want to crush, it always sounds better to my ears to use comps in series getting a few db reduction on each, try it and see what you think yourself

PaulBrewer

PaulBrewer wrote: »

Wouldn't reversing that order make more sense ? Catch the peaks first ?

Id nearly say level first and get the peaks then no?...get the peaks and then level them off?

DamagedTrax

Deleted User wrote: »

Id nearly say level first and get the peaks then no?...get the peaks and then level them off?

like i said, it depends on what you're after. i'd agree with catching the peaks first if going into something like an api or another 1176 as they will slam very easily without some soft limiting before but with an la2a you'll get smooth compression all the way down to nearly -10db without much notice.

eoin5

I've been using a limiter and compressor on slap bass, seems to work better than either on its own.

jimi_t2

I'm guessing that they're using the compressor as a filter, to add a bit of colour to the sound, rather than for their intrinsic utility.

krd

I've started getting into using the compressors in Ableton. It's possible to use lots of them at once for different different purposes. I've learned how to split the signal using an EQ rack - then apply compression to different parts of the signal or not. Side-chaining is really handy too - it can be set to frequency. You can make a kick come clearly through a base or pad - it doesn't sound like pumping either. But if you cut the sound on the drums you can hear the ducking on your bass line. If you split the signal - and only put the side chain on low end - psychologically it sounds like the bass line is keeping its' full sound all the time.

I'm still figuring out compression - but I've found out how to take something that sounds low and muddy, and make it louder and clearer - using parallel compression on different Eqs and then lobbing a compressor on the end to make it sit neater.

Robin Ball

Use series comps frequently on Voice and bass, will also mix it up with limiters as well..... just for fun!

Robin Ball

DamagedTrax wrote: »

like i said, it depends on what you're after. i'd agree with catching the peaks first if going into something like an api or another 1176 as they will slam very easily without some soft limiting before but with an la2a you'll get smooth compression all the way down to nearly -10db without much notice.

LA2A Rocksss.....I always think you're better off doing the peaks after the slower attack comp, that way you can get a smoother overall sound, use a LA2A (or optical comp) and then go for the API or 1176!!

studiorat

All the time. Fast attack high ratio first then something like an LA2A or an 1178.

I find the fast catches the peaks so the slower one doesn't bounce if there's a peak and I can set the slow one to follow the vocal a little better without over doing it on the peaks.

DamagedTrax

studiorat wrote: »

All the time. Fast attack high ratio first then something like an LA2A or an 1178.

I find the fast catches the peaks so the slower one doesn't bounce if there's a peak and I can set the slow one to follow the vocal a little better without over doing it on the peaks.

what does the 1178 sound like in comparison to the 76? or is it literally just two 76s slapped together?

studiorat

DamagedTrax wrote: »

what does the 1178 sound like in comparison to the 76? or is it literally just two 76s slapped together?

Pretty much the same though I'm sure there would be a subtle difference if you were to A/B them, or compare to a blackface or something.

So yeah it's basically a stereo version of the 1176, the wiring is different it uses op amps but I think it's pretty much the same sound.