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1.7.3 Keeping bass consistent
A compressor is a great tool to use to smooth out a bass guitar track and
help to keep the bass audible during the louder parts of the mix. The
bottom end of the band is very important! Bass guitar has a tremendous
amount of energy and readily overloads tracks. A compressor helps reduce
these major energy peaks to keep the bass under control. Try this setting:
Parameter Value
Threshold 0 dB
Ratio 3:1
Attack 2
Release .5
Make-up Gain +6 dB
1.7.4 Fatten kick drums
A very common use of a compressor is to increase or decrease the sustain
of a kick drum sound. Drums have a very fast and very intense transient
followed by a quieter sustained sound which is the tone of the drum. A
kick drum can be made to sound fuller, by decreasing the peak level
(amplitude) of the attack of the drum and increasing the make up gain to
achieve a lower but longer (sustain) of the tone of the drum.
Parameter Value
Threshold 0
Ratio 5:1
Attack Medium Fast to Fast
Release .5
Make-up Gain +6
Speed up the attack of the compressor to attenuate the transient more, slow
the attack down to attenuate the transient less.
It‟s best to try to use the fastest release you can and still achieve the
sustain that you are trying to achieve. A release time that is too long can
diminish the intensity of the second or third attacks of a fast kick drum
pattern, like a 1/16
th
note pattern.
1.7.5 Limiting to preventing overload, clipping and distortion
Limiting uses a very high Ratio with a high Threshold. The idea is to
control the just the loud peaks. Limiting can be useful in preventing
digital distortion, overload of input in gear after the compressor, and tape
