Members bullpencoach Posted January 7, 2004 Members Share Posted January 7, 2004 Hi. Recently I've been recording some simple tracks with a preamp, compressor, and effects unit. Since the pre is 2-channel, and because I sing better while I play guitar, I'd like to record both simultaneously. However, the compressor is only single channel (and I need to save the mixdown loop for effects), so it's going to have to go to the vocal track during recording. It's not a huge problem since I find my acoustic playing doesn't require much compression anyway, but I wanted to ask how some of you record your acoustic...with compression or no? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members irpacynot Posted January 8, 2004 Members Share Posted January 8, 2004 I do, and sometimes pretty hard, but I whack the guitar a lot in certain songs I do. I see your point though about wanting to play & sing together. I'm the same way, and right now I record a lot of my songs using the pick-up (B-Band AST 1470) instead of miking it, and then I can go back and overdub the vocal, but I don't have the compressor dilema either. I'm fortunate enough to be able to assign compression for upto 4 tracks at a time. If you're recording digitally, perhaps you can just print the track with compression after recording, and then of course compress the whole thing when mastering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members orsino Posted January 8, 2004 Members Share Posted January 8, 2004 Yes....but sparingly on acoustic IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members buddyboy Posted January 8, 2004 Members Share Posted January 8, 2004 Yup - the great cover-up. I use a DBX Channel Strip on a rack with EQ and Compression. It has a fine preamp, but it was built for vocals (I think). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mrbluetone Posted January 8, 2004 Members Share Posted January 8, 2004 Yes - but ever so slightly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cams Posted January 8, 2004 Members Share Posted January 8, 2004 Can I show my ignorance here and ask: what's compression? I record via an analogue to digital convertor with build in pre-amps, with the digital signal going direct to the soundcard. Mixing is done in CEP 2.0. Am I missing out on something? Cams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LittleBrother Posted January 8, 2004 Members Share Posted January 8, 2004 I add compression to the signals after they are in Cool Edit Pro editor. I like to backup my whole project to CDrom dry without effects and such. Then if I ever want my clean signals I can start all over. Compressing on the way into the computer recording seems a bit too permanent for me. I use a touch of soft compression on the guitar but you have to be careful or the tracks you compress will take over the entire mix like a baby screaming on an airplane flight. The vocals is where I really like to bring out the sound with the compressor and fatten it up. The other factor is using various compression and effects on all of your songs. When you make your final mixes you can end up with 10-12 songs that all sound so different that they sound horrible back to back with each other on an audio CD rom final product. This is why I am now considering dumping my raw tracks off into my friends studio and letting HIM do all the effects and mixing so the entire album sounds more professional and mastered properly. One thing I found out. You can be great at home recording but it still takes a master ear and good professional to mix, EQ and master it. Just my .02s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LittleBrother Posted January 8, 2004 Members Share Posted January 8, 2004 Originally posted by Cams Can I show my ignorance here and ask: what's compression? I record via an analogue to digital convertor with build in pre-amps, with the digital signal going direct to the soundcard. Mixing is done in CEP 2.0. Am I missing out on something?Cams Oh... yeah...... under effects, amplitude, dynamic something or other.... It maximizes your signal or fattens it so that the sound leaps out. Compression can be overdone very easily and the entire audio screen looks like a big solid splotch. Vocals are great with compression Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Danocoustic Posted January 8, 2004 Members Share Posted January 8, 2004 No, I don't compress it, I like it just the size it is. *runs away snickering* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members S~R~O Posted January 8, 2004 Members Share Posted January 8, 2004 *Oh no, not another runaway Snickering* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Terry Allan Hall Posted January 8, 2004 Members Share Posted January 8, 2004 Originally posted by Danocoustic No, I don't compress it, I like it just the size it is. *runs away snickering* LOL... No, I don't use compression (or haven't, thus far)...I just watch the levels and dynamics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Danocoustic Posted January 8, 2004 Members Share Posted January 8, 2004 C'mon, SteveO, it was a big fat plum just hanging there waiting to be picked! I couldn't help myself.I'll try to behave.And next time I'll *run away chortling*. Better? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rduke Posted January 8, 2004 Members Share Posted January 8, 2004 Absolutely. The frequencies on an acoustic can be all over the place, especially on strums. Compression helps smooth and even out the sound, applied in the right amount. The best thing you can do is listen to recorded track(s) with and without. Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members irpacynot Posted January 8, 2004 Members Share Posted January 8, 2004 Originally posted by Cams Can I show my ignorance here and ask: what's compression? I record via an analogue to digital convertor with build in pre-amps, with the digital signal going direct to the soundcard. Mixing is done in CEP 2.0. Am I missing out on something?Cams What it's actually doing is evening out the dynamics. You can look at like this - it will take areas of the track that are too soft and raise the gain on them, and then take other areas of the track that are too hot and reduce the gain. The "attack" portion of the compressor determines the speed at which the compressor reacts to make changes, the "release" determines when the compressor will basically stop making that change (in each occurance), the "thresold" determines at what db the compressor will activate, and then the "ratio" determines how much of a change you want the compressor to make (in dbs). This is a quick & perhaps simplified description, but if you're interested in finding out more, there's some good stuff about it out there. So basically what this does for you is give your ear a more even sounding instrument or track. For mastering it is essential because it is the only way to produce a perceived higher volume. By squeezing the dynamics together like a sandwich, so to speak, you can raise the overall output. There are many other uses for a compressor of course, but this is my main use for it. I used to have a great resource link with many compressor articles, and I wanted to post it in my reply, but it's no longer in existance. But perhaps run a search. Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bbarkow Posted January 8, 2004 Members Share Posted January 8, 2004 Cams - Here's a pretty good article on compression.http://www.tweakheadz.com/compressors.htm Brent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bullpencoach Posted January 8, 2004 Author Members Share Posted January 8, 2004 Originally posted by LittleBrother Compressing on the way into the computer recording seems a bit too permanent for me.When you make your final mixes you can end up with 10-12 songs that all sound so different that they sound horrible back to back with each other on an audio CD rom final product. One thing I found out. You can be great at home recording but it still takes a master ear and good professional to mix, EQ and master it. Just my .02s Some great points here. I only recently started adding effects only in the mixdown stage and it is definitely the way to go. I'm actually just recording on my tried-and-true 4 track right now, just so I have some decent recordings of songs I've written (I usually burn a CD from there). For higher-quality recordings I'd probably go outside home for help - especially since I really value the sorts of exterior feedback and influence you describe. Alesis makes a 2-channel compressor for $99, which is pretty good, considering I bought their single channel Nanocompressor for $89 (though I've been really happy with it aside from this limitation). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members S~R~O Posted January 8, 2004 Members Share Posted January 8, 2004 Originally posted by Danocoustic C'mon, SteveO, it was a big fat plum just hanging there waiting to be picked! I couldn't help myself. I'll try to behave. And next time I'll *run away chortling*. Better? I was doing the Same~ No Worries Mate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cams Posted January 8, 2004 Members Share Posted January 8, 2004 Thanks for the replies folks. Interesting. Thus far, I've been boosting the gain in my recordings in Cool Edit by using the boost by 3db setting. Is that something similar? Anyway, I'd best go off and read some more about it. Thanks again. Cams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LittleBrother Posted January 8, 2004 Members Share Posted January 8, 2004 Hi Cams, Tony and the others had some great comments but I just thought of another really easy way to explain it. EXAMPLE:You have 50 soldiers that run outside to make a rectangle formation. They all line up in rows and columns but everyone in the formation is different heights. So compression would amplify the height of the short men and not the tall ones so they are all more uniform and full without amplifying the height of the men that were already at the maximum height. So it's a way of amplifying the entire body of the signal without overdriving it. I think the articles might explain better than me but that might at least let you know how my stupid mind works Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cams Posted January 8, 2004 Members Share Posted January 8, 2004 LB: that's a great analogy, and I now have an understanding of what it means so I can head off and read some more to augment that knowledge, rather than trying to work it out myself. Thanks! Cams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Billvarez Posted January 8, 2004 Members Share Posted January 8, 2004 Not to change the subject, but what about live? Will compression help my acoustic sound live? I play through a Crate acoustic amp with DSP. Any cheap comp pedal reccomendations? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LittleBrother Posted January 8, 2004 Members Share Posted January 8, 2004 Originally posted by Billvarez Not to change the subject, but what about live? Will compression help my acoustic sound live? I play through a Crate acoustic amp with DSP. Any cheap comp pedal reccomendations? Shucks, I don't know that one Billvarez, I will let someone else take a whack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members orsino Posted January 9, 2004 Members Share Posted January 9, 2004 Originally posted by LittleBrother Hi Cams, Tony and the others had some great comments but I just thought of another really easy way to explain it. EXAMPLE: You have 50 soldiers that run outside to make a rectangle formation. They all line up in rows and columns but everyone in the formation is different heights. So compression would amplify the height of the short men and not the tall ones so they are all more uniform and full without amplifying the height of the men that were already at the maximum height. So it's a way of amplifying the entire body of the signal without overdriving it. I think the articles might explain better than me but that might at least let you know how my stupid mind works Oh, THAT'S Gooooooood! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members buddyboy Posted January 9, 2004 Members Share Posted January 9, 2004 Would it be helpful to name a few over-compressed pop tunes that most people have heard to help illustrate compression? My vote goes to Tom Cochrane's "Life is a highway". Worst mix I can think of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members buddyboy Posted January 9, 2004 Members Share Posted January 9, 2004 Originally posted by Billvarez Not to change the subject, but what about live?Will compression help my acoustic sound live? I play through a Crate acoustic amp with DSP. Any cheap comp pedal reccomendations? Live accoustic is very dynamic, as others have described. I think compression makes an accoustic sound less live but more "familiar" to the extent that (or so I have heard) typical pop recordings may compress all tracks at about 3:1 and the mixdown again at about 2:1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.