Compressor settings

[troyri]

Anyone care to share some compressor settings for vocals and kick drum? Just got one and would like to start off in the right direction

[Tomm Williams]

I think more important than any suggested settings would be to get familiar with what a compressor does (or doesn't do) and how it works. Your settings could vary with each situation. Better to understand what you're trying to achieve. Google the subject and you'll find a lot of info.

[troyri]

Right, I will be doing research but I just figures there was a general area to start for these 2 things. Then tweak from there.

[NUSound]

It depends. You start by experimenting until you understand exactly how the compression works, then you use it to help fix a problem. Nothing tricky or special about it.

[agedhorse]

Assuming you have a problem to fix of course.

[Unalaska]

Use a compressor in an insert on a channel. Got 4 channels of vocals? 4 channels of compression. For anything to be compressed the best thing to do is PFL the channel and set gain without your comps plugged in. Then BEFORE inserting comps, set the gate off, compressor threshold to the highest setting (off), ratio @ around 2 to 3:1 and output gain around 0dB, use the auto setting (this disables the attack/release knobs). The switch in the back by the inputs should be set to +4dB. When you're soudchecking vocals bring the threshold down until the gain reduction is no more than -4/-6 at most. Adjust the output gain a little to make up for lost signal by 1-2dB if needed.

 

For kick, use a quick attack and release and no more than -6dB reduction. You may find that a simple gate with no compression sounds better, there are many many ways to mic a kick.

[CHIP ROBERTS]

 

Use a compressor in an insert on a channel. Got 4 channels of vocals? 4 channels of compression. For anything to be compressed the best thing to do is PFL the channel and set gain without your comps plugged in. Then BEFORE inserting comps, set the gate off, compressor threshold to the highest setting (off), ratio @ around 2 to 3:1 and output gain around 0dB, use the auto setting (this disables the attack/release knobs). The switch in the back by the inputs should be set to +4dB. When you're soudchecking vocals bring the threshold down until the gain reduction is no more than -4/-6 at most. Adjust the output gain a little to make up for lost signal by 1-2dB if needed. For kick, use a quick attack and release and no more than -6dB reduction. You may find that a simple gate with no compression sounds better, there are many many ways to mic a kick.

 

 

 

Good, helpful answer to the OP's question!

[abzurd]

Do a google search on compression. What you'll find is 10 different settings recommendation from just about everyone. I just did this a week ago as I was remixing my gig on my StudioLive and wanted to try different recommendations. FWIW, Kick and snare can be altered the most from compression because of the large transient. You can squash that transient attack with a fast attack time or choose to let the transient through and compress after. Here's something I posted first here almost 10 yrs ago. It isn't absolute of course, but it's something. I think the gain reduction numbers are a bit aggressive personally.

 

[Craig Vecchione]

 

Right, I will be doing research but I just figures there was a general area to start for these 2 things. Then tweak from there.

 

 

You're getting very good advice here. Until you identify a problem, you shouldn't apply a "solution". Until you understand how a solution works, you shouldn't apply it.

 

Asking for a general area to start is like asking to be placed in the cockpit of a 747 turning base into LAX at rush hour, and expecting to be able to safely land on the correct runway. It's not the way to learn.

 

Have a visit to dbx's website, and go to their documents, and look for their white paper about compression. It's got a wealth of practical information.

[Coaster]

which comp are we talking about? i.e. there are no effective settings for a 3630

[Mutha Goose]

From personal experience, I went looking for the same thing you're asking for in the beginning; any settings to help me get started? Then I got my 1st set of compressors and I tried applying them anywhere I could. I mean, I have them. They're in everyone's racks. They must be really important and used all the time, right? Wrong! All the sudden I had intermittant feedback issues I've never had before because I didn't understand the gain settings. I had pumping issues because I didn't understand the attack and release, etc. I took a non-issue and created problems. I thought I understood, but it turned out I didn't really.

 

Well, that was in the beginning. Now I find that I use them less and less often and on fewer things. Occationally on a kick and even less on vocals, but more often than not, I am not using any compression and my mixes are cleaner for it.

[troyri]

Well after reading these comments I don't think I am going to use a compressor. I am new to this sound stuff and am learning on the fly. We have a very simple system but it works so I don't think I need a compressor, I just thought it was needed for some reason. My system is as follows, any advise on needed equipment will be great.

Yamaha - MG16/6FX board

31 band EQ for FOH

2 x 15 band EQ for the monitor (only 1 everyone else uses IEM)

Crossover

amp for subs

Yorkville NX55P foh

1 x 18" subx

 

Everything gets miced but drums they are triggered.

[agedhorse]

Absurd - the gain reduction numbers in the chart look much more like recording applications, where GBF is a non-issue and a "compressed" sound, especially in the vinyl era, was desireable or necessary.

[Phil Clark]

Certain things can be assumed to be an issue before you even get to the gig. If there is a harp player, they tend to go from inaudible to blaring in a split second, and could blow ear drums easily. And if you are doing a metal band or hip hop (especially hip hop) you can count on screaming into the mic. Particularly with younger artists. System level compression may not be a good idea though. Maybe more of a brick wall limiter to keep signal from getting to a danger level.

 

But in most cases you don't want to apply compression until sound check and you find that there IS an issue.

[dboomer]

For kick, use a quick attack and release and no more than -6dB reduction. You may find that a simple gate with no compression sounds better, there are many many ways to mic a kick.

 

I have a different opinion ... but it depends what gear you are using, the system you are using it in and the results desired.

 

For Kick my typical starting setup probably looks like 5-10 ms attack, release >200ms (maybe 500ms) ratio 8:1 or higher and an average of 6-10 dB gain reduction. I generally find gates more problem than benefit for live sound.

 

So there you go

[Unalaska]

For a while when I started out I didn't use comps on the kick. At a gig I had a little time and played with using one, just about 3-4dB reduction peak (on the 3630 too). I had no subs and the EV S15 tops were HPF'd at 50 using the RMX1450's filter (amp ran stereo, 280w for the EV's 250/1000w peak rating). The woofer seemed to move a fair amount on each kick hit. When I inserted the comp I got the same acoustical output but the woofer was much more controlled in movement, so from then on I almost always compressed. I prefer the compander on the 01V, a channel of DBX266 is just fine though.

 

With kick you can compress more agressively (4:1-10:1) with a lower threshold, rarely are you having to deal with monitor feedback and kick drum, do that to a vocal mic and forget about monitors. The settings in the post above are recording based, where every inch of dynamics is squeezed out, peak to average can be as low as 3dB or less in an overall mix. For 98% of us live users that is a major recipe for disaster.

[Coaster]

i'm noticing a lot of "eighties kids" are into gates to an excessive level, myself included. i often run gates on drums that dont even need them because i have grown so acustomed to the sound.

 

maybe it has to do with what was on the radio from 1982 to about 1988?

 

with the current trend of "oversubbing" a smaller room i find gating kick often is a requirement. jamming 12kwatts of sub in a bedroom sized bar is asking for trouble; i find that when i am in a room that the subs are knocking tiles out of the ceiling (for real) that i do need to gate the kick.

 

not that i agree or disagree with oversubbing a tiny room, just that it is a trend. i actually knocked a laptop of a table one night.

[Unalaska]

I don't use aux fed subs, straight L/R stereo triamp or mono biamp. I never have an issue where the kick is trying to take off. If it can be that loud then the vocals can also feedback from being too loud too, and all the other mics. A gate won't fix the problem, turn down a bit and use a nice parametric to notch somewhere around 100-120 1/10th oct to take the ring out. EQ to taste,

[Craig Vecchione]

 

Well after reading these comments I don't think I am going to use a compressor. I am new to this sound stuff and am learning on the fly. We have a very simple system but it works so I don't think I need a compressor, I just thought it was needed for some reason. My system is as follows, any advise on needed equipment will be great. Yamaha - MG16/6FX board 31 band EQ for FOH 2 x 15 band EQ for the monitor (only 1 everyone else uses IEM) Crossover amp for subs Yorkville NX55P foh 1 x 18" subx Everything gets miced but drums they are triggered.

 

 

I would put the 31-band EQ on monitor duty, and either trade the 15-band for another 31-band, or possibly use it on FOH. The 15-band takes a generally too-wide swath of sound, and if you're properly using it for feedback control, it will often adversely affect the tone. Try to take no more than a 3dB reduction on any one band if at all possible, and pay close attention to how the mix tone is affected.

 

A 31-band is more useful on monitors because in most instances, floor wedges are a LOT more feedback prone than your FOH speakers, due to proximity to the mics, and the unfrotunate fact that the wedges probably aren't as good as the FOH speakers, with peaky response. A flat response is a crucial element to maximizing gain before feedback (GBF).