Users of API-style compressors need to be wary, because too much compression can lead to distortion and mud quickly. They can be pushed harder (resulting in more glue/compression) and tend to add an edgy coloration to your sound. Think of API-style compressors as the hard-rocking alternative to the SSL. The APIĪPI is also a huge name in the hardware world – especially when it comes to consoles, preamps & compression. This light compression approach glues things together while sounding extremely transparent and works best when you have other parts of the signal chain you want to let shine through. Some engineers will drive them hard, but the majority of use you see with SSL compressors are hitting them just barely enough for the needle to move. Their consoles (and the plugins modeled after them) all have very similar characteristics. The same could be said for SSL compressors. While SSL preamps are clean and professional sounding, they’re often replaced by other options when an engineer is looking to add a bit of color. SSL is known for making great recording consoles that are easy to work with, but they’re less known for making extremely colorful recording equipment. Instead, you may notice a trend toward some common preferences among recording engineers: The SSL-Style Comp Mix busses are tough creatures to tackle, which is part of why mastering compressors are in a whole different price bracket than the ones you’ll commonly find in recording studios. Some of the stock options will work in a pinch, but they’re not usually designed with your entire mix bus in mind. Common Mix Bus CompressorsĪs I mentioned before, not all compressors act the same way when it comes to your mix bus. Your compression, in combination with anything else on your mix bus, is your sonic imprint, letting the rest of the world know it’s your mix.Įver listen to a song and immediately know who mixed it (or at least had a pretty good idea)? You might pick up on an engineer’s preferred snare tone or guitar sound, but more often than not what you’re hearing is the imprint left by the mix bus processing they use.Īnd while no mix bus chain/settings are going to fit every song, most engineers find themselves returning to a similar mix bus signal path time and time again because it sounds right to their ears. Think of your mix bus compression as part of your audio signature on each mix. How Does Mix Bus Compression Affect My Mixes? Everything else is just an added benefit. The reasons behind why this compression gets used ranges from avoiding clipping to adding some flavor, but the most common reason is that engineers use the compression as glue on the mix. It doesn’t require any fancy plugins, although some do a better job at mix bus compression than others. Mix bus compression is simply any type and amount of compression added to your mix bus (sometimes referred to as 2-track, master fader & output) on your signals way out of your DAW, just as the name implies. Your mixes need to sound full, but not squashed, and the best way to draw that line is through the use of Mix Bus compression. You need your tracks to sit tightly against each other – where one instrument ends another begins. Each vocal track should be aligned and reinforced for clarity and consistency.īut with all of that separation and processing, everything still needs to sound like it all belongs together. Your listener should be able to hear your guitar and your bass separately, without any concerns of masking hiding parts of one or the other. You should have clarity between instruments. Can we take a time out real quick, step back, and look at what it is that separates a good mix from a bad one?Īt first glance, a good mix has a good amount of separation.
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