Subject:///////////////////////////** compression*****///////////////////////

Posted by: skot

Date:10/30/2002 5:49:22 PM

HI' ive been using acid 4.0 + soundforge 6.0 for a while now ,and im just getting to the stage where im thinking of mastering a track !
So this is where i start to get a little confused ?

Do i save the song (after getting all volumes @ a good level) and apply compression in sound forge?

Or do i apply induvidual compression to each track inturn via fx ,in acid? then render, and run a final compression over the entire track in sound forge?


and are there any say guild lines reguarding certain amounts of compression needed for different instruments?

Also im using the waves c1 compressor ,so if anybodys got any tips on using this id be greatfull !!

THanx!!

Subject:RE: ///////////////////////////** compression*****///////////////////////

Reply by: Iacobus

Date:10/30/2002 9:48:24 PM

Mastering is a totally subjective issue. Generally, most do render a mix and then do any tweaking in something such as Sound Forge. (I do it this way too.) But there are others who like to apply a bit a compression here and there as well before rendering a mix for further tweaking later.

In short, it's all a matter of preference. Your best bet is to try different ways and see what works best for you.

For tips on compression, you can check out this article from Computer Music magazine. I'm sure others can chime in on this subject too. Again, this is all a matter of preference but you can use such tips as guidelines. (BTW, I heard Computer Music gave ACID Pro 4.0 a 6 out of a possible 10 in a review. What a bunch of hooey.)

HTH,
Iacobus

Subject:RE: ///////////////////////////** compression*****///////////////////////

Reply by: luces

Date:10/30/2002 9:55:07 PM

Tell you what I do, whether it's proper or not.... I add the WaveHammer Plugin to my Master output when I am working with an Acid project. This allows me to maximize the Vol and keep things relative to the individual volumes per track. This is probably not recommended, but I am very pleased with the sonic results. Be careful to monitor the input to both the compressor AND the vol. maximizer as you don't want distortion. To me it's kinda like skipping the mastering process, but at my novice level I wouldn't say it's really the sme result.

Subject:RE: ///////////////////////////** compression*****///////////////////////

Reply by: fresnog

Date:10/30/2002 9:56:40 PM

Is wave hammer available in ACID??? I thought (for some reason) that it was only available in Sound Forge.

Subject:RE: ///////////////////////////** compression*****///////////////////////

Reply by: indeepthought

Date:10/31/2002 12:14:25 PM

I'm 99% sure wavehammer is available in Acid ( I will confirm when I go home). Although I wouldn't use wavehammer to master, I use it as a premastering tool, using it on the master fx send. I'm no expert on mastering, but it is generally agreed that it should be done as a separate process from your mix and preferably at a different time when your ears are fresher.

Subject:RE: ///////////////////////////** compression*****///////////////////////

Reply by: skot

Date:10/31/2002 11:54:39 PM

Thanx for the feedback chapp's

So i guess its just down to personal tastes then?

Subject:Check this out: iZotope Ozone

Reply by: MoreK

Date:11/1/2002 12:18:02 AM

I purchased iZotope Ozone for mastering, and it is a great piece of software. I suggest you to read the "Mastering with Ozone" guide in http://www.izotope.com/products/audio/ozone/ozoneguide.html and download the demo. I purchased it few months ago and I'm doing all mastering with it & Sound Forge. It contains (amongst other things) multiband dynamics (compression/limiter...). You can spend hours tweaking your song with it or simply use presets as a starting point. And now I started to sound like a salesman so I better quit... :-)

Subject:RE: ///////////////////////////** compression*****///////////////////////

Reply by: SonicJG

Date:11/1/2002 12:57:12 PM

Yep, Wavehammer is only available with Sound Forge 5.0 and 6.0. If you have either of those, it'll show up in ACID however. If you don't have Wavehammer, ACID does come with the Graphic Dynamics and Multiband Dynamics plug-ins which can also do compression quite well, but for non-frequency-specific compression, IMHO Wavehammer sounds better than our Graphic Dynamics. Ozone and other third-party plugs also do a very good job of compression.

Whichever you end up choosing, make sure to really listen closely since doing a proper job of compression is kind of a learned art.

Best,
Joel

Subject:RE: ///////////////////////////** compression*****///////////////////////

Reply by: indeepthought

Date:11/1/2002 6:48:56 PM

My bad. I have always had soundforge, so I never noticed that wavehammer does not come with Acid. It and Acoustic mirror are my favorite SF plugins.

Subject:RE: ///////////////////////////** compression*****///////////////////////

Reply by: fresnog

Date:11/16/2002 12:28:02 AM

How should I begin using Graphic Dynamics?
I have read that it can be very effective for compressing the
bass and drums (or kick drum) together.
I open the panel and I see four panels for adjusting stuff.
I would like to use it to make my bass guitar recording
sound better.

Thanks,
Fresnog

Subject:RE: ///////////////////////////** compression*****///////////////////////

Reply by: groovewerx

Date:11/16/2002 6:19:15 AM

you'll have to experiment to find whats most pleasing and effective for your music.

i would use light compression on bass, drums, guitar, and synth seperately. then medium compression on groups bass+drums and guitar+synth. the finally med to heavy comp on b+d+g+s together.

in this order the comp ratios should be decreased as each step is taken. that way you avoid the muddy mix.