Compressors Ruin Your Songs‼️

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  • Опубліковано 19 чер 2024
  • Compression and compressors are double edge swords and be detrimental expecially if you expect them to magically make your mixes and songs better.
    Let me explain:
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    00:00 Test Your Compression Hearing Skills
    00:38 News Channel, woop!
    00:52 The rant
    01:35 Let's test the color
    02:48 How compressors ruin your drums
    04:20 An easier alternative for compressing drums
    05:10 Help me if you enjoy the video
    05:25 How compressor muddy your mix
    06:44 How OTT ruins your mix
    09:25 A better alternative to OTT
    10:14 How compresor can ruin your master

КОМЕНТАРІ • 143

  • @Alice-Efe
    @Alice-Efe  4 місяці тому +13

    My brand new NEWS channel: www.youtube.com/@MT-Tune-In

    • @hellcat5music
      @hellcat5music 4 місяці тому

      There's a reason I got the Izotope everything pack. IMO the best toolset available, hands down.

  • @croay
    @croay 4 місяці тому +149

    bold of you to assume that I need compressors to ruin my songs

    • @Cult_of_the_Mantis
      @Cult_of_the_Mantis 4 місяці тому +4

      This sounds familiar 🤣🤣

    • @MrFizzyhouse
      @MrFizzyhouse 4 місяці тому

      I didn’t hear her mention your name once 🤔

    • @Cult_of_the_Mantis
      @Cult_of_the_Mantis 4 місяці тому +4

      It was a joke mate, he means his music isn't the best anyway :)@@MrFizzyhouse

    • @croay
      @croay 4 місяці тому +5

      @@MrFizzyhouse me neither, crazy right?

    • @Kunibert_Knatter
      @Kunibert_Knatter 4 місяці тому +1

      Meme! 🤣

  • @3rdStoreyChemist
    @3rdStoreyChemist 4 місяці тому +16

    You've made an error here. The "colour" can come from the compressor working, so having a steady tone going into a compressor is not the best demonstration of that.
    In fact your example with the drums highlights it perfectly. When the attack & decay are too fast, it'll create a click and harmonics as a result, no different to doing the same with ADSR's on a synth and also a result of fast decay so the compressor has returned to normal and therefore reacts to each transient. The curve from how the compressor reacts will dictate how it sounds.
    Also if you use already heavily processed samples, that's always going to end up over compressed with more compression. Compressors are for a different type of audio, like an acoustic drum kit with some microphones on it. Snares & kicks don't sound anything like heavily processed samples. Take a snare recording, throw on a SSL 4k emulation and set the compressor to fast attack and you'll recognise the sound immediately.
    For certain genres and how they are produced, I do agree compressors are unnecessary. But its incorrect to claim its snake oil when you're using them in the wrong scenario or in ways that isn't them working.

    • @bigboss-qv7pe
      @bigboss-qv7pe 4 місяці тому

      Exactly, this guy is dumb!

    • @acikacika
      @acikacika 3 місяці тому

      Very accurate counterargument!!
      Flat undinamic source isn't considered a candidate for compressor application ever rather than dynamically rich ones.

  • @panorama_mastering
    @panorama_mastering 4 місяці тому +38

    Haha tricky ~ I heard the filters envelope open up on example 1, so that when example 2 starts your ears were adjusted to the open/brighter envelope... they're the same ;)
    Smart move using the transient shaper; a lot of people think to use transient shapers ONLY for more PUNCH;
    RE: OTT ~ Complete phase inversions at the cross overs and at default the linear response is whack! Not a great choice IMO;
    Great video!

    • @dennis5806
      @dennis5806 4 місяці тому

      what other good uses do transient shapers have ?

    • @WalkinonSunshyne
      @WalkinonSunshyne 4 місяці тому

      I think OTT was used because it’s a popular too among beginner producers.

  • @amigazo3972
    @amigazo3972 4 місяці тому +5

    I literally love how much I learn with you. Especially from a scientist way to a translated, easy way to digest. I like the way you show the example with audio and graphics. This is how one understand what you are talking about. Your channel is just gold in this overpopulated UA-cam full of many people pretending to know a lot and confusing beginners.

  • @Michel-gv1sr
    @Michel-gv1sr 4 місяці тому +7

    Regarding the example around 3.30: compressors can sometimes be used to make drums more snappy by magnifying the difference in loudness between the transients and the body. Nevertheless, u make a good point about compressors being overblown.

  • @EnricoDeianamusic
    @EnricoDeianamusic 4 місяці тому

    I'm finding your contents very helpful! Thank you! Also in this video your personal research emerges and you made me think about how even from a Mix point of view we remain faithful to standards that are sometimes obsolete. Certainly, compressors remain cornerstones of studio Outboard but as you point out, there are tools that can preserve dynamics and still achieve the desired result! Great videos! Glad to have discovered you!

  • @Auran_JFmusic
    @Auran_JFmusic 4 місяці тому

    Helpful as always, thank you Alice

  • @JonasFasching
    @JonasFasching 4 місяці тому

    Very nice insight! Thank you 😊

  • @0711RC
    @0711RC 4 місяці тому

    I love your advice! Thanks!

  • @CinemaDubz
    @CinemaDubz 4 місяці тому +2

    after many long years of learning digital music production, I have learned enough to know I'm pretty bad lol.
    I enjoy your tutorials, they reveal how I am used to bad practice. It's like learning for a new time.

  • @mageprometheus
    @mageprometheus 4 місяці тому +2

    Thanks. Love and light 💜

  • @AutPen38
    @AutPen38 4 місяці тому +1

    One of the problems for beginners is that we're constantly told that "Compressors reduce the dynamic range and this will enable you to have more headroom and louder mixes", but - depending on the attack and release settings - the exact opposite can be true. A compressor can actually make a (drum) loop more "spiky", as it lets the initial transient through, and then reduces the volume of the body of the kick or snare. After the make-up gain is applied to bring up the average volume, the peaks can actually be higher than before, meaning you have less headroom. In many cases, a drum loop is improved better with some soft-clipping rather than a compressor, as when the latter is used with the "wrong" settings it will turn up the bits that you want to be quieter and turn down the bits you want to be louder. To reiterate, Compressors DON'T always reduce dynamic range. Depending on the settings, they can do the opposite. For beginners, it's very hard to dial in the "correct" settings to make 'fat' drums, so you should either practice a lot and use visual scopes to see what happens to the peaks and troughs, and/or use a clipper instead if you just want to reduce the peaks and increase the perceived average volume.

  • @user-iy4ih7dj4n
    @user-iy4ih7dj4n 3 місяці тому

    Superbly explained tips as always ! Even if one does it another way, there a lot of hints to think over or think new.

  • @TraxtasyMedia
    @TraxtasyMedia 4 місяці тому +1

    what I figured out during my some years of doing music for myself is this: only using most important things like reverb, delay and compression on BUS channels. This knowledge really improved my skills by far. So having a compressor on the Master only makes sense, when the mixdown is not that good and you want to tickle the last bits out of your mix before you finally bounce it. And yes, I've come this far to reach the point, where I only imply compression very sublte, just in case the mix does not really match my expectations.

  • @t0x0n1x
    @t0x0n1x 4 місяці тому +1

    I used to slam the compressor to create a pumping/ducking effect on tracks, but that was a terrible mistake. The second mistake was using the limiter to make mixes sound loud. I bet the engineers cutting vinyl back then were getting tired of trying to make a record sound good with such terrible source material. I wish they had sent the master back and said "Stop using so much compression/limiting and just do a better mix" - but they didn't, and we did not send the test pressing back asking questions about how we can make the record sound better/what we're doing wrong. We just thought we did our best/they did their best and we're stuck with a whole lot of terrible sounding records. I mean they were playable, but they didn't sound like we wanted them to. Playing them on broadcast radio stations was the worst - the additional broadcast compression makes over-compressed/limited tracks sound even more squashed and distorted. For vinyl, don't squish the dynamics out of the tracks. And verify the test pressing before you do a production run. If the test pressing sounds bad, talk to the engineer or get someone who knows how to mix for vinyl to have a listen.
    I agree - OTT = Over The Top compression. They will ruin everything if you lean on them too hard/too often.

  • @LETTMusic
    @LETTMusic 4 місяці тому +2

    It's taken me 10+ years to really feel comfortable with compressors, understanding the differences between most digital stock, and analog variants like Opto (LA-2A), FET (1176), VCA (SSL, buss compressors), and Vari-Mu. I think to the point of compressors adding character, there's a lot of snake oil, but there's also a lot of truth. Some companies like Plugin Alliance/Brainworx have a great selection of analog modeled compressors. It's not uncommon in the industry for some engineers to add some analog compressors with no actual gain reduction being applied as 'tone boxes', basically pass-through plugins just to add some character of analog circuitry/transistors.
    I did a test of my own on some various compressors on a sine wave, and some that I tested gave a lot more noticeable harmonics than the example in your video. It's worth pointing out that most sounds will be a lot more timbrally rich than a pure sine tone, so the harmonics generated will be more interesting across the spectrum and more noticeable to the ear on a more interesting source, such as a drum break or vocals or electric guitar.
    As for a compressor on a master bus, SSL-style VCA buss compressors are very common, typically slow attack, fast release, 2:1 or 4:1 ratio, only doing like 2-5dB of gain reduction. Using this style of compression on the master will not lead to a pumping sound, and instead often enhances the groove of the track. If you have pumping because of compression, that tends to imply too slow a release time. A release time of like 0.1ms or 0.3ms sounds great.
    I recommend for anyone interested in learning about the different types of analog compressors and where to generally use them to check the 'Choosing the right compressor' YT series with Justin Colletti from Plugin Alliance. I found them highly educational.
    As to OTT, I don't love the sound myself, probably to your points on phase crossovers. It's worth pointing out OTT doesn't only do downwards compression, it does upwards compression too. So for people who don't know what they are doing, on something like recorded vocals or drums, it will increase the noise floor so background sound like air conditioning or a CPU fan may really come out thanks to OTT.

  • @liketobe2743
    @liketobe2743 4 місяці тому +3

    I am producing with ableton since 12 Years. My main problem is: Right ear: 80% hearing, most decrease on the higher frequencies; Left ear: 12 % hearing, nearly deaf for everything below like 2000 Hz... don't know if this is causing my issue i have in production. Most of the time i used to just throw everything in which sounded good to me, not following any rules. Just started like 2 years ago of improving on my techniques. But compression is my biggest issue. I am usually only using side chain compression to duck whats needed to be ducked. But create a clean and not interfering sound which has its location in the "Room" of the Track is so hard for me. Also snappy crystal clear but not loud percussion are so incredibly hard to do for me. Idk. I can hear it. but i cant make it.
    I am not trying on my monitors so far, since my room isn't ideal at all. Going to build a studio, my new flat has a perfect room for it, so i will do, even if i end up not using it because with headphones it feels like i can make a way more true mix (for me) then with monitors, because i can trick my brain with headphones to believe to differentiate between left and right signal better on headphones so they sound the same left and right. But could be because my room was so shitty so far i was not able to use my HS8.
    But yeah I always noticed, if i compress my Elements in different ways so i can get more presents and better Isolated sounds, but overall my mix was worse and lost some depth. Yes I can hear some elements better, but its mostly because they grab my attention because of cliping transients.. If I use ableton stock compressor so my transients are not clipping i cant hear anymore that the elements are well defined. I think EQ-ing i am pretty good at it, its basically about boosting where the "charakter" of the Element is, while decreasing the same range in corresponding sound.
    But in the end, i am producing with an error, since my hearing is pretty bad, i sometimes use a references.
    in the end i just put some dynamic eqs (Fabfilter) on my mix and i have my standard EQ before the limiter to lower my "hear not so good" Region, which basically looks like an OTT.

  • @erikbosgra1775
    @erikbosgra1775 4 місяці тому +1

    It's an eye opening video for me 🧡🔥

  • @HenningUhle
    @HenningUhle 4 місяці тому +1

    Nice video! TBH, I don't do much compressing. I use some side-chain compression to let the kick come through. And a tiny bit of Glue compression on the master - well, to glue all parts a bit together. But I think about removing the latter thing after watching this video. I've seen a video where the dude told: "Well, now we go to the multiband compression. This is a nice stage to completely ruin your mixes". And since I'm always afraid of ruining my work, I refuse to use multiband compression.
    In most cases, you can leave damn hard compression out of your production. The main aspects to avoid it are sound selection, giving each instrument its own pocket and treating the source before throwing random effects and compressors onto the tracks. This helped me a lot.

  • @chocomalk
    @chocomalk 4 місяці тому +9

    The problem with listening comparisons and the thing that makes mixing tricky is that your ears get used to certain frequencies and turn them down while turning up others.

    • @glennfordsolinap8606
      @glennfordsolinap8606 4 місяці тому +2

      agreed, basically the perceived loudness and it really depends on the goal of how you want the sound to be, assuming you like squashing the sound but then you are to put distortion afterwards

    • @Alice-Efe
      @Alice-Efe  4 місяці тому +4

      Ear fatigue and ear bias are very unknown but detrimental problems. We can go a whole essay on it.

    • @R1PPA-C
      @R1PPA-C 4 місяці тому +3

      Same goes for listening or producing at loud volumes, everything sounds great loud, I suffer from this chronically, I don't get a real feel for my music unless it's loud but this is self destructive.
      Also ear fatigue and mental fatigue messes with me.
      I've had to learn to take big breaks from projects and revisit them sometimes weeks down the line to really hear what's wrong and right with a track and it also stops me from over producing a track to the point where it becomes worse than it was a few versions prior

    • @Mefistofy
      @Mefistofy 4 місяці тому +1

      @@R1PPA-C Something flipped in me and I started to mix rather silent after setting setting levels roughly to sit nice in the spectrum. You really have to work to make the important elements pop as they should. Helped me a lot in de-muddying my mixes. Fatigue was also an issue for me. I know something was not right but could not figure out what, all changes sounded the same and I try not to change anything if I don't notice the difference.

    • @R1PPA-C
      @R1PPA-C 4 місяці тому

      @@Mefistofy yeah same here, especially with over correcting a track to the point I make it worse. one issue I have is I live in an apartment and my downstairs neighbour is hell, I have two pairs of monitors and I can barely use them at all even on really low...
      so I have 5 very different pairs of headphones to try produce on, but this is where the issue is... I turn my headphones up.. Gradually louder over time to the point I'm hammering the gain,ear drums bleeding and coming back the next day to find a horriblly out of balance track

  • @bbbhuyan
    @bbbhuyan 4 місяці тому

    A perfect video about compressor and the way to use it smartly!

  • @wendellhomem7485
    @wendellhomem7485 4 місяці тому

    Nice video Alice !! As always with usefull tips. Regards from a brazilian producer !!!

  • @ClaudeYoung
    @ClaudeYoung 4 місяці тому

    Great video Alice!!!

  • @JZ_Strings
    @JZ_Strings 4 місяці тому +1

    Great video thank you

  • @cryspimusic
    @cryspimusic 4 місяці тому

    Amazing advice!

  • @MOSMASTERING
    @MOSMASTERING 4 місяці тому

    Hey, its me again! Big fan.. lol
    I have a techno track that I finished in December during a collab with a good friend of mine... I am seriously happy with all the ideas and sounds... but even after my near 20 years producing, mixing and mastering.... I feel like it needs a 3rd party "ear" to listen to it and polish it to be release ready.. would you care to take the stems and turn it into a step by step "fix-the-mix" episode?! I feel like I can't wait a few weeks until I get that 'refresh' effect, where you can hear all the mistakes after a while away from the project and knock it slowly into shape. It's a good track that just needs finishing.
    I'm sure you've got a lot of ideas lined up for the channel...
    But.... if you don't ask...
    Anyway... keep up the good work :)

  • @iamwissu
    @iamwissu 4 місяці тому +1

    Very good video! I think it's important to discuss how overrated compressors can be. However, it's also important to point out that it is essential in various ways. (Aint sure if you already made a video about how to properly use compressors) but I think it's significant to think about it.
    Concerning the Master, I think using a multiband compressor is good! Working on Lows/mids/highs seperated will have positive outcomes

  • @misterphb2183
    @misterphb2183 4 місяці тому

    Hi Alice, Really important content you give us. I am fan of arturia comp, so what you showed was really "in my zone" and yes how many times did I took off tracks from group in order to hear them as they were originally before I ruined them with tons of tools. Next step for my technical progression, check the effects of plugin in a span window! Thanks!

    • @Alice-Efe
      @Alice-Efe  4 місяці тому

      Glad it was helpful! ❤

  • @JayVucci
    @JayVucci 4 місяці тому

    Loved it ✌🏼

  • @blaizet7600
    @blaizet7600 4 місяці тому

    Are you saying that potentially using transient shapers, and maybe volume automation might be better for louder mixes than compression ?

  • @morgan0
    @morgan0 4 місяці тому

    yeah that tiny amount of harmonics on the compressor reminds me of something i was thinking about yesterday, that a lot of times, analog modeling plugins are so focused on accuracy that they make something that's only subtly nonlinear, the original gear was designed to be high quality after all. whereas i prefer using and making stuff that can be a lot more obvious, and lets you dial in the right amount.
    and going after accuracy at all costs also feeds into magical gear syndrome, where people think its some magical gear that made good music good, not it being from a time where there were a lot more filters and having money was a lot more relevant. maybe they really knew that synth or effect really really well because they only had that one for anything of that kind, only one synth, limited effects, etc. or maybe they were good because they could pay for a thousand dollar piece of gear and music lessons and whatever.
    but it's not magical gear. sure the pultec boost and cut at the same time sounds good, but it's a nonlinear parallel second order lowpass (or reeaaaally close to one), and stuff that does vaguely the same thing will also sound good (check out surge's bonsai's bass boost, for my accidentally similar dsp). so why make something that emulates the original really accurately but still isn't as good as a paid competitor or isn't much better than a free one, when you could make something similar but different, with more control over the eq and nonlinearity, to make it as dirty and obvious as you want.

  • @francobuzzetti9424
    @francobuzzetti9424 3 місяці тому

    omg i loved the ott on the reverb!!
    i have a question for the audio nerds: everyone keeps giving ott hate for its phase related stuff, wouldn't that be an issue in all multiband processors like saturn or pro mb?

  • @mantax55
    @mantax55 4 місяці тому

    I love the overall logic in this video regarding dynamics but is the point not lost when post MEs master to -10 LUFS or more even?

  • @matthewjackson8709
    @matthewjackson8709 4 місяці тому +1

    Impact from surreal machines for transient shaping and so much more.

  • @rockerzattack
    @rockerzattack 4 місяці тому

    Thank you so much awesome work i am looking for leveling masterclass (NOT GAIN STAGE) MIXER leveling for dance music house and all 😊👍

  • @CarlyonProduction
    @CarlyonProduction 3 місяці тому

    Oh my god you always post what I’m thinking!
    And you look 🔥 with blonde hair!

  • @Acoustic-Rabbit-Hole
    @Acoustic-Rabbit-Hole 4 місяці тому

    I can't believe I've compressed my life away!
    Oh, well. Now that I've calmed down, I guess it's time to de-compress.

  • @PaulFisherMedia
    @PaulFisherMedia 3 місяці тому

    What is your method for clean and distinct sub bass so it hits hard and it’s not muddy

  • @sac5608
    @sac5608 4 місяці тому

    yeah i felt kind of weird not using compressors i thought i just didnt know how to use them. i only use them to shape snares. i just use "parallel compression" with distortion, soft clippers, or maximus saturation which i know is a compressor and is compression but i dont use it as intended. also i use transient shaper because i don't understand what compressors are for lol but music sounds good too me

  • @MG-gu3qx
    @MG-gu3qx 4 місяці тому

    something i always ask myself:
    kick, cymbals and bass in one group, compress each of them seperate + then bus compress them together? or only kick + cymbals in one group and bass seperate? and if bus compress why or how much cause each instrument is anyway compressed already (isnt it too much).. :D what is the correct way?
    can someone help? thanks a lot!

  • @adriengrosjean6300
    @adriengrosjean6300 4 місяці тому

    I agree on some of the things you said BUT jugding the quality of an audio processing by LOOKING at the waveform is like judging the quality of a painting by tasting the paint

  • @DJAdalaide
    @DJAdalaide 4 місяці тому +2

    No need to compress a synth unless you want the reverb tail/delay tail in your face, apart from that its good for vocals since there is too much dynamics usually

    • @DJAdalaide
      @DJAdalaide 4 місяці тому

      @@naughtyducky6325 So if its a saw wave, or a square wave, or whatever, what exactly is compression doing? Its not making it louder, the volume is constant so what is the point of compressing?

    • @subschnee4573
      @subschnee4573 4 місяці тому

      If you do you own percussion with lots of noise coming from the OSC sections or you're using samples as a source a compressor is handy. Same goes for any synthlines with filter modulation going on, FM or such. ITB maybe not that obvious that with hardware TBF.

  • @truthministry.
    @truthministry. 4 місяці тому +1

    The amounts of really nice sounding tracks I have been disappointed with after coming back from a mastering session and it's loud but lost all of its dynamic range.

    • @spiritlevelstudios
      @spiritlevelstudios 4 місяці тому

      Master it yourself, it takes 15 minutes.

    • @truthministry.
      @truthministry. 4 місяці тому

      @@spiritlevelstudios I have a very bad room, you can't mix a cake in there, so mastering it there would be a waste of time. Mixes from that room don't translate well at all.

  • @nicoschmitt9857
    @nicoschmitt9857 4 місяці тому

    ever since i got my Bayerdynamics DT1990 Pros, i literally stopped using compression. Most drum sounds are pre compressed anyway. And i'm killing dynamic range with a hard clipper at the end of my mixing sessions

  • @konstantinepope
    @konstantinepope 4 місяці тому

    Once again Alice is 100% on point, hats off!

  • @xanjelx
    @xanjelx 4 місяці тому +2

    compressors are best used to control the dynamic range by pushing sounds forward or backwards in the mix imo.

    • @xanjelx
      @xanjelx 4 місяці тому

      @@focusdecorating3637 it's all about practice, innit

    • @focusdecorating3637
      @focusdecorating3637 4 місяці тому

      Not in my experience. If you dont know what your doing then no amount of practice will help.@@xanjelx

    • @focusdecorating3637
      @focusdecorating3637 4 місяці тому

      Seriously though mate, there is a 10-hour video on youtube about compression. Its the most complicated single subject I have come across in music by a million miles.@@xanjelx

  • @doomsdaytuther5095
    @doomsdaytuther5095 4 місяці тому

    How do my ears make sound comparisons while you have that background music playing

  • @notsure1135
    @notsure1135 4 місяці тому +1

    OTT on the bass only with me.

  • @onaucc9899
    @onaucc9899 4 місяці тому

    Over-processing in general i feel like is really bad.
    I worked in FL Studio exclusively for 15 years, so only digital, and processed pretty much every sound i used.
    Recently though, i got the Novation Circuit Rhythm and due to it's nature as a sampler, i just draged and dropped in the samples and started working with them in there. Pretty much unprocessed. And the results sound so much better / more interesting. Way more organic, without really sacrificing the "modern" sound.

  • @Zrokool123
    @Zrokool123 4 місяці тому

    It seems apparent that it's not compressors that are ruining your songs, but the lack of understanding on how to set them up correctly and properly eq your tracks that's actually doing the damage. I find that using a visual compressor like neutron's compressor kinda helped fill the knowledge gap of how parameters actually work. I agree though, a transient shaper is sometimes more effective and way easier.

  • @xXUsualxSuspectXx
    @xXUsualxSuspectXx 4 місяці тому

    What is the name of the track at 11:40? I need this!!! 😎

  • @naughtyducky6325
    @naughtyducky6325 4 місяці тому

    I agree with the OTT I hardly ever use it, it’s very situational for me. not sure why a lot of people think it’s sounds so good, even considering the additional gain, on most things is just makes them sound really tinny and brittle, removes far too much midrange 🤮.

  • @ggaabb_
    @ggaabb_ 4 місяці тому +1

    11:42 No matter how many yucky faces you make I think that sounds better with compression xD

  • @mauhu
    @mauhu 4 місяці тому +2

    with compression you should really take it on a case by case basis. What can destroy one sound may improve the other, so blindly using it without understanding what it does will probably make a track worse. On the other side, if you never use it you're definitely missing out, and decreasing the potential of your tracks.

    • @spiritlevelstudios
      @spiritlevelstudios 4 місяці тому

      Ye. It's essential for placing the kick and bass consistently, just don't overdo it.

  • @EximiusDux
    @EximiusDux 4 місяці тому

    In 2004 i used a DAW capable of running VST, automatic ducking and a lot more. In 2007 i used a DAW capable of almost anything which people expect from a DAW in 2024. That DAW from 2007 even allowed me to load in complete videos to a track, cut up the video and use the cuts as vocal chops or samples which could be freely dragged around. 3 more years and that would be a thing from 20 years ago. 😉

  • @tKcs2
    @tKcs2 4 місяці тому

    Ott is really good for weird dubstep sound design

  • @giammy_nuraghe
    @giammy_nuraghe 4 місяці тому

    Loving LOST cit at 2:40 =D

  • @marsiliusmusic
    @marsiliusmusic 4 місяці тому

    We are one. 💚

  • @kuusteist
    @kuusteist 4 місяці тому +4

    Such a bad take. Sure, learn to use compressors before you use them, otherwise you'll make stuff worse, especially as a beginner. Transient shapers can take on some duty from compressors. However first start with how there are different compressor types and you use different types for different roles. If you take loops from a pack then odds are that they are already compressed and shouldn't be compressed further. The right threshold level, attack and release are crucial for getting compressors to work, not to mention the skilled ear of hearing or rather feeling the effect. Also trying to squeeze harmonics out of a sine is a fools errant. Bus compression is great for gluing different elements together into a coherent and groovy loop. La-2a type compressor is great for adding warmth to a digital sounding synthesizer. Saturation is a form of compression in itself and if you need it use it however it can also muddy the mix if overused.

  • @Willi-Wucher
    @Willi-Wucher 4 місяці тому +1

    So glad to hear this. Always had the vague impression that my overall sound gets worse and worse the more compression I use all over the place (not EDM though) Kind of muddy and indifferent, and not good at all

  • @FlufLord
    @FlufLord 4 місяці тому

    “if you don’t know how to use them” this is key

  • @DJamal1803
    @DJamal1803 4 місяці тому

    I like this point of view
    Compressors nowdays helps in a rare and specific cases
    In most cases i use soft clipper or transient shappers or something more specific
    Audio enginnering like programming simple solutions better than complex one
    lIKE take VCA Com[re AND some WAVES RVOX etc
    It's simple marketing

  • @mauromantovani5937
    @mauromantovani5937 4 місяці тому +6

    I agree about the OTT part. The rest is just trying to prove a point for a clickbait title by deliberately misusing one of the most valuable tools in music production. Not helpful for beginners, and can generate a lot of confusion about an already hard to grasp concept.

    • @boimesa8190
      @boimesa8190 4 місяці тому

      beginners shouldnt be used by beginners

  • @Punk_Mayhem
    @Punk_Mayhem 4 місяці тому

    sorry for just commenting just after listening the two examples,so, the second example of the piece literally sounds like the soul of those pieces of music has been cruelly crushed and demolished! lets see, what’s coming next.
    ❤❤❤❤

  • @circles79
    @circles79 4 місяці тому

    I agree. The whole sidechain compression fad is getting so tired, whenever I hear it in a track I skip it, because it's just such a lazy trick. Compression is often best used sparingly, if at all.
    When I hear a track that has dynamics intact, my ears perk up.
    please less click baity vids though. Obviously compression isn't the devil. It's just too much of a good thing that makes it suffer.

  • @DJamal1803
    @DJamal1803 4 місяці тому

    i have a one greate tool for me
    IF I DON"T know reason to use something i don't use it

  • @deafalienzulu
    @deafalienzulu 4 місяці тому

  • @laurentiuionutvita
    @laurentiuionutvita 4 місяці тому

    took me like 15 years to understand that I was overcompressing :D

  • @giannipetrocelli472
    @giannipetrocelli472 2 місяці тому

    Look at the wave before using a compressor in dance music often isn't needed

  • @KuraSourTakanHour
    @KuraSourTakanHour 4 місяці тому +1

    So the take-away is, use compression to bring out the unique point of your instruments or sounds and not just make every frequency come close together

    • @_BangDroid_
      @_BangDroid_ 4 місяці тому +2

      Exactly. Use compressors for what they were made for. Stop following post-apocalyptic loudness-war trends.

  • @JayVucci
    @JayVucci 4 місяці тому

    I agree with her. I can’t imagine a man saying this!

  • @BFHPET
    @BFHPET 4 місяці тому

    9:59 how to automate the knob to the macro

  • @PaulFisherMedia
    @PaulFisherMedia 3 місяці тому

    All my mixes are over compressed and crowded

  • @BradyBeatsandTheTokenGirl
    @BradyBeatsandTheTokenGirl 2 місяці тому

    Compressors on compressors for the win

  • @AledesChica
    @AledesChica 4 місяці тому

    Good video

  • @johnsuggs7828
    @johnsuggs7828 4 місяці тому

    2nd one sounds slightly wider and fuller

  • @makebaduploadanyway8233
    @makebaduploadanyway8233 4 місяці тому

    Nice

  • @jonnewman2372
    @jonnewman2372 4 місяці тому

    For me. Compression, is the only tool that I dont understand. I understand every other plugin and what they do and can use them (within my own capabilities) but Compression...........I just dont get it. I undertand what they are, but I dont know how and when to use them.

    • @TommyWashow
      @TommyWashow 4 місяці тому

      well id figure it out cause its the most useful. if you dont know how and when to use them then you dont understand what they are

  • @OrionRahl
    @OrionRahl 4 місяці тому

    On the first example and with repeated listens with my eyes closed, I still hear a difference in punchiness. Nothing perceptible to me in the second example.

  • @xcelox1219
    @xcelox1219 4 місяці тому

    Compressors dont ruin your mix, you do.

  • @smuram
    @smuram 4 місяці тому

    I ruin my song just without compressors!I ruin them just like a man!

  • @digitalbeat666
    @digitalbeat666 4 місяці тому

    I agree OTT makes every track sound crappier

  • @glennfordsolinap8606
    @glennfordsolinap8606 4 місяці тому

    oh no... Virtual RioTT 😭

    • @Alice-Efe
      @Alice-Efe  4 місяці тому

      Haha he can do anything and it will sound good! 😅

  • @808chadda
    @808chadda 4 місяці тому +1

    I love the blonde look 😍

  • @armandtormo5304
    @armandtormo5304 4 місяці тому

    🫶

  • @alexursu563
    @alexursu563 4 місяці тому +1

    compressors dont ruin songs, compressors are a wonderful tool, people who don't know how and when to use compressors ruin songs. Enjoyed the video though

  • @Maplefoxx-vl2ew
    @Maplefoxx-vl2ew 4 місяці тому

    compression should be used subtly, unless you are using it as an effect. it helps even out the audio. if you're using a compressor to get tone or color than you are using it as an effect and not really using it as a compressor. that's how i view compression in all genres and any instance. Parallel compression on drums is pretty commonly used in metal and rock music these days. almost on every single new release that comes out has it. OTT is evil. i don't use it, i find it very trashy

  • @OversampledSecretLab
    @OversampledSecretLab 4 місяці тому

    What are you smoking that you've typed these words in the title?

  • @Nebvla
    @Nebvla 4 місяці тому

    But ott

  • @markkilley2683
    @markkilley2683 4 місяці тому

    Can suck the dynamics out of the music.

  • @shari_8410
    @shari_8410 4 місяці тому +2

    Thats one of the Reasons , why Electronic Music sounds so flat , pressureles, and Earpained today .. In Production Process using heaps and heaps of Compression , Then in The Mastering once again pull down the Threshold of the Limiter ...and on Top of all that Destroyes the anwys sausage Wavefile into a ugly Mp3 File ..
    As Kai Tracid was saying in his Masterclass ..He never ever was used a single Compressor on his single Tracks ,exept for Mastering .

  • @antondhondt9851
    @antondhondt9851 3 місяці тому

    Compressors can't ruin, only illiterate "prods" are culprits. Compressors are very demanding in education terms - one got to know what is FET, OPTO and so on. The fields of their appliance (snappy FET compressors for rock music, for example). It is the territory of audio engineers - an ordinary, badly educated prod with non-trained ears will just fail with proper tunings. The only way-out for prods with ticky-tacky hands/ears is to use PRESETS (yeah, I know that ordinary prods are very afraid of this word!) - nowadays even freeware compressors have excellent presets for gentle mixing, upward compression, drums squeeze and so on.

  • @arnolddawson5747
    @arnolddawson5747 4 місяці тому

    compressors amongst other things are for shaping. limiters are for shaving off wayward transients. Dont know where to start with this. Does seem like an excuse to make a video. Doesn't explain why you would do things.

  • @cjgoeson
    @cjgoeson 4 місяці тому

    1:50. This is just wrong and misleading. 😢 The added harmonics are at their max when the amount of gain reduction is changing. You will not see it with a sine wave of constant amplitude.

    • @cjgoeson
      @cjgoeson 4 місяці тому

      Go ahead and pulse that same sine wave with an 8th note trance gate and look again.

    • @Alice-Efe
      @Alice-Efe  4 місяці тому +1

      Here you go: www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/ttm2hu7n60t1njwhqpz8j/h?rlkey=prgn9gvehl2axundka04n53gz&dl=0 (Both FET and VCA because you are most likely using one of these on drums)
      The amount of harmonic saturation you get from compressors are insignificant most of the time.
      (The only case that really makes sense is newyork compression but even then, just use your stock compressor in your DAW and add a distortion/saturation on the chain and you will be still getting better harmonic saturation)
      The case even more insignificant if you are making electronic dance music because nobody is going to hear that -72 gb single harmonic in a busy mix.
      Obviously we need compressors for dynamics control and it has its place on mix. Nobody is arguing that.
      The rant here is about plugin companies' marketing trick to make producers believe that their compressor has a sauce that will make their songs much better.
      They use this trick over and over again and I'm sick and tired of it.
      I don't want beginner and intermediate producers in our community to spend tons of money on snake oil marketing terms.
      If you want audible warmth just use saturation and you are much better off.

    • @cjgoeson
      @cjgoeson 4 місяці тому +1

      I take your point that you can get more saturation and get it more directly by simply using a saturator. My point is orthogonal, which is that you don’t see the full saturation of a compressor by simply running through a sine wave. Thanks for the video!

    • @cjgoeson
      @cjgoeson 4 місяці тому +1

      Oh and by the way, transient chapters add harmonics also, and for the same reason.

  • @justinhoffman1111
    @justinhoffman1111 4 місяці тому +11

    its simple - compressors dont ruin your songs, you do..... no tools actually ruin your mix - you ruin your own mix because you dont know what your doing! lol

    • @mauhu
      @mauhu 4 місяці тому +5

      yeah I think that's what she means, but using a more provocative title gets more engagement

  • @BukezFinezt
    @BukezFinezt 4 місяці тому

    You're saying it yourself. "Put the focus on the wrong things!" Your title makes certain people assume exactly that and start to stay away from compressors.
    It is not the plugins. It clearly is misinformation from as you said brands and a TON of beginner youtubers (not talking about you though ;) ) who take about the magic tricks their idols use and bla blad ... it makes beginners think "YOU NEED THIS PLUGIN WITH THIS TECHNIQUE TO BE THE NEXT SKRILLEX, DIPLO, DISCLOSURE, IAN KIRKPATRICK or whoever. Why not leave the whole clickbait bullcrap out and focus on teaching people the right ways and techniques.
    Also I think you do not need a Transient Shaper if you take time to learn how to use a compressor right!!

  • @joeydelmarsjr.646
    @joeydelmarsjr.646 4 місяці тому +1

    i bet shes packing something extra :)

  • @eroero830
    @eroero830 4 місяці тому

    reeeeee snake oil (b sounded better both times)

  • @sawssman965
    @sawssman965 4 місяці тому +1

    These thumbnails...