Become a Site Supporter and Never see Ads again!

Author Topic: Parallel compression, my new love & best friend  (Read 66387 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Sloan Simpson

  • Trade Count: (1)
  • Needs to get out more...
  • *****
  • Posts: 4013
  • Gender: Male
    • Southern Shelter
Re: Parallel compression, my new love & best friend
« Reply #30 on: August 31, 2010, 04:26:34 PM »
The old light-bulb went off in my head and this all makes sense now, thanks to everyone!

Offline live2496

  • Trade Count: (6)
  • Taperssection Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 692
  • Gender: Male
    • Gidluck Mastering
Re: Parallel compression, my new love & best friend
« Reply #31 on: September 01, 2010, 10:28:04 AM »
I saw this technique being used live by someone recording classical music for a venue. They make recordings of every performance and there was no time for post processing as one-off CD's had to be created for the conductor nightly.

A compressed stereo pair was mixed in with the uncompressed signal and this was mixed on the fly to a CD recorder. The compressed tracks make the average RMS level higher for very soft passages that are harder to hear especially if you are listening in a noisier environment . They were not just recording the compressed audio but a blend of compressed and uncompressed signals.

When I work on recordings that I have made myself there is usually some parallel processing of some kind. Sometimes this can be separate eq to mid and side signals and sometimes the original track is blended in with mid-side signals. I might even compress the mid a bit and leave the sides alone. It depends upon the recording.
AEA R88MKII > SPL Crimson 3 > Tascam DA-3000

Offline Massive Dynamic

  • Trade Count: (21)
  • Taperssection All-Star
  • ****
  • Posts: 1421
  • Gender: Male
  • 20 years of the best in apocalyptic gothic metal
Re: Parallel compression, my new love & best friend
« Reply #32 on: September 02, 2010, 09:32:15 PM »
I haven't tried this yet, but it sounds interesting. All this work should be done on a copy of a 24-bit master before dithering/resampling down to redbook, correct?
Also, I've sometimes wondered about putting a compressor, something like the FMR RNC, in the recording chain. Of course, results would be irreversible. Maybe this processing technique would accomplish the same thing?
Naiant X-X > SP-SPSB-1 > M10
Superlux S502 > Denecke PS-2 > Hosa MIT-435 > M10

Offline page

  • Trade Count: (25)
  • Needs to get out more...
  • *****
  • Posts: 8388
  • Gender: Male
  • #TeamRetired
Re: Parallel compression, my new love & best friend
« Reply #33 on: September 02, 2010, 09:48:13 PM »
I haven't tried this yet, but it sounds interesting. All this work should be done on a copy of a 24-bit master before dithering/resampling down to redbook, correct?

well before yes.

In some ways I'd almost do:

Split tracks > Compress/EQ #2 & EQ #1 > Adjust mix > (render) > Final EQ adjustments > Any mastering functions you do (inc dither/resample)
"This is a common practice we have on the bus; debating facts that we could easily find through printed material. It's like, how far is it today? I think it's four hours, and someone else comes in at 11 hours, and well, then we'll... just... talk about it..." - Jeb Puryear

"Nostalgia ain't what it used to be." - Jim Williams

Offline live2496

  • Trade Count: (6)
  • Taperssection Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 692
  • Gender: Male
    • Gidluck Mastering
Re: Parallel compression, my new love & best friend
« Reply #34 on: September 02, 2010, 10:03:44 PM »
I haven't tried this yet, but it sounds interesting. All this work should be done on a copy of a 24-bit master before dithering/resampling down to redbook, correct?
Also, I've sometimes wondered about putting a compressor, something like the FMR RNC, in the recording chain. Of course, results would be irreversible. Maybe this processing technique would accomplish the same thing?

The main reason to do this with something like an outboard compressor is if you have to produce a mix in realtime. Given a choice I would prefer to work in software as it offers more control and the ability to undo.
AEA R88MKII > SPL Crimson 3 > Tascam DA-3000

Offline yates7592

  • Trade Count: (12)
  • Taperssection Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 694
  • Gender: Male
Re: Parallel compression, my new love & best friend
« Reply #35 on: September 06, 2010, 06:00:47 AM »
Many thanks for this really helpful thread. I'd never used this method before.

I must admit the prospect of using 2 files, EQ-ing, compressing and mixing did fill me with horror, so i tried a potentially simpler way. I used the 'upward compression' preset in Waves C1 compressor plug-in on one of my concert recordings with very quiet and very loud passages. I played around with the threshold until i got about 4dB-6dB of gain on the quiet passages and the result was really impressive. It really brought life and body to the whole recording without loss of dynamics.

I'm not sure this is exactly the same as what has been described, but it does follow the same principle of upward compression, and is extremely easy to implement by novices like me as a plug-in effect.

Offline rjp

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Taperssection Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 432
  • Gender: Male
  • You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
Re: Parallel compression, my new love & best friend
« Reply #36 on: October 02, 2010, 01:25:41 AM »
I decided to give one of my classical recordings (a binaural recording of an a cappella chorale) the parallel compression treatment tonight. Even though I felt a bit squicked about applying compression to a live recording, the result was very pleasing. It sounded as if I had moved up right up to the front row! Details that seemed slightly hazy in the original leaped into clarity, and the remastered version has a lot more punch to it without seeming to lose the dynamics. Of course, to be pedantic, it does lose some dynamic range, but this is not the sort of Death Magnetic-style brickwalling that I hate. All in all, it was well worth the fiddling (and yes, this is a fiddly process - it took a lot of fiddling to keep the compressor from pumping).

In Audacity, I came up with -13 dB threshold, -45 dB noise floor, 6.5:1 compression ratio, 0.2 sec attack time, and 10 sec decay time for the compressed track, and then I set the compressed track -5 dB below the uncompressed track. Then, I knocked back the gain on both tracks until there was no more clipping at the peaks, and mixed them together.

I'm going to have to try this on some of my other pulls now...
Mics: AKG Perception 170, Naiant X-X, Sound Professionals SP-TFB-2
Preamps: Naiant Littlebox
Recorders: Olympus LS-10
Interfaces: Focusrite Saffire Pro 14, Focusrite Scarlett 2i2

Offline dean

  • Akustische u. Kino-Geräte!!!!
  • Trade Count: (2)
  • Needs to get out more...
  • Posts: 9057
  • Gender: Male
  • The Dude abides...
Re: Parallel compression, my new love & best friend
« Reply #37 on: October 07, 2010, 11:10:22 PM »
.
Light weight: Sound Pro AT 831 or MBHO's > tinybox > D7 or Samson PM4's > Denecke PS-2 > D7
Slutty weight:  [MBHO MBP 603A + (KA100LK/KA200N/KA500HN)] and/or [AKG C 414 b xls (omni/sub-card/card/hyp/8)]  > Hi Ho Silver xlr's/other xlr's > Oade T & W Mod R-4 or UA-5 (BM2p+ mod.) or JB3 or D7

http://www.archive.org/bookmarks/deanlambrecht

Offline DLay

  • Trade Count: (3)
  • Taperssection Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 257
  • Gender: Male
  • If it has to be loud to be good, it isn't
Re: Parallel compression, my new love & best friend
« Reply #38 on: October 07, 2010, 11:36:34 PM »

BTW another common name for this technique is New York Compression.


^This is what I've heard it referred as when I was taught it. Nashville engineers will know it as parallel compression. Apparently since recording space is limited in NY, engineers would do this to make the tracks more in your face and seem like they were recorded in much larger rooms.
Beyerdynamic MC930 > Sound Devices 702t

Offline bdasilva

  • Trade Count: (12)
  • Taperssection All-Star
  • ****
  • Posts: 1358
  • Gender: Male
  • Use to be a Fishhead
Re: Parallel compression, my new love & best friend
« Reply #39 on: October 08, 2010, 11:05:22 PM »
There is a name for it....?   I run mostly matrixs and  was digging (compressing) my soundboard channel looking for vocals. I found it and so I mixed this back in....  Along with the uncompressed signal. That was the sound.  Thanks for naming and explaining this so well.
Cad E300S set.. AT822  AKG C 414 B-XLS/ST  
Dorsey-Mod MK-012 w/ O, C, H and RED L/D Caps
Superlux S502 ORTF   LSD2
Silverpath  Cables> 
Tascam DR-680MKii    DR- 680 (X2)   Tascam DR-40     Sound Devices USBPre    SONY  PMD-M10   Zoom F8

"Buy a Taper a Drink... Prime the Pumps of live Music"


               On the "music" side of the "Music Business"

Offline goodcooker

  • Trade Count: (43)
  • Needs to get out more...
  • *****
  • Posts: 4638
  • Gender: Male
  • goes to 11
Re: Parallel compression, my new love & best friend
« Reply #40 on: October 26, 2010, 12:43:09 AM »
When running matrices I was digging (compressing) my soundboard channel looking for vocals

and fiddle and acoustic...this technique works great for compressing a board feed and mixing with an uncompressed audience source.
Line Audio CM3/OM1 || MBHO KA500 hyper>PFA|| ADK A51 type IV || AKG C522XY
Oade Warm Mod and Presence+ Mod UA5s || Aerco MP2(needs help) || Neve Portico 5012 || Apogee MMP
SD Mixpre6 || Oade Concert Mod DR100mkii

pocket sized - CA11 cards > SP SB10 > Sony PCM A10

http://www.archive.org/bookmarks/goodcooker

"Are you the Zman?" - fan at Panic 10-08-10 Kansas City
"I don't know who left this perfectly good inflatable wook doll here, but if I'm blowing her up, I'm keeping her." -  hoppedup

Offline bdasilva

  • Trade Count: (12)
  • Taperssection All-Star
  • ****
  • Posts: 1358
  • Gender: Male
  • Use to be a Fishhead
Re: Parallel compression, my new love & best friend
« Reply #41 on: December 14, 2010, 04:46:39 PM »
When running matrices I was digging (compressing) my soundboard channel looking for vocals

and fiddle and acoustic...this technique works great for compressing a board feed and mixing with an uncompressed audience source.
 


QFT     (Bump to the top... this is too important . )
Cad E300S set.. AT822  AKG C 414 B-XLS/ST  
Dorsey-Mod MK-012 w/ O, C, H and RED L/D Caps
Superlux S502 ORTF   LSD2
Silverpath  Cables> 
Tascam DR-680MKii    DR- 680 (X2)   Tascam DR-40     Sound Devices USBPre    SONY  PMD-M10   Zoom F8

"Buy a Taper a Drink... Prime the Pumps of live Music"


               On the "music" side of the "Music Business"

Offline beatkilla

  • Trade Count: (70)
  • Needs to get out more...
  • *****
  • Posts: 2104
  • Gender: Male
Re: Parallel compression, my new love & best friend
« Reply #42 on: December 16, 2010, 04:45:02 PM »
Trying this out and i get phasing what am i doing wrong?

Offline beatkilla

  • Trade Count: (70)
  • Needs to get out more...
  • *****
  • Posts: 2104
  • Gender: Male
Re: Parallel compression, my new love & best friend
« Reply #43 on: December 17, 2010, 10:18:20 AM »
Any suggestions for a better compressor,im looking for free VST plug in.Currently i have sony track compressor,classic compressor and gcomp.

Offline Gutbucket

  • record > listen > revise technique
  • Trade Count: (15)
  • Needs to get out more...
  • *****
  • Posts: 15698
  • Gender: Male
  • "Better to love music than respect it" ~Stravinsky
Re: Parallel compression, my new love & best friend
« Reply #44 on: December 17, 2010, 10:34:54 AM »
Haven't tried it myself, but I've heard good reports about the transparency of the free Weldroid Courvoisier recently. I'm sure there are a number of others worth considering.
musical volition > vibrations > voltages > numeric values > voltages > vibrations> virtual teleportation time-machine experience
Better recording made easy - >>Improved PAS table<< | Made excellent- >>click here to download the Oddball Microphone Technique illustrated PDF booklet<< (note: This is a 1st draft, now several years old and in need of revision!  Stay tuned)

 

RSS | Mobile
Page created in 0.098 seconds with 40 queries.
© 2002-2024 Taperssection.com
Powered by SMF