Compression

[bassdrummer2333]

Ok I am totally lost on this, so I made a song on FL Studio, some synth, and a few beats, nothing special. I exported it then put it in Audition, the volume is much lower than when played back in FL studio but I guess this is the effect exporting did to it. So I wanna make it louder, I need help using compression because when I tried to do it this is what happened, audition has a built in compressor called "Tube-modeled compressor" I tried it, it had a few built in options for compression and I tried a few, most gave me lower volume and some wacky effects but there was one called "For the Ladies" I was scared to click it fearing what it might do to my song but yet I did, it raised the volume and didn't make it sound too bad but the decibels boosted up to the -6 to 0 range where I started to get a little feedback, but I thought the whole point of the compressor was to prevent me from getting feedback and raising the volume, and keeping the decibels from being to close to 0. If it helps there is another compressor in Audition titled, "Multi-band compressor" and I also have Guitar Rig which has 2 other compressors titled "Stomp compressor" and "Tube compressor" Someone please help me, this whole compressor thing is very confusing...

[The Boathouse]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_range_compression

Ah, the internet!

[bassdrummer2333]

I need help actually doing it.

[The Boathouse]

Haha, I feel like you didn't read that. If you understand the fundamentals of compression, it'll make fairly quick sense how to go about doing it. Without seeing the plugins in front of me, I can't navigate them and tell you what to do. You need throw a bit of info for the dogs to gnaw on.

[alex.parent]

That is really intense, and doesn't quite make sense yet :) But I'm sure once I read that a few more times it'll make more sense. At least I understand that I've been doing it all wrong so far :/

[bassdrummer2333]

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l41/flamindragon2333/Audition2.jpg
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l41/flamindragon2333/Audition.jpg

[The Boathouse]

Ok, the thing you need to get about a compressor is, that by raising the gain levels, you're GOING to, at a certain point, start to get feedback. To say that you won't get feedback, but can raise the gain, doesn't make sense. If you've got the compressor up to where it can go without feeding back, you can't compress it more and think you won't. It'll bring the volume up, sure, but there'll hit a point where it just can't anymore without feeding back.

[bassdrummer2333]

The signal I recorded there was through a cheap computer mic and it's an acoustic guitar, would compression work better with better equipment.

[Tristan Needler]

I'm assuming by feedback you mean distortion--crackling and whatnot. Basically you're either compressing too much or boosting the gain too much. Play around with making the threshold a higher number (reducing the amount that the audio is compressed) and/or the gain (how much your raising the volume of the compressed audio).

I'd stay away from the multiband compressor until you know what you're doing, which you can only really figure out by trial and error. All it does is let you apply different amounts of compression to different frequencies. It will be extremely useful once you get the basics down, but don't try it until you know what you're doing because it will just be too confusing.

[bassdrummer2333]

I see, so is gain the only way to raise my volume, because it's way too low without cranking the speakers...

[The Boathouse]

Yea. Gain is how you'd go about increasing the volume. But gain will lead to distortion the more its added. And yes, a compression plugin would work far better with better equipment.

[bassdrummer2333]

Ok so as I pump up the gain (my goal here is to increase the volume) what should I decrease/increase in order to smoothen it out?

[The Boathouse]

Haha, it doesn't work like that so much. The gain goes up too high, it breaks up / distorts / feedsback / whathaveyou.

[Tristan Needler]

Ok so as I pump up the gain (my goal here is to increase the volume) what should I decrease/increase in order to smoothen it out?
The more you squash it down with compression (the smaller the number of the threshold) the more you can gain (the gain control). The downside is the more you compress, the more squashed and lifeless your music will sound. It reduces the dynamic range. So instead of the loud parts being loud and the quiet parts being quiet, it makes the whole thing quiet. Then you add the make-up gain to bring the volume back up so the whole thing is louder.

[Sunday Radio]

Not sure if this has been said yet, but if you want to effectively raise the volume of a mix, a MAXIMIZER would be a better plug-in to use.

However, if you are getting clipping already, use a compressor along with a maximizer.

And yes - GAIN is what you need - whichever way you decide to increase it.

[bassdrummer2333]

Where can I get a maximizer? Are there any free ones?

[wearelexington]

Hey man, I'm not sure if I understand your issue completely but I suggest going back into fruity loops and making sure all your tracks themselves aren't clipping/ they aren't going into the red. If they are then once you bounce it and try to mess with the levels in another program chances are it's distort.
I only use Ableton/Reason/Cubase so I'm not sure what VSTs your software comes with. But a Maximizer is a good idea, basically a compressor designed for upping the volume with the least amount of flattening sound.

Hope that helps.. if in doubt go back to the source!

[bassdrummer2333]

Yeah I do get clipping if I go too high but I think it's my soundcard, is that what causes clipping?

[Tristan Needler]

Yeah I do get clipping if I go too high but I think it's my soundcard, is that what causes clipping?
No, it's almost certainly not your soundcard. If there's clipping on your computer there will be clipping on anything you play it on.

The easiest fix I can think of for you is to use a limiter.

http://www.kjaerhusaudio.com/classic-master-limiter.php

That's a very nice free one. If your sequencers use vst plugs, then it's perfect. Basically it's a compressor but simplified right down to one control for increasing volume. It won't allow your audio under any circumstance to go into the red. That doesn't mean however that it won't make it sound shitty if you use too much gain, so play with it until you find the right setting.

[dietoseeyoufail]

Ok, you can't really expect for someone to show you how to do something if you don't really know the basics of recording, or even signal flow. Or what words mean, or if you just don't want to read. But at least try reading this. I HOPE I made it easy to understand.

But on a compressor, you usually have the following parameters...
(and please read it, I made sure NOT to go into TOO much detail)

Ratio, Attack, Hold, Release, Input, Output (or gain) and Threshold.

If you had all that, you'd start with Input.
You usually wouldn't touch it, UNLESS there isn't much signal going into the compressor (there could be a meter of what's going in, DONT HIT RED)
Ratio and threshold work together.
Your threshold is the imaginary line you set for signal. You get different results depending on your ratio.
EXAMPLE:
You set your Threshold to -10db.
And you set your ratio to 2:1
Basically, for every 2db that goes about the threshold (-10db) only 1 comes out.
So if 6db went over the threshold, 3db would come out.

EXAMPLE 2:
Threshold is -10 again
but your ratio is 4:1
For every 4db that goes over the threshold, only 1db comes out
So if 8 db went over the threshold, only 2db would come out.

Once you get to 10:1, it's no longer a compressor, it's a limiter.
But don't worry about that.

Attack is just how fast the compressor reacts before it kicks in or "attacks" the sound.
Hold is how long it compresses for
and release is how long it takes for it to let go.

WAAAAYY at the end of the compressor chain you have your output, or gain, or makeup gain.
You're obviously gonna lose volume. So with the makeup gain, you MAKE IT back UP

You want to use this if you want quieter parts to stick out with louder parts.

Use too much, and you could fuck up your sound.

You have an awful lot of recording questions. You should REALLY read up on stuff.
The internet if FULL of information.

You just have to READ

And about the tube modeled compressor, it has everything except hold and input.
The regular compressor on AA3 has more parameters than the tube modeled one I believe.
Just mess with it and see what everything does.

AND Effect presets are stupid. Don't use them, unless you're using them as general guidelines or really quick solutions. But they're not gonna work with the way you're recording your songs, or I recorded my songs or how Jason Tate records his songs.

That multiband compressor is more of a mastering thing, you're gonna want to use it mainly on your master track. Not so much on individual tracks.

[youcomebeforeyo]

Unrelated but a sweet method of mixdown.

Instead of using 0 for mixes, make -6 your benchmark. Boost the headroom like hell on your speaker amplification and mix like that.

When you mix it down it will be quiet as hell but it'll allow you to really punch through with kick and snare. A horrid example is St Anger by Metallica. Horrid for the song choice only. In the chorus you'll hear the occasional accented kick with symbol cut through the mix like WHOA.

When you go to master the mix it translates a lot better and still has that kick/snare energy.