Anyone using SSL Bus Comp/Alan Smart/Waves SSL On 2-Bus?

[jonnypowell]

If so what setting do you find works best for Electronic music.
Everyone seems to rave on about it, but I'm yet to make my Waves SSL sound that great. Maybe I'm doing something wrong..?

[Ged Leitch]

Originally Posted by jonnypowell

If so what setting do you find works best for Electronic music.
Everyone seems to rave on about it, but I'm yet to make my Waves SSL sound that great. Maybe I'm doing something wrong..?

How are you using it?

mix buss?

or Channels?

or both??

[Ged Leitch]

Shite just read the post title!!


Anyway are you Mixing into it?

or just putting it on at the end and tweaking?

[Justynfromnz]

Have Used all 3 at somepoint but only waves ssl on electronic style mixes...and i usually run it at 4:1 ration and start the attack off quite quick at first but then that changes as i mix and by the end of the mix ill be at about 10 or 30 even sometimes...release time is contingent on song tempo...and i only usually knock it at about 4db reduction...i also mix into it from the start, using the kick to get a rough idea of level..but that usually changes throughout the mix too...

[Ben F]

I'd go for less gain reduction on the 2-buss...generally only 0.5 to 1dB for mastering, but then again it's analogue compression. All you want the buss compressor to do is pull the mix together and tighten the low end- too much gain reduction and you will loose transients and punch. So no more than 3dB at the most.

For mixing, I generally only compress the drum buss sometimes with the bass as well to pull the groove together, generally in conjunction with a 100Hz side chain filter so the subs come through. The Alan Smart C2 is great for this. I never squeeze it too much because you will lose definition in mastering, tracks need to breath.

The other aspect of compression is you really have to know what to listen for. It's very subtle with a high-end compressor, sometimes it just focuses the stereo image better and thickens the sound.