Please explain how the "New York Trick" works?

[Stress Man]

Please explain how the "New York " drum compression trick works?

thanks

Stress


If you can please also explain how the PSA-1 & compressor are used and what settings are involved.

[joelpatterson]

As it was explained to me when I was a lad... you send a copy of the drum submix to a bus, you compress the HELL out of it, really totally squash it beyond recognition, and then you gradually creep that fader up. I think the idea is that the detail of all the attacks of everything lend a heighened realism to the real, mixed drums.

So you creep that fader up, not to the point that you can hear it, really, just to the point that it enhances the "real" drum submix.

[mdsmith64]

Originally Posted by joelpatterson

As it was explained to me when I was a lad... you send a copy of the drum submix to a bus, you compress the HELL out of it, really totally squash it beyond recognition, and then you gradually creep that fader up. I think the idea is that the detail of all the attacks of everything lend a heighened realism to the real, mixed drums.

So you creep that fader up, not to the point that you can hear it, really, just to the point that it enhances the "real" drum submix.

I use this trick...it works! I never knew it had a special name. It's very easy to try....


Best Regards,

Mike.

[Harley-OIART]

Originally Posted by joelpatterson

As it was explained to me when I was a lad... you send a copy of the drum submix to a bus, you compress the HELL out of it, really totally squash it beyond recognition, and then you gradually creep that fader up. I think the idea is that the detail of all the attacks of everything lend a heighened realism to the real, mixed drums.

So you creep that fader up, not to the point that you can hear it, really, just to the point that it enhances the "real" drum submix.

Add to it (the squashed track your mixing in) :

Low Shelf @ 100Hz & Boost to Taste

High Shelf @ 10-12KHz & Boost to Taste

(Thats what I was told anyway...)

[Chris]

Isn't this just really drastic parallel compression?

[Jenre]

Originally Posted by Chris

Isn't this just really drastic parallel compression?

yes

[username]

I often use this live actualy.. I often mix christian youth events.. where they tend to have "just the Drumms!" moments :p.. I almost always have a nuked subgroup of the drumms in reserve for those situations :p

normal parralel compression can be great though.. just don't go to overboard with it . It's a great way to get some of the colour of a compressor out there without removing all the dynamic from the drumms!

[B. Williams]

I gotta try this techinique. Sounds real interesting.....

[mrface2112]

Originally Posted by Chris

Isn't this just really drastic parallel compression?

as has been said--yep, and it's not just for drums! (although drums are certainly a great place to use this technique)

try sending a bus of all the guitars (or maybe just the rhythm guitars, or maybe just the guitars in the choruses) to the compressor. or maybe bus the kick and bass together........or maybe all of the backing vocals.......or bus everything in a similar/certain frequency range (maybe the mids--keys, vox, snare, guitars, etc)......or maybe send the kick/bass to multiple compression busses, each compressed differently or by different compressors......

.....the possibilities are truly endless. and it can certainly get out of hand.

like joel said, when done properly, the beauty of this technique is that since you're compressing busses rather than directly affecting the tracks themselves, you retain the timbre and dynamics of the original tracks (which were probably tracked with a "sonic intent" in mind) while adding "girth" or "texture" (or whatever your intent) via the compressed bus.

of course, define "when done properly". have fun!


cheers,
wade

[Jimbo]

The Mixing Engineer's Handbook (Owsinski) has a good explanation of this technique, and a little background on it too, I believe.

- Jim

[max cooper]

Originally Posted by Chris

Isn't this just really drastic parallel compression?

Yeah, and it's great.

I always thought the "New York Trick" was a girl named Roxie who I met at The Temple Bar.

[Gavin]

I read the Owsinski bit on drum compression, and he does explain it pretty well. What ratio, attack and release suggestions would you recommend as starting points for this trick?

The first time I tried it I ended up liking the new compressed track better as a replacement rather than as a low-volume add-on, which was great, but I'd like to get a better handle on this "trick" for future use.

[firby]

I do it all the time. Just strap your compressor across a group and go for it. Then when the drum break comes solo the group and push the group faders up and unsolo when the band comes in.

Hey!

[AlexLakis]

Originally Posted by Chris

Isn't this just really drastic parallel compression?

Yes, but like us Greeks, New Yorkers believe they invented everything.

Try boosting the lows and highs before or after squashing it. Sometimes one will work better than the other. Most times I don't use EQ, tho.

[juicylime]

Originally Posted by max cooper

Yeah, and it's great.

I always thought the "New York Trick" was a girl named Roxie who I met at The Temple Bar.

THE Temple Bar here in Dublin?!

[Johnny_FX]

Originally Posted by juicylime

THE Temple Bar here in Dublin?!

First thing I thought too haha

[max cooper]

http://www.templebarnyc.com/



remember that the parallel compression trick also works with effects, eq, etc.

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by Gavin

What ratio, attack and release suggestions would you recommend as starting points for this trick?

The first time I tried it I ended up liking the new compressed track better as a replacement rather than as a low-volume add-on, which was great, but I'd like to get a better handle on this "trick" for future use.

Since you don't need to compromise the compression to allow transients through (since those are all still coming off the "dry" uncompressed tracks) I usually use much faster attack times on the drum buss...and, depending on the tempo of the piece, often shorter release times as well. And *always* higher ratios than I would ordinarily use in an in-line situation! The point is to keep all the artifacts of a hellaciously squashed track, and then do all your balancing with the faders.

FWIW, I used to refer to parallel compression on bussed drum tracks as "The Frank Zappa Drum Trick" long before anyone started kicking around the term "New York Compression". Late-70's Zappa albums like Shiek Yerboutti & Joe's Garage were chock full of it.

[azwun25]

i do this trick with the PSP Vintage Warmer. It has a mix knob so you can blend the dry/nuked signal.