understanding side chain and parallel compression

[Rredline]

Hi im a new self taught recorder that has been pretty straight forward with my recordings. Hitting record, put my plug ins on the track i want. Ive been reading that side chain compression and or parallel compression can help fatten up vocals and or drums.

I get lost on a few of the steps.

I take my intital audio track dry.

I set it to output bus1 with another aux track accepting the input from bus 1? and its output to 1-2.

Then I put the compressor on the aux track?

this is where I got lost?

Ive looked on youtube, and google but couldn't fill in the blanks?

if anyone could help me with specific basic steps for logic?
for me to use some of the described techniques to fatten up vocals?

am I supposed to add another track and put the signals there? or on just the aux bus?

i read somewhere someone said to get the compressor to come in after the delay?

just a bit lost and what Im doing aint doing it!

[MASSIVE Master]

I'm lost - You might be making this harder than it needs to be...

* Set up an aux buss - Just like you would for a reverb send.

* Send the source to that aux buss (just as you would send it to a reverb).

* Compress.

* Smile or be distraught.

You'll be mixing the fader output of the source, with the aux. They're both on, they're both active, one is straight-up / neat, one is compressed. Watch for phase cancellation in the low end depending on what you're sending / what you're sending with/to.

(EDIT)

Heh - I said "watch" for phase cancellation - Figure of speech.

Listen carefully and be aware of and phase cancellation.

[Rredline]

Can I ask you wich is better for fattening up vocals? sidechain compressor or parallel compression?

Parallel Multiband Compression for Mastering in Logic Pro


This is what I tried to do i followed it exactly and found that the aux signal was barely registering? and it sounded barely different?

Massive? do you think that one should not put effects (for vocals _ directly on the tracks? is that to basic? what benefits to you get if you insert them in an aux track ? besides saving CPU so other tracks can share ?


WOuld I put the rest of my plugs in different tracks? or put them on the same one as the compressor? eq etc?

[tribeofenki]

You followed the tutorial for sure? No errors? Maybe you haven't set the right values on the plugs, either Logic Multipressor, or Phase Linear Multiband.

[Rredline]

I downloaded the presets set the tracks and aux track and bus.
it was reading a signal it was set to O on the multiband it was reading only like 5% of the signal I couldn't really raise or lower it at all?

[MASSIVE Master]

Originally Posted by Rredline

Can I ask you wich is better for fattening up vocals? sidechain compressor or parallel compression?

Maybe I'm missing what side-chaining the compressor has to do with this - Side-chaining it from what?

Anyway - It depends on the vocal and what it's fitting in to. I don't use parallel on vocal often - Maybe for very mellow, very dynamic performances where you just want it to be more dense...

Massive? do you think that one should not put effects (for vocals _ directly on the tracks? is that to basic? what benefits to you get if you insert them in an aux track ? besides saving CPU so other tracks can share ?

Partially force of habit, but I insert things that *affect* the signal (generally, compression, EQ and the like) and send to things that *add* to the signal (verb, echo, non-extreme modulation like chorus, flange, etc.). Also handy for "sharing" the verb with the vocal, guitar, ukulele, etc.

It's pretty rare that I'm using a verb that doesn't have an EQ or compressor on it. Not easy to do when it's in line.

WOuld I put the rest of my plugs in different tracks? or put them on the same one as the compressor? eq etc?

Only you can answer that one...

[Lagerfeldt]

Originally Posted by Rredline

Can I ask you wich is better for fattening up vocals? sidechain compressor or parallel compression?

Parallel compression since sidechain compression is something entirely different. Parallel compression for vocals can be great but I'm not sure I would use multiband compression for this.

Parallel Multiband Compression for Mastering in Logic Pro

This is what I tried to do i followed it exactly and found that the aux signal was barely registering? and it sounded barely different?

You must have done something different. Make sure your send amount is unity. Pull up the aux fader volume if needed.

Massive? do you think that one should not put effects (for vocals _ directly on the tracks? is that to basic? what benefits to you get if you insert them in an aux track ? besides saving CPU so other tracks can share ?

Apart from CPU saving you have much better control over what's happening. If you insert a reverb directly on a channel and then decide to add delay afterwards, you'd be getting reverb inside the delay, etc.

Another reason is that you might want to process the reverb separately, e.g. equalize or de-ess. Quite often you would do this before the reverb, i.e. insert a de-esser on the bus as insert #1, then insert the reverb as #2. This would not de-ess the original vocal and only de-ess what's coming into the reverb - not what's coming out of the reverb. A much more natural sound.

[Rredline]

can you explain to me how to fatten up mellow vocals? with parallel compression in logic?

This is what im doing.
take a audio track send out put to bus 1 Aux track. insert compressor on that aux track.
take a second copied audio track, send to bus 2 output. and add in another audio compressor. ? use the aux tracks to adjust volume?

[MASSIVE Master]

You don't need to make copies of anything. Assuming the vocal track is being routed to something (a group, the main buss, whatever), mult that signal (using an aux send to an aux buss with a compressor on it). No copies, no extra bussing, no nothing. This is just like adding reverb or delay - But you're adding a compressor instead.

[Lagerfeldt]

Follow my article step by step and it will work.

You can swap the multiband for a singleband compressor. Make sure your parallel signal is pretty squashed or the trick won't work well.

Everything is explained in the article, even a few words about how and why parallel compression works.

[masteringhouse]

In addition to the procedure Lagerfeldt mentioned you can perform parallel compression with a compressor that has "wet"/dry mix capabilities and is much easier (as well as not introducing potential phase issues with latency delay). I've been using an Alta Moda Unicomp lately for this and feel no need to go back to doing this digitally except for Parallel MBC (which is rare).

When I was doing standard parallel comp digitally using Pro Tools I would often send the source to two aux channels one with the comp and another with the comp bypassed to help ensure no latency issues since the bypassed comp will delay the signal by the same amount. These aux channels then feed another aux channel where the two are summed and processed further. I personally have no standard comp settings (like those recommended by Hulse and in BK's book) but tend to adjust starting with a low ratio and "fit" the denser signal in where it needs to fill in gaps. Those "standard" settings usually sound too agressive to me and tend to make the mix a little bloated as some have criticized this technique as being.

Oh crap The Who are on the Kennedy Center awards, gotta go!