Using Transient Designer with compressors for drums?

[Bluemoa]

I had the plan of using a TD for toms, kick and snare but i also want a good punch like from a normal compressor. Would it be overkill to add a compressor after a TD or vice versa? What do you guys do?

[amishsixstringe]

I do it both ways all the time. If it sounds good to you then who gives a shit what people say is right or wrong?

Neil

[Bluemoa]

Originally Posted by amishsixstringe

I do it both ways all the time. If it sounds good to you then who gives a shit what people say is right or wrong?

Neil

Well, i like to keep dynamics, i figured that if i put the compressor first i can make it punchy but the TD might kill some of that punch, but the other way around the compressor might not have enough dynamics to work with for a solid punch. Though i guess that's what the attack knob is for but i prefer a bit more control. What kind of compressors r u using with the TD?

[amishsixstringe]

With all honesty, I believe you're getting into the theory and science way too much on this. You should really just try it. If it sucks, then don't do it. When someone hears your work on a CD they don't care or know that you compressed "incorrectly", but they know right away if it sucks. So, just trust your own judgment and try a few different ways to see what works. By the way, I use TD/WavesTransX with 1176, Fairchild, URS 1980 on snare and kick quite often. They work great. Good luck!

Neil

[Bluemoa]

how does the transx and the TD compare in ur opinion? I actually have transx but dont really know how to use it.

[picksail]

I almost always place the TD before the compressor. This way I can shape the envelope, attack, release, decay, etc of the instrument (i.e. snare, kick, toms, etc). After which, I can then compress accordingly.

The idea being that you can arrive at the 'sound' you want with, say a snare, then manipulate it further to work within the context of the mix.

The TD tends to add a bit more enhancement features that can't be derived form a compressor. You can really tailor the instrument to your liking before hammering it with compression.

Sometimes you get a snare that has a great euphonic sound, yet lacks the smack, pop and overall girth that you need for the mix. This is where the TD really shines.

FWIW, I'm using the Waves TransX plug-in to handle the "transient designer" duties. Totally indispensable for me.

[RockManDan]

im a big fan of using transient desinger before a compressor or bus limiter to get the perceived notion of greater punch and snap while maintaining the same rms and peak levels. its and aural illusion that works awesome. also its great for putting on a drum bus for parallel compression....IE your drum mix goes to a smash compressor and you get the body of the drums...and the uncompressed drum mix goes to transient designer to bizarrely exagerrate the peaks. you mix them both to taste and let the mastering limiter handle the rest....you can then end up with a higher overall final level with increased percieved punch - the best of both worlds. a -9 RMS mix that sounds as good as a -12 mix. if you know how to tweak it its awesome....naturally its no substitute for real dynamics and an awesome hard hitting drummer, but if you havea client who insists on competitvely loud levels, this can be a way for you both to come out with a product that is pleasing soncially to both sets of ears.

[Mike Caffrey]

Originally Posted by Bluemoa

Well, i like to keep dynamics, i figured that if i put the compressor first i can make it punchy but the TD might kill some of that punch, but the other way around the compressor might not have enough dynamics to work with for a solid punch. Though i guess that's what the attack knob is for but i prefer a bit more control. What kind of compressors r u using with the TD?

The Transient Designer is designed to have comlete control over the punch. In fact it has more contol that a compress has becuase a compressor must have a low enough threshold to create gain reduction in order to have punch. A TD can add punch at any dynamic.


Once you get a hold of a TD your questions will be answered in about 30 seconds.

I think you'l find that buss compression is adequate for any dynamic control and you won't need any in series on an instert with the TD.

[norman_nomad]

I'm a big fan of using a transient designer before a compressor when mixing drums. I end up using transient designer -> compressor quite a bit on kick drum for rock / hard rock stuff.