question about parallel compression in Logic

[reax]

can you please answer - is parallel compression look like:

?

[netrom]

-Set the main output of the audio channel(s) you want to compress to bus1.

-set the output on bus1 to output 1-2 and let the fader = 0 dB.

-Create Aux1 and use input signal (? I'm not in front of Logic now) from bus1. Insert a compressor on the Aux1 channel and use Aux1 for blending (The dry signal is on bus1).

[reax]

thanks, but hm, you have to say that my example is wrong?
i tried what you said and it doesn't affect the sound... like dry signal...
is anybody agree with netrom? i thought that i'm near the truth..

[Blast9]

netrom is correct.

I do it this way: Similar to your picture

The idea is to send the dry signal to bus 1 and insert a compressor on bus 2. Select bus 1 as output on the channel

Use the bus 2 "send" to send the signal to bus 2... Just set it to between minus 6 and zero db.

You should hear the compression when you solo bus 2, so maybe you need an extreme setting? Put threshold low, attack late, and release fast, and choose 25:1 ratio ona drum track

[artnoiser]

Why not just use the audio track as the unprocessed track, and send the signal to a buss/aux for compression? Why set up two busses?

And::: Has anyone noticed how shitty something starts to sound when it's sent to a bus?

I just noticed this yesterday.

I never really noticed the sound changing that much before, but there it was - the unprocessed track (going to main outputs) sounds like it would normally sound, but what you hear going through the send (prefader, set to 0) to a buss after muting the original audio channel is something different...thinner, more brittle, less mids, like a weird eq curve.

it scared the pants off of me, and i've been using logic for a few years now. does anyone have the same problem?

or is there something wrong with my setup?

artnoiser

[theblotted]

the reason to use 2 bus' instead of only 1, is because one may experience phase problems due to PDC.

the bus may collapse the stereo image, or sound "smaller", depending on how you have your pan law and UTM set. if pan law is -3dB, bus should sound okay.

oh, and this is LP 7.2.3; earlier versions didn't have PDC on Aux/Bus.

[artnoiser]

Ok that makes sense.

Mh, makes me wonder, is the problem i am hearing with the sends related to PDC? I have Logiuc 7.1 which has PDC on auxes and busses too...pan law set to -3.

Could this perhaps be a da conversion/clock problem with my lower quality soundcard?

[Blast9]

Of course, the other way to do it is copy the track and compress one of them, which I probably do more often come to think of it!

[artnoiser]

Originally Posted by artnoiser

And::: Has anyone noticed how shitty something starts to sound when it's sent to a bus?

i need to clarify this: a buss itself fed by a send of a an audio track sounds different from the audio channel by itself.

[gsilbers]

hmm. i wuld just bounce and turn into audio whatever u want to paralel compress as well as the uncopress or less compressed signal and import them to the session. that way you can time align more easily if there is phase issues.

if you are using battery or other heavy synths that could offset by ms logic pdc.

i try to bounce all synths and turn them into audio for two reasons:

its less processor intensive and my mixing will ususally turn better. and if in the future i upgrade OS or plugin then ill wont be able to open up the song again with those settings. so a print for backup its great. leart that the hard way :(

[u b k]

to the original poster, you have in fact achieved parallel compression. the issue with your implementation is that feeding the drums to the parallel comp with a send means it's a mono feed. that's not an issue if you want your compressed drums to be mono. be sure to make the send pre-fader, so that what you're feeding the comp isn't affected by level changes on your track.

i prefer simplicity and symmetry, so i would do it thusly:


set the output of the drum's audio track to bus 1.

set the output of bus 1 to No Output.

create aux 1 and aux 2, each with the input as bus 1.

compressor on aux 1, no compressor on aux 2.


keep the audio track at unity, otherwise you'll change what's feeding the compressor. if you want to change the level of the dry drum track, do so with aux 2.

once you have the balance of compressed/uncompressed, you can assign both auxes to the same group so that their levels move together, preserving that relationship. i prefer auxes to busses because auxes have sends, so you can send various amounts of the two drum paths to other fx, most notably reverb, sometimes delay.


gregoire
del
ubk
.

[Blast9]

Originally Posted by artnoiser

Ok that makes sense.

Mh, makes me wonder, is the problem i am hearing with the sends related to PDC? I have Logiuc 7.1 which has PDC on auxes and busses too...pan law set to -3.

Could this perhaps be a da conversion/clock problem with my lower quality soundcard?

Not sure --- but I run logic 4.8.1 on OS 9.2 with a lowly MOTU 828 (ASIO drivers).

I've never had phase issues or signal degreadation issues as described.

If you use the transient designer-style Logic plugin Enveloper, then the look-ahead messes with phase on parallel buses/tracks unnless you set look-ahead to zero ms

[theblotted]

Originally Posted by u b k

to the original poster, you have in fact achieved parallel compression. the issue with your implementation is that feeding the drums to the parallel comp with a send means it's a mono feed. that's not an issue if you want your compressed drums to be mono. be sure to make the send pre-fader, so that what you're feeding the comp isn't affected by level changes on your track.

i prefer simplicity and symmetry, so i would do it thusly:

ubk
.

good method.

here's an alternative: use Universal Track Mode off.

then you'll have individual left/right, giving one more control over how much to send to each bus, how much levels on each side, variation of plugin parameters, etc.. b

etter yet, have the option of pan width for original or bus'd drums. some may argue that different settings on each l/r side will yield a "wider" stereo image, not unlike a console with different paths left & right.. but may run into phase probs.

you now have the option to send to mono or stereo bus also. group the l/r together, bus 1-2 together, and even l/r & bus 1-2 as one.

the aux method can also be applied here.