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Question about using compression for sustain
Hi Dana and MP geniuses!
After watching Dana’s amazing zoom video on compression I’m feeling more confident but I’m still struggling to understand a concept about using compression that seems like it should be easy to get, but it’s really tripping me up! Could somebody please help me understand?
Let’s take the specific case of wanting to make a long note feel more sustained and powerful. Maybe a bass part with very long whole notes that you want to make feel more powerful for the full duration of the note, or perhaps a singing guitar lead where the long notes feel like they fade away too soon and you want them to feel more powerful throughout the entire note.
I feel like I understand the attack function on a compressor, if I want the note to have more transient or punch, I would go for a slower attack time to let more of the transient through before the compressor clamps down on it. But I’m not fully understanding the release. I get that it is when the compressor lets go and stops compressing but if I wanted a note to be long and powerful throughout the duration of the note, and I still wanted to hear the transient, would the correct approach be to have a relatively slower attack time with a short/fast release time? Or would I want a long/slower release time?
My understanding is that with a shorter/faster release time (a faster release of the compression) the sustained portion of the note wouldn’t be compressed as much as with a longer release time. And then when applying make up gain, that portion of the note would be louder (actually and proportionately) as it compares to the initial transient or attack of the note…
Is this the general right approach to getting the most sustain out of a note? A short/fast release?
Another confusing thing is that when applying compression in this way, using a fast release and a slow release BOTH still seemed to result in a longer/more powerful/sustained note overall – I’m just having trouble determining, which one is more sustained.
<b style=””>In summery: For sustain do I want a quick release or a long release time? 😂
Compression is a hard effect to really hear and control for me…
Thanks in advance for any help, fam!
JLew
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3 Replies
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Jezze!
I love that you’re diving deep into compression after watching that Zoom! And you are totally on the right track finding the best settings to lengthen sustain so that held notes don’t die away so quickly.
I think the best strategy (as demonstrated in the Zoom) is to go nuts with the settings in order to hear what each control has to offer. That said, it is easier to hear attack and release settings when applied to brief sounds with sharp transients such as drum hits, which is why I tend to use drums for compression demonstration purposes. Compression settings are harder to “hear” when applied to sustained sounds, so I’m not surprised you’re finding it all a bit more confusing as you delve deeper into sustained notes!
I love your practical example of using compression to lengthen the sustain of a held guitar note so that it doesn’t drop in volume so quickly. This comes up all the time in both the production and mixing phases of a record.
I find it best to imagine it a bit like an algebra equation (barf … I know … bear with me). Or better yet, think of the game show, Jeopardy, where you know “the answer” to the question and just need to work backwards to solve “the question.”
Here’s the same approach described differently:
Rather than wondering “how can I make the back-half of my guitar notes louder?” Ask yourself “how can I make the front-half of my guitar notes quieter?”
Here’s a 5-step approach:
- Find The Quiet: Ok so, park your playhead/cursor in the middle or end of a long sustained guitar note. Choose a position during the note where the level is sustaining nicely but it’s just too dang quiet to cut through the mix. (FUN FACT: you’ve just discovered your threshold! See step 2)
- Set The Threshold: Continue to play that quiet sustained section of the note (or loop it) while you lower the compressor’s threshold. Watch the gain reduction meter as you adjust the threshold and stop lowering the threshold when you start to see the tiniest bit of reduction registering on the GR meter.
- Make It Loud: Continue looping the quiet sustained “below threshold” portion of your note while you turn up the compressor’s make-up gain. Add make-up gain until it’s as loud as you like.
- Enter Launch Codes: Adjust the compressor parameters to the max, just for fun (and to protect your ears now that we’ve added a bunch of makeup gain). Try a ratio of 10:1 or higher; fastest attack, fastest release.
- Let ‘Er Rip: Now position your playhead just before the note and let ‘er rip! With these settings you should see and hear a TON of gain reduction during the initial Attack and Decay of the note. And due to the fast release setting, you should see no further gain reduction by the time the playhead reaches the Sustain and Release part of the note chosen in step 1.
From there, you can continue to adjust the parameters.
- Missing some of the plucky attack as the pick strikes the guitar string? Increase the compressor’s attack setting to let some of that through!
- Are you hearing “pumping” artifacts during the sustain of the note? Increase the compressor’s release setting to smooth things out!
- Want a super-sustained sound? Lower the threshold all the way down to just above the noise floor and turn up the make-up gain to 11!
- Love the way your compressor is controlling the dynamics but it’s starting to sound unnatural? Try a lower ratio! Or a “softer knee” if your compressor has it! Or if your compressor has a “mix” or “dry/wet” knob, blend back in some of the uncompressed signal!
Lemme know if these tips are helpful, homey! Thanks for the great question – keep em comin!
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Dudski! I cannot believe I’m only seeing this response now. This is single-handedly the best description of how to dial in compression that I have ever read. The five steps that you laid out are explained brilliantly. It never occurred to me about how you can find your threshold based on the part of the note that you want to be able to hear more of, even though that seems obvious now in retrospect. I’m so thankful. And I’m stoked to compress the crap out of everything haha jknk
I think the fab filter compressor plug-in I have will be an excellent tool to visualize this, too. The next time you hear my guitar, it’s going to be sustaining at levels never before comprehended by mankind haha
love and many thanks,
Abuela J
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Awe, I’m so glad, man! And I can’t wait to hear the results of your experimentation (i.e. COMPRESSION DOMINATION!!!) 😂
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