Welcome to Sage Audio. Today we’re looking at How to Stack Compression.
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understanding of the topic. But first, If you have a mix that you need mastered,
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Series vs. Parallel Compression
When we talk about stacking compression,
we’re mainly considering putting compressors in a series, or using one compressor
and then another back-to-back. When it comes to parallel compression,
the signal is separated into a new track which is compressed, and then joined with the original.
With that out of the way, let's listen to some stack or series compression,
and then look at some techniques you can use on your mixes or masters.
Series
Vocal Compression
Vocals are a great instrument on which to use series compression - typically I find I’ll use
a little bit of 2 compressors for different purposes. For example, I could use a classic
compressor with a quick attack and release to capture the vocal and control it quickly.
Then I’d use an optical compressor to create a smooth sound, with a longer release.
So the first one controls the vocal but keeps its detail,
and the second is more for affecting the timbre and feel of the vocal.
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Stacked Parallel Compression
What’s cool about modern compressors is that you can use them in parallel
and series simultaneously. To do this I’ll place 2 compressors in my chain
back-to-back to achieve series compression,
and then I’ll affect their wet/dry or mix dials to achieve the parallel aspect.
Let’s try this with the vocal example we just covered,
and play with the wet/dry dials until we find a balance we like.
Stacking RMS, Downward, and Upward
Stacked compression works well when we use different types of compression, like RMS,
Peak or Downward, and Upward. RMS will compress downward from the waveform’s average loudness,
peak will compress downward using the waveform peaks for detection,
and upward will increase the signal from the noise floor up.
So we can control the signal from the peak of the waveform down,
about the middle of the waveform down, and from the quietest part up.
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Mid-side then Left-Right Compression
If we stack mid-side and then left-right compression, we can get some really interesting
sounds. The mid-side compression will cause stereo expansion whenever the mid is compressed, but
the side isn’t, well left and right compression will cause a dynamic relationship between the 2.
To create more of a dynamic between the left and right we’ll delink the channels
so that they can be treated independently. Let’s listen to what this does on a mix bus.
EQ Between 2 Compressors
If we’re using series compression, we can place an EQ between the 2 to either drive frequencies
into the second compressor, or pull back a little so that certain frequencies are triggered as much.
We can even place an extra EQ after the second compressor to compensate for the changes.
This is called an emphasis de-emphasis technique, but we can use it in the context of series
compression to first control the dynamics, then create a specific tone with the second.
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Back to Back Saturators
Similar to series compressors, we can use series saturators to both compress and distort the signal
in two unique ways. For example, I could use a tape saturator to add soft-knee compression
and then tube saturation to create a different non-linearity, in addition to unique harmonics.
This way we can combine compression, and complex harmonic formations.
Combining Distinct Compressors
Some compressors have very distinct sounds like the 1176 or LA2A - if we put these very
recognizable compressors in series, we can combine their tones to create something new. For example,
I could get some mild distortion and punch from the 1176,
and then a thick sound from a Retrotube emulation.
There are more examples of this, but these are
some of the more recognizable compressors sounds out there.
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