Compression works wonders on vocals.
It allows you to bring them to the front of the mix while not having to worry about their
‘power note’ making everyone in the room cover their ears.
No longer do you have to ride the fader up and down so that the peaks and valleys of
the vocal fit in the mix.
The compressor will do this for you, automatically.
So, let’s talk about how to set a compressor for vocals.
This video is brought to you by Behringer X32 Mastery, the fastest way for church sound
techs to master the X32.
And, with a team license, you can enroll unlimited team members now and in the future.
Finally, everyone will be on the same page.
Visit x32.church or click the link in the description to learn more.
Vocals have a wide dynamic range – they can sing really soft or really belt it out.
A compressor takes this wide range of volume and makes it as narrow as you want it to be.
But, keep in mind, dynamic range on a vocal is a good thing, so you don’t want to cut
it too much, you simply want to make it manageable.
When compression is set correctly, you reap all the benefits without any of the drawbacks.
So, let’s go through the settings on a compressor one at a time and how to properly apply them
to vocals.
First up, threshold.
The threshold sets the height of the loudness ceiling.
In other words, it decides how loud the signal has to be to activate the compressor.
So, if the threshold is set to -10dB, it will compress anything louder than -10dB.
If the signal is quieter than -10dB, it will remain untouched.
For example, let’s say that the threshold is set to -10dB.
If the signal from the vocal hits -6dB, the compressor will ‘activate’ and push the
signal down according to the ratio.
This is much like using the fader on the soundboard to bring the volume down on a singer’s big
note but then bringing it back up when they begin to sing at a normal volume again.
I can’t give you an exact number for setting the threshold because every situation is different.
However, I recommend setting the threshold so that the gain reduction meter rarely reads
more than 6dB.
The gain reduction meter shows you how much the compressor is compressing the signal.
On vocals, I have found that they begin to sound lifeless and over-compressed when compressing
more than 6dB.
Now, let’s talk about ratio.
The ratio setting on a compressor decides how aggressive the compressor will respond.
A higher setting, like 12:1, will compress much more aggressively than a lower setting,
like 3:1.
When talking about a ratio of 3:1, you may be wondering what the figure actually means.
Basically, for every 3dB the signal exceeds the threshold, the compressor will allow a
tolerance of 1dB to pass through.
For example, let’s say that the threshold is set to -6dB and the ratio is 3:1.
If the signal from the vocal hits -3dB, the compressor will allow up to -5dB to pass through
because of the 1dB tolerance.
If the signal from the vocal hits +3dB, it is now 9dB over our threshold of -6dB.
Since our 3:1 ratio allows a 1dB tolerance for every 3dB over the threshold, there is
now a 3dB tolerance.
So, up to -3dB will be allowed to pass through the compressor.
I could have just started by giving you a ratio setting that works well for vocals,
but it is important that you understand what is actually going on.
So, if that just went over your head, rewind and watch that section again until it ‘clicks’.
I have found that a good ratio for vocals is 3:1.
If you go lower than that, you may not get the compression needed.
If you go higher, the vocal will most likely end up sounding smashed.
Next up is attack & release.
The attack setting decides how much time it takes for the compressor to compress at full
force.
So, a lower number, like 5 milliseconds, will cause the compressor to fully activate much
more quickly than a higher number, like 100 milliseconds.
For vocals, you generally want this number to be low (between 5ms and 20ms).
If the number is too high, the beginning syllables may come out too strong and sound a bit odd.
The release setting on a compressor decides how much time it takes for the compressor
to stop compressing.
In other words, it is the amount of time the compressor stays active after being triggered.
For a vocal, if the setting is too low, it will bounce back erratically and sound unnatural.
If the setting is too high, the vocal will sound lifeless and over-compressed.
You will most likely not want to set this longer than a half a second.
If the option is available, I have found that setting attack and release to auto works well
for vocals.
I recommend going this route with attack and release times to simplify the compression
setting process.
Keep in mind, you will only want to use the auto setting on vocals.
If compressing a snare or some other instrument, you will want to set these manually to get
the desired effect.
Lastly, let’s talk about output or gain.
The output setting on a compressor does what you’d think: adjusts the volume of the output.
So, if the gain reduction meter shows that you are compressing the signal by 6dB on average,
you will want to set the output to +6dB to make up the difference.
This brings the signal back to where you started but with a smaller dynamic range.
In other words, now the quieter moments are louder and the louder moments are quieter.
Alright, the next step is for you to get out and practice.
I’ve put together a PDF download with sample compression settings to help you get started.
Click the link in the description to get it.
If you are using a digital sound board, compression is most likely built in for each channel.
So, use what you have learned in this article to dial it in just right.
If you are using an analog sound board, you will need to buy a compressor for each channel
you want to compress.
A decent option is the Behringer MDX2600.
I’ll include a link in the description.
If you have questions, drop them in the comments.
I’d be glad to answer.
If you’d like to see more videos like this, give me a thumbs up to let me know.
And if you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the little bell so
we can let you know when a new video comes out.
See ya next time.