Question about Parallel Compression in Sonar

I'm pretty new at the idea of using parallel compression, which is heralded as a great technique for beefing up instrument tracks, particularly drums. The method to this has been described as something to the extent of cloning the drums track, outputting both tracks to a bus, and inserting a send on one of the buses with a compressor (not sure if I described that exactly right). Well, it seems easier to me if I simply clone the drum track and insert a compressor in the FX box on one of the tracks, but not on the other track, and just reduce the fader on the compressed drums track to taste to "blend in" with the uncompressed drums track (or vice versa). I tried doing that, and it seems to work OK, and there seems to be no comb filtering or other artifacts when I play back the project that way. The drums tracks are strictly audio--there is no midi with sampled sounds going on.

So is this method I used considered a valid way of achieving parallel compression, or is there something about it that doesn't qualify it as such? Like I said, it sounds OK...the drums are louder--and I guess beefier--with the second track added. Just wondering whether or not the output-to-bus technique provides some benefit that my technique doesn't...

Thanks,
B.R.

Just wondering whether or not the output-to-bus technique provides some benefit that my technique doesn't...

No, your method achieves the same end. If you've got a routine down that you're comfortable with, stick with it.

Child's method would indeed be easier and more versatile, doesn't run the risk of accidentally nudging the clone out of phase with the original, and makes it easier to do edits and timing adjustments. However, if in your case you have just one stereo track of live drums that won't be replaced or edited, then bussing offers no aural advantage.

OK, thank you sirs...I'll take all that info into account. I'm having trouble with my audio quality in X1, so that's why I'm using 8.5, so no pro channel for me until I get X1 figured out.

mixsit

Rothchild


That way of doing it seems unnecessarily complicated.

Try this.

Make a drums buss and route all your drums to it.
Make a buss called parallel (or whatever, I normally call my NYC)) and put your compressor on it (for drums I quite like using Blockfish with the 'warm 2 buss' preset with the compression amount wound up a fair bit) then just use sends in the relevant individual track to send a signal to the NYC buss.

The output of the NYC buss goes to the drum buss.

Hope this helps,

Child

As an alt, take the send-to-comps bus from the drum bus. There's the usual trade-offs; In this case the comp bus go to the master bus, but the 'comp bus gets the drum bus's insert treatments, and follows that automation.

Yeah, I was offering a slightly simplified version. I do normally route the NYC buss back to the Drum buss (so there's an overall drum volume control) but also, I normally buss up my individual drums. So, for instance, top and bottom snare go to a snr buss, same for kick in / out, oheads (cos I normally use 2 mono tracks), toms etc. Then I have the choice of adding the parallel compresoory at various points down the signal path.

I gotta say I do think there's a bit of a difference to using a single comp in a buss, fed by auxes, to do parallel compression than there it to using multiple individual comps that have wet / dry controls.

Child