Should I use the same compressor on vocals for an album?

Ideally, you want the vocals (and everything) to sound the same.  And I tend to use the same general effects on vocals (Perfect Space, Sonitus [until recently], EQ) since I know it works.  But having the individual songs work best should be the prime directive.  If it takes a differnet compressor, so be it.  If we didn't change and experiment, I would be using the SONY track compressor on my vocals.  It is still there, but I don't use it anymore.

So song first, then CD wholeness.  And to tell the truth, most people can't tell the difference.

@

Karyn


 

Compression of vocals is ultimately a)an engineering trick to get the best recording levels down on tape and b)an engineering trick to even out bad level control/mic technique by inexperienced singers.

Lastly it is an engineering tool to sculpt the dynamics of the vocals,  and that should change with every song..

I disagree with b).  that's very true and helpful for live vocalists, but not the same thing for studio (well, unless maybe you're a rapper...).
 
when a vocalist moves closer to the mic you get a "proximity affect" which gives a different color to the signal of those vocals going in.  when the vocalist moves away from the mic you lose that proximity affect and the vocals sound different.  depending on the vocalist it could leave the vocals sounding "tinny" and "thin" the further away from the mic he/she is.
 
so unless I WANT to lose that proximity affect, I do not move away from the mic in the studio (well, or live, either for that matter, but I sacrifice the proximity affect on live sound for the need to "work the mic" for the dynamics of the performance).  that's where a compressor going into the box helps tremendously.  just a little compression is all that's needed - 2:1 or so with a mid range threshold will allow the experienced singer to stay on mic and keep the proximity affect going.
 
2nd reason I disagree with this is because of room inclusion.  when a singer backs away from the mic (live or studio), he/she introduces more room sound/noise into the signal than was there before.  if that's what you WANT to hear, that's fine, but I've found 99% of the time in the studio I do not want the room recorded with the vocalist, it causes a lot of problems when trying to perform mixing functions such as adding reverb, EQ'ing and especially if you have to pitch correct any of the vocals.
 
I had an inexperienced vocalist doing back ground vocals in the studio a few weeks ago.  I wasn't paying close enough attention to her and she was too far away from the mic.  that, of course, added room ambience to the signal and it was not desirable in this instance.  it made the mix harder to control and when I had to correct a few of her pitches, the room noise would phase shift and "warble" on those corrections.  ugh.  I'd rather do the vocals over and get them right with her singing AT THE MIC the whole time.
 
I don't disagree that inexperienced singers don't know how to "work a mic" - but in the studio I'd rather the expeienced ones DIDN'T work the mic and stay on it most of the time and I'll compress them a little going in.  gives a much nicer sound and easier to work with.

I personally see no problems using the same comp on vocals for an entire album. The things to be aware of (as Philip mentions) are how things can change. In one song, your actual key you sing in will affect how a compressor reacts. In another song you may be singing softer..in another, super loud and up close. In another...further away from the mic to grab some room. Each compressor will treat those examples differently. Chances are, a really good compressor will handle all of those situations. I prefer a NEVE 33609 on all my vocals. I use it for every vocal I do on every song that I do. It's a sophisticated comp that can do anything and will not dirt up.

Speaking of dirt, in some songs you may want an aggressive delivery. My NEVE is not going to work for me there. I may need an 1176 or an LA2A or something. So as much as I love the NEVE and always use it on everything, it just can't be used there because in my opinion, it's simply too clean of a comp to be used on a vocal like that. So you have to evaulate the song, the key of the songm how hard or how light you're pushing the voice, what mic was used and was the same one used in every song, mouth to mic distance...it all walks hand in hand and helps me to determine which compressor to use for the job. But yeah, you CAN use the same comp on the whole album...but only if the vocals on each song sort of have the same vibe.

For example, a singer like Brad Delp of Boston (God rest his soul) could easily get away with the same compressor on an entire album. He never growled, he never sang super soft and his sound was always consistent. High range, proper vocal push, no strain, super clean...you want a clean compressor that allows him to remain clean in my opinion. If it sounds too clean though and we need a little grit, then you grab a comp that would give you that. Our PC2A would work well for that type of sound. So it all really depends on what you're faced with.

-Danny

you are correct, I even find myself doing some of the things you mention.  which is another reason that little compression going into the A/D's helps a lot, IMO!