How many layers of compression?

Its not a bad idea to use gentle compression on your main stereo out even before mastering. Especially if its a louder end result (after mastering) you are after.

A good setting there is about 1.3 to I ratio and threshold that gives only about - 3db gain reduction. Slow down the attack a bit to let transients through. A nice relaxed multiband there works well. Dont expect mastering results here, its only to prep it a bit before mastering.

Compressor ratios multiply so if you are intending to use a certain ratio on your tracks, divide that by 1.3 and alter it to suit.

Gentle compression over the stereo buss helps to glue things together slightly.

3 layers of compression is better than one big one. Its like 3 light coats of paint being better than one think coat.

bitflipper

only use compression when you need it for some reason.

OTOH, I often use as many as 3 compressors on vocals: one on each backing track, two on the lead and one on the vocal bus.

Hi bit,
 
Can you share with me why you'd put 2 compressors on one lead vocal please? I'm just curious as to how and why you'd do this as well as what the benefits would be?
 
When I HAVE had to do this, my method was to compress the vocals with a comp first in line, run some effects in the bin, and then a very subtle comp in the end of the chain just so the effects didn't allow anything to lash out. Is this how you use it too? Thanks....always look forward to your posts and interesting techniques man. :)
 
To the OP: I'm one that likes to run a little compression on everthing in my mix accept for cymbals due to how dynamic they have to be at times as well as how improper compression on them can make them sound strange. Though all the advice you've been given here so far is spot on in my opinion, a very light amount of compression to keep transients under control is never a bad thing. When you hear a compressor (unless you're doing it for effect purposes or really trying to control transients) you're using too much.
 
When I use it in an instrument that may not be an instrument that needs much compression or any compression at all, that comp is there just to be a "transient policeman". You don't even have to make the comp apparent...you just want things to stay sane and under a certain threshold. It only keeps your mix tighter as long as you don't go over-board. The best compression is the compression you don't hear because it is just making a small difference keeping things in check.
 
As far as busses go, I don't use compression as an insert unless I'm parallel compressing. Now for instrument bussing, that's a different animal. Sometimes I'll send a bunch of backing vocals to an instrument bus and compress them as an entity. Or, I'll put a compressor on a drum instrument bus lightly to keep the drums in control....or I'll send a few rhythm guitars to an instrument bus and compress them as an entity as well. Those guitar often times have compression on them individually and I may also compress the bus they are sent to. It depends on what I'm going for though.
 
As for compression on my master bus, I never do that because I feel that anything like that should be done in the mastering stage. If you're not careful with compression on the master bus when you are mixing, it is way too easy to miss the obvious because you have so much going on. I like to have a clear mind when I master and like to be in mastering mode. I think this is easier to handle when you are done with a mix and can just concentrate on the mastering/polishing part of your project. There's nothing wrong with running a comp on your master bus within the project, as several people do this with good results. It's just not something I'm in favor of because way too often, people go over-board with this and wreck their material because they are way too close to it. That's just my take though...best of luck!

J: one other thing I'd like to mention that you may or may not know about. This too is a bit of a grey area for me, but it's definitely worth mentioning.

Some guys like to add what we call "2-bus glue" within their mixes. I'm sure you've heard of this before, right? The object of this is to start with the compressor in place before you mix your project because it will force you to make decisions you wouldn't normally make without it. The problem with this, you will NOT get the same effects ITB as you would OTB with a compressor that adds "color".

Analog gear is going to add a coloration that I haven't heard with plugins. So to me, having "2-bus glue" in an ITB mix...is pretty senseless. Some guys hybrid and may send a mix into an outboard comp...this works good for 2-bus glue and makes way more sense. To do this ITB, I can't think of any digital compressors that really would add the coloration an analog compressor would bring to the table...so for me, I stay away from that technique.

However, the recent release of the UAD Studer 800 tape machine plug...brings things to a new level for me. If you were to add a plug like that to your master bus followed by a good compressor like a NEVE or a Fairchild etc, you are simulating that analog saturation with the Studer, and compressing "to glue" with the NEVE or Fairchild. That's the cool thing about analog gear...the natural saturation and coloration. We don't get this from strictly digital compressors without doctoring them up and it's really not the same.

Another thing to think about is, in the event you want to have something mastered by a pro, you want to be extra careful as to how much master bus compression you use. It is my opinion being a mastering engineer (or at least I like to consider myself one since I do so much of it) that it's best to let guys like me use our judgment as to how the compression on a final mix should be handled. Mastering is really an artform. It's not a dark art like some lead you to believe, but it is an artform that should be handled by someone knowledgable in that field to make the right call. He's also your extra set of ears. Like I've mentioned in quite a few posts on here and in other places I haunt, when you hit that export button in Sonar, in your mind you are done. You have pushed the mix to the highest level you are capable of or you would have never pressed that button.

You have also listened to this mix how many times? 300-500 times? Maybe more? So when you feel an export is the right thing to do, in your mind this mix is done. How do you evaluate what the proper compression for the final mix should be or what the additional eq curve should be when you'll be using the same monitors that you tracked on and mixed on? It's really difficult to do quite honestly because we get so close to our material, it's way too easy to miss the obvious. I'm not saying "don't attempt to put a compressor on your master bus and don't try to master it." You SHOULD experiment with this stuff...especially if you're just doing things for your head, ya know? But if it's a serious project that's going to be sold etc, you definitely want to have that extra set of ears on board that will make the proper compression call that will be applied to the entire song. The more you compress and etch things in stone, the more difficult it can become for the mastering engineer to do his thing. The more control the ME has, the more he can make your material shine IF he's skilled enough in his craft and isn't just in it to take your money.

Anyway, I know I'm a bit off topic from what you were really looking for here....but I just wanted to give you some additional food for thought. :)

Can you share with me why you'd put 2 compressors on one lead vocal please? I'm just curious as to how and why you'd do this as well as what the benefits would be?

Same reason you'd do it on the 2-bus: first compressor catches the peaks, the second one fattens it up. First one has faster attack and release times so it's just hitting the peaks, and at a higher ratio. Second one doesn't worry about the peaks and uses a slower attack to let them through, and has a longer release and lower compression ratio. I'm also fond of using a multiband compressor as the first stage, especially if the vocal is sibilant or has boomy resonances.