That’s a question I get asked a lot, and as a mastering engineer, I’m conflicted about what advice to give. The follow-up, “should it be single or multi-band ?” is easier to answer, though.
First of all:
Why would you use a buss compressor over your whole mix anyway ?
This post started out as a comment on The Recording Revolution about buss compression, and Graham’s video from that post (above) gives a good explanation.
He’s pretty clear that you should compress your whole mix, and the truth is that almost all “name” engineers in the pop, rock and indie genres, will slap an SSL or similar buss compressor over the mix as one of the first things they do when setting up a mix.
Simple, right ?
Well… maybe. A great buss compressor used on a great mix will often “glue it together” nicely, as Graham says. It’s a tried and tested technique that has been used on a huge number of hit records.
[Edit - The Beatles have been mentioned several times in the comments on my "LCR Mixing Sucks" post, and I was reminded of this post from way back - if you haven't already watched the video, I strongly recommend it !]
I’ve already labelledGeorge Martin as a “god-like-genius” amongst producers – although, after watching Elizabeth Gilbert’s inspiring TED talk on nurturing creativity, perhaps I should use different terminology…
Either way, his work with the Beatles means that over 30 years later he is still regarded by many as the ultimaterecord producer. A musician, engineer and inspirational collaborator, without whom the Beatles’ music would have been unrecognisable, and – in my opinion – nowhere near as fascinating, important or influential.
Reverberation is a subtle but crucial part of any mix. The wrong choice can make everything sound harsh, messy, muddy or distant. The right choice can bind a mix together, add depth, space, and air, and enhance detail. The trick is knowing the difference.
Once upon a time, things were simple. You either had an SPX-90 or a Lexicon, and you got on with the job. Now, the range of choice is bewildering. In the 21st century there are hardware and plugin reverbs, modelling reverbs, sampling reverbs, convolution reverbs, emulating reverbs… the list goes on.
This post will completely ignore all that confusion, and attempt to cut right to the chase. Later I’ll offer some ideas, hints and tips for getting the best results with reverb, but first we’ll look at:
This post will tell you everything you need to know about mixing.
OK, not really. If that was possible there would be no need for this site ! In fact, it won’t even scratch the surface of everything there is to say about music and audio mixing – but it willtell you ten fundamental rules that – if you follow them – will enable you to make your mixes sound better and achieve the best possible results from your music and audio productions, every time.
But before I get to the rules, I want to point out a few things that DON’T matter. At least, no-where near as much as the things on the list. These things which are NOT important to achieving a great mix are:
I have always planned to write a Production Advice post about how to achieve clean, powerful, natural-sounding bass in your mix.
This is not that post.
This is a post to give you ideas on how to achieve monstrous, un-natural, trouser-wobbling bass like the band Pendulum – bass that goes against nature and puts you in fear of your life, bass that endangers the structural stability of your home and gently eases the fillings from your teeth.(*)
(*) Some of these claims may be slightly over the top.
"I am very impressed by your feedback, it is spot-on... this has indeed been a fruitful coaching session and I am looking forward to working more with you!"
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