What compressor plugin or combo comp/limiter do you guys recommend for heavy duty gluing, like as in a (non-sloppy but) tight rubber band like "force field" of warm glue that literally nothing can break through in a mix?

It is hard to describe what I mean but maybe somebody gets it. This for stuff like Electro House, Nuskoolbreaks, DnB etc where, even with proper gainstaging, EQ and automation, it can get loud and busy at times and on the verge of distorting on transitions and such.

I know its possible because I paid a famous mastering guy a bucket of money and he did some serious magic on a banger of a song as previously described. Sadly hes since died so I cant contact him now to ask what he used.

Any suggestions?

 

Last edited by a moderator: Oct 30, 2022

For a Thermo-Nuclear kind of Squash,
maybe I'd try with the Arousor, or just any proper API or 1176 emu..

If you need more Radioactive Gas isotopes you always got Presswerk,
or maybe a DBX if you want some more of that Decaying Corpse Flatulence added..

However if you really want to Rubber-Band it like a Fat Soprano on a Tight Black Plastic dress,
I'd go with an SSL like T-Racks Bus Comp or smth..

...

 

Theres always at least one wiseguy huh. Like I said, hard to describe. Either ya get it or ya dont. ive tried all of those you mentioned and none exhibit the type of "rubber band force field nothing gets through heavy glue" I mean. Some get kinda close I guess, but not. Nuking or squashing the shit out of a mix as in british mode distress isnt the goal. I feel like it should be a compression/limiting combo of sorts. Maybe some dynamic multi-comp/limit trick I dunno. I guess I just have to keep searching for the right combo of plugs.

 

Last edited by a moderator: Oct 30, 2022

Multi-stage compression, clipping and limiting along with saturation. API 2500, SSL bus compressor, Fairchild, etc.

 

It's not a trick as such. I'll take out the very low end first. Glue using any of those @Baxter mentioned above, depending on the type of colour I want to give it. (I am quite partial to Cytomc- The Glue, which sounds to me like an SSL.) Add a multi band compressor (Or in some circumstances 2) along with saturation, further mid/side EQing to taste.

EDIT:-

I just checked.. the glue from Cytomic is based on an SSL E Bus Compressor.

 

I agree though, funny verbiage aside. Arouser, Presswerk and Townhouse are exactly what I'd be looking at.

Oh wait, he didn't say Townhouse. Ok, Brainworx Townhouse.

 

Thats one I have not tried yet, will look for it now. Thanks

 

Last edited by a moderator: Oct 30, 2022

Actually, in this place there's usually loads! :D

 

it's always depending on the material on the bus; but the NI Solid Bus Compressor is actually quite decent, and people often have it already installed from a bundle install or hardware. The first preset is ssl mix glue styled. for smoother edm it is nice enough for Olav, it is good enough for me. (whatever). Generally, I do the Fabfilter workflow; and just switch out instances with others as wanted/needed. For something like a 1.25:1 ratio Glue on a drum bus to get a spatial effect, how much difference will you really see/hear? If you are really making it do a lot of work, I try to stick to the ones I am most familiar with. all already mentioned above. if you are working to stems, and need a lot of gain reduction at your bus; it can be a sign you have under compressed the parts you would really like a higher ratio on. So you (meaning me) will overcompress the rest of it instead.

 

Last edited: Oct 30, 2022

Then give us a bloody example.
I suspect that what you're looking for is a bunch of saturations, with a clipper and a limiter on top, and not a compressor.

 

Never try to do it in a single compressor / limiter/ clipper, that's all. The sounds used in the arrangement should he clean af. With the limited experience I got, its always the cleaner sounds (Serum-esque) that get to sound the loudest once a shit ton of processing is done on it. Dunno why sounds are distorted to hell before all this processing, maybe its for filling in the spectrum but that doesn't make a sound "louder" in my opinion.

 

There's a chance that not only DRC was used, but also imaging changes.

 

Right,
Townhouse is effing Great and has a very unique Musical tone, probably my favourite SSL emulation..

However I think for that dark Rubbery compression effect,
T-Racks version would be much more adequate.. at least on drums


I don't know much about multistage stuff tho,
I'm more of a clean-mix kinda guy so better let the other wise boys around do the talk..

 

Last edited: Oct 30, 2022

For example, artists like Noisia, Skrillex, Black Sun Empire and Current Value didn't/don't use any mix bus compression at all, relying instead on clippers and limiters on subgroups and a mix bus. This is because they don't want the compressor's release to create pumping (even a groovy one) and thus take away from the track's energy.

You see, glue, as understood by more classical engineers, is first and foremost a subtle dynamic interaction between the elements. Density comes second, if at all, and is mainly created by saturation. If you really want to make your mix denser with a compressor, look for one with fast or dual-stage release. Be prepared to know what the fuck you're doing tho.

 

it seems like one would have to deliberately overshoot anything using standardclip. I bet you could easily do more unpleasant sounding things with an instance of OTT or 50.

 

Last edited: Oct 30, 2022

It's not compression, it's lots of even harmonics. Basic waveshaper with good oversampling (no analog emulation saturation) like https://freevstplugins.net/audec-drive/, will do the job.

 

So this will completely exclude compressors (due to their attack time). The only things/plugins nothing can break through are true peak brickwall limiters and clippers. With the latter you have the option between soft and hard clipping. So I'd say, use a combo of a clean TP limiter and variable clipper so you can adjust the level and added harmonics.

 

Somehow we forgot to mention.. Shadow Hills?
Two Comps in one and transformer sim..
(although some may argue passing audio through a transformer is not always the best idea..)

Still it seems rather than compressing perhaps you will need to take the multistage clipping route..

 

Even if you'd have the exact same chain, you won't achieve the same result without having that man's taste. Best to find someone else that you like their work (or just work on refining your taste - not an easy task though)

 

Thanks all of you for lots of ideas, suggestions and I guess even the weird and specious assumptions too. I am going to try out some of these plugins and techniques to see if I can get any closer to the desired results.

And to smart ass number 2, you know who you are , I would post an example, but its an unreleased song (soon to be released) and its on my work DAW PC anyway. It's kinda more like a cross between some of that older General Midi style Nuskoolbreaks vs Deadmau5 bass tunes than the newer Skrillex brostep type shit? I dunno. Think big fat analog basses, punchy funky drum machines, some pretty crap and weird FX thrown in for good measure along with booty bass vocals over the top.. that sorta style of music. Probably another dreadful description but whatevs.........

On a side note, did anybody here see that Nuskoolbreaks.co.uk brand and forum recently shut down forever?