OK. Generally, but it depends on your material, mixbus compression is a form of levelling, where you're aiming to reach down through the transients, grab the body of the sound and pull it into shape, immediately prior to hitting a peak limiter. People's techniques do vary, your mileage may vary.

The general priciple of levelling compression is to have a long attack (to let the transient through) and short release to respond to level changes in a timely manner. This requires a well gain-staged incoming signal to prevent the transients from clipping out, after making up the gain. The old lag's methodolgy is to start with shortest release and attack, hardest full on threshold and ratio, squashing the sound to destruction. Using gain out to hear the mess, slowly push the attack out so you can hear the transients coming back, and chose the setting that sounds good. Then, push the release out, till you hear the transients being hit by the compression tail, and pull back until it sounds good. Lower the ratio until you get the density you need and then raise the threshold (and lower the out gain) until you get the magic gluing levelling happen. That's how I was taught back in the day.

 

Last edited by a moderator: Jan 30, 2018

Interesting article here which argues that it's not so much the particular compressor but the general type and how it's used:

https://alixcoopermixingblog.blogspot.com.au/2014/12/master-bus-compression-throughout-years.html

 

For those who like SSL, DMG's Trackcomp has the best one, in my opinion. I love it on the mix bus.

 

Thanks mate I missed that one! Looks and sounds interresting!

 

Compression of buses is cruel and immoral.

Vive la Analogue Dynamique Rangue!

 

If you use a bus compressor to kill your Analogue Dynamique Rangue, then you've missed the whole point. Mix bus compressors work their mojo by barely "caressing" the audio signal. Actually, you're suppoed to feel more than hear change, just like "right" reverb level, it's very hard to put in words, but the "needle" should move around +3 or even a lot less, with a compression ratio of 1.5:1 or 2:1.

Mine, UAD Neve 33609.

 

Lowering dynamic range is what compressors do, by definition.

*but only if the signal explicitly consents & is of legal age.

is all that needs to be said, "caress" adds nothing. maybe elaborate on knee shape, attack, decay & sustain time. Already way too much mystique/touchy-feely stuff associated with compressors.

 

I don't like caressing. I like spanking. And. Erm. Spanking.

 

Yeah, bought myself some new plugins.

 

More like screwins. Love that MU.

 

Moo.

 

API 2500, SSL 4000 buss comp, DW Fearn VT-7 are a few of my favorite 2 buss comps.

 

For the Master bus, Slate FG-Red. It just sounds great for the music I work on. If your short on money, try out the Focusrite Red 3 on the sister site. It's what the FG-Red is based off of and sounds almost identical. Believe the Red 3 does have slightly different attack times though.

 

Cytomic Glue - is my goto comp!!

 

i dont know why I end up having FET of Softube on my bus... I'm an agressive guy, but whatever gives me rhythm to what I'm trying to achieve... mpressor is good also or 10db, manic etc.. I'm not a fan of the glue, it may sound good but I love compressors that pump and ads a bit of coloration ...it surely depends on what genre you work... I wouldn't use Fet on a chillout track