how to fix the sound when you have too many compressors?

[attack or decay]

any one know??
i am making a track and i only have a couple ableton live's compressors active.
but seems like as the more i get into the track everything seems to be affected by the same compressor.
this compressor is not in the master channel either.
it is located on track x individually.
my question is...
is there a way to mediate the sound that u add to a song when you have some compressors
affecting some of the tracks in said song.
cheers and thankz.

[G-Pop]

I have a tendency to "overdo it" a lot, so when I began DAW &
audio engineering, it was no different. Disasters aplenty!

1. Are you "side-chaining?" (possble issue)

2. If you don't know how to use EQ's and Compressors, and use multiples of them, they
can "fight" each other, and even make sound you WANT dissapear totally! AND WORSE!

3. I have taken "overcooked" songs and stripped every single effect out and started over.
A) LISTEN BEFORE YOU ADD ANYTHING!
B) MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHERE, WHEN, WHY, AND HOW TO USE THEM BEFORE YOU DO!

4. There are many good books on MIXING and MASTERING. (two very different things)
Try one by a successful author on MIXING first. I can recommend;
"The EQ and Compression formula" by Nathan Nyquist. <- This helped me understand
the WHEN, WHERE, WHY, AND HOW...

Old Saying;
"You can't polish a turd."

G Pop

[G-Pop]

I forgot to add;

"The EQ and Compression formula" by Nathan Nyquist.

THis is available for under $10 USD in Kindle form from Amazon!
Great deal, and he knows how to get very complex ideas across
in a simple and familiar way, using analogies.

Good luck!

G Pop

"Are you lost? OK. Then take it apart and start over."
- My Father (A Mechanic)

[Stromkraft]

If you find it acceptable to learn about compression concepts in a general way, not Ableton Live specific, then The Ultimate Compression Tutorial by Mixbus TV both explains and destroys some myths. Compression is deep. It's better not do do it than to do it wrong, is how I feel. But you have to do it wrong in order to learn how to do it properly, I think.

[fishmonkey]

Rick Beato floats my boat:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oOmX3JHwtE

[Shift Gorden]

OP, what are you using the compressors for?

[kj]

First tip would be to not really use the compressors when you are still writing your song. Don't use compressors as an instrument but as a mix tool.

[Shift Gorden]

First tip would be to not really use the compressors when you are still writing your song. Don't use compressors as an instrument but as a mix tool.

Absolutely (and respectfully) totally disagree with this.

Sure, they can be used as a mix tool. But they also are great for shaping sounds - they're great for sound design!

Although, it is very easy to go down the rabbit hole of getting your sound "just so" without getting on with the writing process (guilty!).

[attack or decay]

I have a tendency to "overdo it" a lot, so when I began DAW &
audio engineering, it was no different. Disasters aplenty!

1. Are you "side-chaining?" (possble issue)

2. If you don't know how to use EQ's and Compressors, and use multiples of them, they
can "fight" each other, and even make sound you WANT dissapear totally! AND WORSE!

3. I have taken "overcooked" songs and stripped every single effect out and started over.
A) LISTEN BEFORE YOU ADD ANYTHING!
B) MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHERE, WHEN, WHY, AND HOW TO USE THEM BEFORE YOU DO!

4. There are many good books on MIXING and MASTERING. (two very different things)
Try one by a successful author on MIXING first. I can recommend;
"The EQ and Compression formula" by Nathan Nyquist. <- This helped me understand
the WHEN, WHERE, WHY, AND HOW...

Old Saying;
"You can't polish a turd."

G Pop

thank you so much for suggesting those books.
compression is definitely something i have not mastered
but i have learned my way around the essentials such as sjidechaining and such.
i will take a look at the books you suggested.

[attack or decay]

OP, what are you using the compressors for?

i am using it to side chain the kicks so that the synth reacts to it overtime a kick hits.
however i also added minimal compression to some other elements that make my drum track.
but it sounds muffled when i attempt to add more tracks to continue developing the song.
take note that there are no effects in this new track.
and when i try to turn up the volume (via compressor in this case)
the track doesn't seem to change much either way.

[G-Pop]

...It's better not to do it than to do it wrong, is how I feel.
But you have to do it wrong in order to learn how to do it properly, I think.

Hey Strom!

Well said, my friend!
I will have to check out the source you posted. I find that,
while there are many paradigms as individual as their engineers,
basics are still in operation here (Comp / EQ) but that the
"Art" of this Art&Science is unique in the way they approach
their USE of the tools.

G Pops

btw, I posted a track I need a female voice for, and it's raw, BUT
I would like your opinion; I am old and sometimes mistrust my ears!
It's here;
https://soundcloud.com/user-525559727/w ... roductions
UPDATED! SAME LINK AS BELOW POST! (Works!)

[attack or decay]

...It's better not to do it than to do it wrong, is how I feel.
But you have to do it wrong in order to learn how to do it properly, I think.

Hey Strom!

Well said, my friend!
I will have to check out the source you posted. I find that,
while there are many paradigms as individual as their engineers,
basics are still in operation here (Comp / EQ) but that the
"Art" of this Art&Science is unique in the way they approach
their USE of the tools.

G Pops

btw, I posted a track I need a female voice for, and it's raw, BUT
I would like your opinion; I am old and sometimes mistrust my ears!
It's here;
https://soundcloud.com/user-525559727/w ... roductions

damn, thats a filthy track right there my guy!

[G-Pop]

damn, thats a filthy track right there my guy!

Yeah! errr. Does that mean you like it or you don't?
Define... "Filthy" please? (I can take it if it's bad, I got my
"Big Boy" pants on! Oh and plz listen to the REMIXED export at the URL below
first... as I said I picked the wrong (earlier) export for the first one.

I posted the wrong export (and had to kill it an upload a new one here;

"Whither" - "G Pops" FEAT KJ SAWKA! (Mad Beatz!)
https://soundcloud.com/user-525559727/w ... roductions

G pops!

[attack or decay]

damn, thats a filthy track right there my guy!

Yeah! errr. Does that mean you like it or you don't?
Define... "Filthy" please? (I can take it if it's bad, I got my
"Big Boy" pants on! Oh and plz listen to the REMIXED export at the URL below
first... as I said I picked the wrong (earlier) export for the first one.

I posted the wrong export (and had to kill it an upload a new one here;

"Whither" - "G Pops" FEAT KJ SAWKA! (Mad Beatz!)
https://soundcloud.com/user-525559727/w ... roductions

G pops!

I mean it in a good way.
filthy because to me it sounds like it could be the soundtrack to a cyberpunk industrial dystopian film.
It is really good. the drum break gives me a Massive Attack feel.
respect!

[dbfs]

See, this is the kind of world we've created - MF's don't even know what a compressor is doing or why it's needed, but because everyone's running around creaming their jeans for compressors (why, who knows???) everyone thinks they just need to slap compressors on everything by default... Because hey, that's all anyone every talks about. OMG Compressors.. let's all jack each other off over reducing the dynamic range...

Listen up - A compressor is a tool.... It helps you fix shit. ...Like wildly dynamic material. It's not some magical fairy dust you sprinkle on your drum buss and now you're a professional.

Learn to mix with your faders and then start to understand when you need to reach for tools like compressors and EQ's and other processing to FIX PROBLEMS...