Compressor settings for DJing

Tone Deft · Post by **Tone Deft** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 8:10 am

Put it AFTER the FX, otherwise you won't get the dynamics out of your FX.

A nice effect will treat a quiter signal different than a loud signal. A compressor would lose the range of volume that hits the effect, losing the character of the effect.

nebulae · Post by **nebulae** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 4:11 pm

Tone Deft wrote:A nice effect will treat a quiter signal different than a loud signal. A compressor would lose the range of volume that hits the effect, losing the character of the effect.

Miguel, please expound. This makes no sense to me.

Tone Deft · Post by **Tone Deft** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 5:58 pm

nebulae wrote:
Tone Deft wrote:A nice effect will treat a quiter signal different than a loud signal. A compressor would lose the range of volume that hits the effect, losing the character of the effect.
Miguel, please expound. This makes no sense to me.

Take a distortion effect, at the low end of the dynamic range (quieter sounds) going into the effect you get a soft fuzzy distortion, at the high end of the dynamic range (louder sounds) you get harder clipping, more distorted. Put a compressor in front of that and you lose the available dynamic range going into the effect.

nebulae · Post by **nebulae** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 6:01 pm

aah.

but not necessarily, if the threshold of the compressor is so high that it doesn't even trigger compression

Tone Deft · Post by **Tone Deft** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 6:03 pm

Sure, in that case the compressor technically isn't in the chain, moot point. Dunno man, you're way ahead of the game than me when it comes to production and testicle shaving.

nebulae · Post by **nebulae** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 6:11 pm

I do frequent http://www.shavedtesticle.com/

nebulae · Post by **nebulae** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 6:14 pm

actually, it is in the chain, the last plugin in the master chain. Just do this test for me:

1. Mix between two very loud songs. Set levels so that when both songs are playing, the overall master level is just under 0db but has an occasional over-zero peak.
2. Have an comp in the mastering chain.
3. Set comp's threshold very high, say around -0.5. This means the comp won't even do any compressing till the signal hits -0.5.
4. Set attach to shortest amount, say 1ms. Set release to 2ms.

Now do the mix with the comp on and the comp off. Tell me if you hear a big difference.

knotkranky · Post by **knotkranky** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 6:18 pm

attack: slow
release: fast
ratio: 2:1
barely tap the reduction meter. -1 to -3 on peaks only.

For djing, the best compression is fader compression. Make sure your finger is clean, nails trimmed and in good physical condition.
It is bad form to touch your testicles during your set. Though perfectly ok to have them touched. Keep the fader clean.

Tone Deft · Post by **Tone Deft** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 6:26 pm

Neb - I follow, no doubt. When it comes to WHERE to place the compressor, from what I understand, putting it before FX is probably not what you want, you want it after the FX. I love that site too, my login is ShinySack69.

KK - "It is bad form to touch your testicles during your set." That was always my problem, people would tell me to stop scratching over the records and I told THEM I hadn't backspun the record once, it was the mix. No wonder I never get laid after a gig.

It seems that compressors are pretty misunderstood in their usage, maybe because they should only be used by a trained professional under hip hop supervision. There were some good tips earlier in the thread about not using compressors over mastered dance tracks and losing dynamics, and KK's advice about using the fader to chill the levels before squashing them.

knotkranky · Post by **knotkranky** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 6:34 pm

Tone Deft wrote:Neb - I follow, no doubt. When it comes to WHERE to place the compressor, from what I understand, putting it before FX is probably not what you want, you want it after the FX. I love that site too, my login is ShinySack69.

KK - "It is bad form to touch your testicles during your set." That was always my problem, people would tell me to stop scratching over the records and I told THEM I hadn't backspun the record once, it was the mix. No wonder I never get laid after a gig.

It seems that compressors are pretty misunderstood in their usage, maybe because they should only be used by a trained professional under hip hop supervision. There were some good tips earlier in the thread about not using compressors over mastered dance tracks and losing dynamics, and KK's advice about using the fader to chill the levels before squashing them.

yeah, i'd say forget the compressor when you're out there doing your set. Hell, it's been mixed and mastered already. Dynamics is what's exciting, not compression.
I would also suggest carrying your own fader knob if you follow a Tone Deft set.

stutter · Post by **stutter** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 6:36 pm

hehe, M. Bréqs' post was funny, and good advice too.

What can make your sound even more shitty, if you are unable to ride the levels and keep them from sneaking into the red, is the in-house limiter kicking in all the time and totally, totally ruining things. In which case maybe a little light compression wouldn't be so bad. This also seems to happen on occasion when they're trying to unsubtly tell you the barstaff would like to go home soon please.

nebulae · Post by **nebulae** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 6:47 pm

Tone Deft wrote:I love that site too, my login is ShinySack69.

It seems that compressors are pretty misunderstood in their usage

I think ShinySack69 has stated this best. Compressors don't just "suck the life out of dynamics." That is such a broad overstatement. Sure, they CAN, but they are surgical tools used for lots of purposes. One of these purposes is to actually enhance the perceived volume in a mix. The bottom line is that if you don't know how to use them, follow the advice of people here that say that you should ride the levels of your mix just skip putting a compressor in the chain.

For those of you that know how to use them very subtly, just try out my test and give me back the results.

joe90 · Post by **joe90** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 9:40 pm

M. Bréqs wrote:Don't compress.

Ride your levels lower and don't open up both tracks full blast at the same time. Attenuate the level or the bass of one or the other. At no point should both tracks in a mix (or all three in this case in particular) be coming out without turning down either the volume or eq bands significantly.

Compression just sucks the life out of mastered tracks.

----snipped bits

If you feel you must compress for some reason, you're wrong. Don't do it. But if you insist on doing it wrong, then you're a shitty DJ and deserve to suck. However, if you don't care that you're a shitty DJ and still insist on using a compressor because Mixmag, or some other retard-authored rag told you to do so, then at least try to be only a teensy bit shitty.
.

only good advice so far.... LOL

nebulae · Post by **nebulae** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 9:44 pm

http://www.shavedtesticle.com/ is the best advice so far...

Tone Deft · Post by **Tone Deft** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 9:50 pm

nebulae wrote:http://www.shavedtesticle.com/ is the best advice so far...

Truly... nothing feels quite as good as freshly shorn scrotum... meat helmets, summers in Rangoon... Good times.

Neb - Any other exercises you can promote to understand compression? I'm pretty sure I get what you suggested, I think it would be good for me to do that exercise and subtract the two signals, mess around with it.