This tool can even be used on individual instruments (especially live instruments) say we recorded a bass guitar, we might hear two main areas, the low end which is where the fundamentals and body lie, and the high end where we hear the definition in the tone (and where we hear the attack from either finger picking or plectrum) maybe we like the high end but the low end is overly dynamic, we can choose to just compress just the low end.Īnother example from the same situation is the low end is still overly dynamic so we set our band down there with a fairly fast attack and high ratio to get it under control. A reason why we might choose to use this method instead of just compressing the cymbals and hats on their individual channels is that compressing them together can help them ‘glue’ better, that is it can help them sound like they are from the same ‘space’.
An example is on a drum bus if the cymbals/hats were overly dynamic we could use compression on just the high end. Buss processingĭuring the mixing stage, we can use multiband compression on a buss for more control. Compressing this way can get us more overall gain reduction without as many pumping/distortion artefacts leading to a louder master. It may also be a case that although there isn’t any particular area that is overly dynamic, we want to use this tool to compress every band separately. In this scenario it may be a case that we have a certain area/instrument in a mix that is too dynamic to the rest of the mix and we want to get it under control to balance the overall dynamics. It is a very powerful tool during mastering as it gives a lot more control than a standard ‘broadband compressor’.
Here are a few area’s where we might want to use multi-band compression:- Mastering While you’re there try tweaking some of the settings to see if you can make it more suitable to the audio. After that have a look through the settings and find why you like it (make sure it isn’t just because it’s making it louder!) that way you can learn why it’s working the way you want it to. If you are new to using this tool an idea could be to scroll through every preset till you find one that sounds the most suitable to your ears. Every sound is different and needs to be treated as such.
Many multiband compressors out there come with a variety of stock presets which although can sound impressive (as they will be boosting the output gain to compensate!) can never be suited for your particular task. However, if we use a multi-band compressor we can set it so that it only acts on the low end and get that under control and leave the high-end alone so we don’t over compress it. Compressing the high end more would cause it to sound over-compressed and the low end being so dynamic would cause the compressor to pump over the entire spectrum. Say we had a track that had a fairly dynamic low end but the high end was fairly dynamically balanced. Again with the low-end example in a mastering context. The reason why this is such a powerful and useful tool is that it gives us a lot more control over the sound. For more information about audio compressors see our Guide to Audio Compression.
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