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FAC Transient and/or parallel compression
Is FAC Transient something that could be used instead of parallel (New York) compression to make drums punchier? Or would you use it alongside parallel compression? Guidance much appreciated.
Comments
Any form of regular compression (which includes parallel compression) relies on the threshold (level of the audio input) before gain reduction kicks in. If you are dealing with live drums, the compressor may not always kick in.
With Transient however, it'll uniformly make the drums punchier as it's threshold-agnostic. I much prefer Transient given I don't need to EQ as much when using it for mixing.
Depends on source - most drum samples today are already transient processed and in synthetic drums you usually have control about the attack phase.
Imho transient shaping (with more intensity as target) is one of the most fatiguing effects.
It sounds great in the first run, but becomes really annoying quickly.
For a better perceived impact my preferred method is careful peak limiting way below the 0dB/fs level right on the instrument track by ProL2 or Maxima.
It's the same result, but more simple and effective that parallel compression in this context. Parallel compression is a buzzword anyway
Thanks you for sharing your vast knowledge of audio production with us. I always am learning something from your posts, and often begin to see things from a new perspective.
You are very much appreciated.
agreed！
Thanks for the wisdom. So am I hearing you right... you’re saying just apply limiter directly on bass, snare and toms tracks rather than bussing those to a separate additional track to which heavy compression is applied? No parallelisation at all
You can do it on single track or bus - it depends on the source and how you want it.
If the kit is already well balanced, a bus is most effective (and efficient).
But if (say) the Toms are just too whimpy, then the process is better applied on track and rendered immediately (it just fakes a better recording).
This is NOT about limiting as for loudness on the master bus (!).
It also does NOT work with any limiter, in particular not the brickwall kind.
The limiter must be 'smart' about how it deals with peaks that cross the threshold - it is dynamically scaling the signal to avoid distortion.
Don't ask me about the math... I have no idea, must be a sophisticated thing.
Apps like ProL2 and Maxima are supposed to do exactly that (with proper setting).
On track level you set the upper limit to your destination loudness (say -10dB) and set the threshold somewhere slightly above the dense area of the waveform where peaks start to stand out from the solid color.
The limiter then scales in this range, which results in a more pronounced sound.
You can see it in this demonstration (the dude is pathetic galore... but knows his job)
Wonderful detail - thanks again. I’m a Cubasis user so wondering if the Waves L1 Ultramaximizer plugin would be suitable for this (if you or anyone else happens to know)?
The 'Ultramaximizers' are multiband based and may yield more final overall loudness, but they modify the spectral content of the mix, regardless of instrument.
In my subjective perceiption that often changes the mix in a somewhat artificial way.
The mentioned plugins are neutral in their frequency response.
You just tweak you mix without caring about it's loudness which is then adjusted in one final step.
On desktop the Anwidasoft L1V is a very affordable alternative, with almost absent distortion figures even if pushed hard. For me it's complete riddle that it's so unknown.
Transient Shapers are of course useful on their own, just more on the character of the instrument or even voice. You can easily add some spark to the sound or reduce a source that's a bit too edgy.
Works great as a fake reverb reduction, too, though there are more versatile plugins today that can change impact and felt distance of the source over a wide range.
ps: the video above is a general blueprint about what makes a mix (or track) louder and when distortion will become too heavy.
In the end it doesn't matter how you achieved the waveform - those plugins are just the most effortless way, becomes a no-brainer with some routine. I almost never used compression (for loudness balance) since that Levelizer thing.
Imho it also improves the result of a signature compressor in a prominent mix position.
Ok, once again thanks @Telefunky that all seems to make sense - some experimentation is clearly in order!
yes indeed - it's all learning by hearing
Definitely - it just helps knowing where to spend your pennies