Best master bus compressor for techno?

[Deleted User]

Can anyone suggest good compressor to use on master bus in BM3 for techno tracks? I currently have Rough Rider and Push as well as built in BM3 one. I'm not an expert at compressors and just digging into really learning how to use them. Most techno production tutorial I've seen suggest using compressor on the master bus. I like Rough Rider since its AU3 but wondering if there are any that are better suited? I assume Fab Filter is great but so much pricer then other options

Richtowns

I like Roughrider on drums, its a great compressor.
FAC effects are great too.
My go to on the master is BarkFilter.
There was quite a conversation about its ability here:
https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/34414/mastering-secret-don-t-tell-anybody

Fingolfinzzz

I usually put MagicDeathEye on my master bus for just about everything. It’s a very good glue

espiegel123

@rms13 said:
Can anyone suggest good compressor to use on master bus in BM3 for techno tracks? I currently have Rough Rider and Push as well as built in BM3 one. I'm not an expert at compressors and just digging into really learning how to use them. Most techno production tutorial I've seen suggest using compressor on the master bus. I like Rough Rider since its AU3 but wondering if there are any that are better suited? I assume Fab Filter is great but so much pricer then other options

The @Blue_Mangoo compressor is a very nice non-coloring compressor that (IMO) is a better choice for a master bus compressor than Rough Rider as Rough Rider (intentionally, I believe, colors the sound). The FabFilter compressor and 4pockets compressors is are also excellent and transparent.

It is worth spending time learning about compressors and any other mastering effects and learning what they do. I suggest resisting the temptation to just slap something on. A lot of people squeeze the life out of things without realizing it. There is a certain thrill to the apparent loudness.

People often slap things on the master bus to mask or compensate weaknesses in the mixing of the individual tracks. Master bus effects are generally best used to accomplish subtle shaping and fine-tuning.

Turntablist

Toneboosters Barricade

[Deleted User]

@espiegel123 said:

@rms13 said:
Can anyone suggest good compressor to use on master bus in BM3 for techno tracks? I currently have Rough Rider and Push as well as built in BM3 one. I'm not an expert at compressors and just digging into really learning how to use them. Most techno production tutorial I've seen suggest using compressor on the master bus. I like Rough Rider since its AU3 but wondering if there are any that are better suited? I assume Fab Filter is great but so much pricer then other options

The @Blue_Mangoo compressor is a very nice non-coloring compressor that (IMO) is a better choice for a master bus compressor than Rough Rider as Rough Rider (intentionally, I believe, colors the sound). The FabFilter compressor and 4pockets compressors is are also excellent and transparent.

It is worth spending time learning about compressors and any other mastering effects and learning what they do. I suggest resisting the temptation to just slap something on. A lot of people squeeze the life out of things without realizing it. There is a certain thrill to the apparent loudness.

People often slap things on the master bus to mask or compensate weaknesses in the mixing of the individual tracks. Master bus effects are generally best used to accomplish subtle shaping and fine-tuning.

Thanks. I'm just delving into really using compressors. Some of the techno producers who's tutorial I've been reading/watching actually recommend using something on the master bus that adds some color as opposed to transparent. I know these things can vary depending on genre and effect your after.

craftycurate

Korvpressor is pretty good - has a built in Maximiser and Brickwall Limiter options.

espiegel123

@rms13 : while producers/mix engineers often use compressors to color the sound, it is (in my opinion) worth learning how to use a non-coloring compressor so that your ears get tuned to what compression does before messing with coloring compressors. With hardware, it often (especially on a budget) it wasn't easy to de-couple coloration from compression, but with digital mixing one has more options. If you are looking for coloration, I would still look at getting a compressor that CAN be transparent or look at using a transparent compressor use something like Reamp for saturation/dirt. Or use a compressor like the Fabfilter one which can be transparent or coloring.

Someone mentioned Barricade, it is a really nice limiter with nice saturation options. I haven't used its compressor without the limiter -- but as a compressor I think that it is not as flexible as the dedicated compressors.

[Deleted User]

@espiegel123 said:
@rms13 : while producers/mix engineers often use compressors to color the sound, it is (in my opinion) worth learning how to use a non-coloring compressor so that your ears get tuned to what compression does before messing with coloring compressors. With hardware, it often (especially on a budget) it wasn't easy to de-couple coloration from compression, but with digital mixing one has more options. If you are looking for coloration, I would still look at getting a compressor that CAN be transparent or look at using a transparent compressor use something like Reamp for saturation/dirt. Or use a compressor like the Fabfilter one which can be transparent or coloring.

Someone mentioned Barricade, it is a really nice limiter with nice saturation options. I haven't used its compressor without the limiter -- but as a compressor I think that it is not as flexible as the dedicated compressors.

Thanks. Maybe I'll just work with stock BM3 for now to learn while I wait to see what black Friday deals pop up. I bought FF Pro Q when it first came out but I feel like it was overkill for my engineering skills and I'm just starting to learn it after months so I don't want drop $40 on their compressor right now. I also have Push which I bought a while ago in a bundle but haven't been using it because of lack of AUv3. I'll look into some of the other options mentioned in this thread

dendy

my absolute top is Korvpressor. It's actually only one AUv3 compressor still on my device, deleted all others because i can easily replace them with build-in NS2 compressor, but Korvpressor is just AMAZING. Works like magic, doesn't matter if used on drum bus, arpeggio or on master ... It's build in EQ and limiter and all settings are finetuned the way that you literally in seconds get sound what tou want - perfect combination of UI and sound.

BlueGreenSpiral

Using compression randomly isn’t a great idea.

Would recommend looking at this page before buying anything.

https://patches.zone/compression-guide

jwmmakerofmusic

@dendy said:
my absolute top is Korvpressor. It's actually only one AUv3 compressor still on my device, deleted all others because i can easily replace them with build-in NS2 compressor, but Korvpressor is just AMAZING. Works like magic, doesn't matter if used on drum bus, arpeggio or on master ... It's build in EQ and limiter and all settings are finetuned the way that you literally in seconds get sound what tou want - perfect combination of UI and sound.

The only issue with Korvpressor is it isn't universal. Then again, @rms13 is producing in BM3, which is not universal either. The built-in NS2 compressor requires NS2 and can't be used in BM3. It wouldn't hurt for @rms13 to switch to NS2 however since it's definitely suited for EDM and Techno.

@BlueGreenSpiral That's a superb interactive guide mate. Even I learned a couple of new things I didn't know before.

@rms13 Mastering involves a lot more than just a compressor on the master track mate. You need an EQ (at least to balance a track), a compressor (which is what you're inquiring about), and a proper limiter (which probably wouldn't be the compressor/limiter in BM3). So what I'm going to do is first explain how I polish a track, and then I'm going to give you my recommendations. Right, let's get on with it.

There are a handful of different mastering chains I use, depending on the situation...

Here's what I do on the iPhone...

Situation A - A mate wants to hear a work-in-progress demo. So in that case, I just use the TripleBand Preset in BarkFilter with BarkFilter's limiter ON. I usually use a stereo gain that I feed into BarkFilter. It really works a treat and leaves plenty of headroom so distortion doesn't happen when converting a track into a compressed format (such as .m4a or .mp3 or uploading to Soundcloud). Sometimes BarkFilter's limiter can make a track sound a bit too squashy however, but when it's a quick WIP demo, it doesn't matter.

Situation B - I want to master an individual track straight from Nanostudio 2 (in your case, BM3). Okay, this is where it becomes slightly more involved. Warning - this isn't necessarily professional mastering per se but rather a bit of a cheat. Works in a pinch however...

1. I place Toneboosters' EQ first given I need the steepest filters. I place a high-pass filter down to about 30Hz in order to shave a little bit of the low-end. "What the fuck Jimmy? Isn't the low-end the most important part of EDM?" Dur! I'm not shaving off the subs. However, a high-pass filter at 30Hz tightens the low-end a bit and frees up headroom (which is very important once you get to compression and limiting!) I also place a low-pass filter at around 17kHz. "Wait a tick. Are you serious?" Right, that doesn't dull the sound. Rather, it staves off aliasing when downsampling a finished track to a compressed format (such as m4a/mp3/etc).

2. After the EQ, I use a stereo gain to reduce the peaks down to around -10dB and place a MagicDeathEye compressor. I use the D1 release setting, medium attack, and get the gain reduction down to about between -3dB and -4dB. It's VERY subtle, but it glues everything flawlessly.

3. Then I place a BarkFilter with the TripleBand preset with the limiter OFF. This is a quick and dirty way to balance my track.

4. Finally, I place Toneboosters' Barricade using the "Loud Master" preset and adjust the limiter's gain to taste. (I.E. Not too squashed, but not to quiet either given I'm producing EDM). Then I adjust the output gain of the plugin to about -1dB headroom and turn on "true peak" so the track doesn't become distorted when uploaded to Soundcloud. (Soundcloud is pants in that regard. 🙄)

Situation C - I want to master an EP/Album. Ah, and this is where my "10,000 hours of practice" come into play in regards to PROFESSIONALLY mastering tracks. No quick dirty cheats here, and I MUST use my iPad since the plugins I need are not universal. I usually do all of this in Auria Pro, but any DAW with audio tracks will do. Before the mastering begins, I bounce each individual track unmastered and gather them in AudioShare. Then I drag and drop them into Auria via Files. NOW, onto the mastering....

1. First of all, I use Pro-Q3 on each individual track to both make my cuts at 30Hz and 17kHz using steep filters and to balance the track to a reference track (Lucas & Steve's "Calling On You" being my favourite reference track for the style of EDM that I do).

2. Then I adjust the output gain of the EQ so that the output peaks at around -10dB. After that, I slap on a MagicDeathEye compressor on each track using the same settings I described above in "Situation B".

3. After that, I place a Pro-L2 on the MASTER track (not on each individual track mind!), usually using the "EDM - Transient Xtra" preset under "Loud". I also set Oversampling to 8x and the output to -1dB for that sweet headroom. After I put that in place, I use the faders on the mixer itself and the RMS meter Auria has in order to feed the limiter each track, making sure the RMS doesn't exceed -6dB (which is a pretty tight squeeze).

4. This is where the magic happens. I use fader automation on each individual track in order to bring back some of the dynamics of each individual track! The drops can be limited at full force, but I want my breakdowns and buildups to have a bit more movement and energy rather than having the dear life squeezed out of them. (I also do this on pop tracks where the verses are lower in volume and the choruses are limited at full force.)

5. Before I export the entire EP, I set Pro-L2's oversampling to 32x (which cannot be played back in real time without a ton of stuttering, spitting and sputtering). It takes forever to render, but the final product sounds great.

OKAY, I think I rambled on enough. The compressor I recommend would be MagicDeathEye. The other compressors you have work a treat for individual tracks and busses, but MagicDeathEye is the final glue, the final say-so. I'd also buy BarkFilter for quick and dirty track balancing and Toneboosters' Barricade for the limiting. I hope I didn't confuse you any, and I hope to our god Doug that this helps you out. Cheers mate.

Tarekith

@espiegel123 said:
@rms13 : while producers/mix engineers often use compressors to color the sound, it is (in my opinion) worth learning how to use a non-coloring compressor so that your ears get tuned to what compression does before messing with coloring compressors.

Agreed 100%. Well said.

Personally, Pro-C would be my recommendation if you plan to use it in an AU host.

[Deleted User]

@jwmmakerofmusic said:

@dendy said:
my absolute top is Korvpressor. It's actually only one AUv3 compressor still on my device, deleted all others because i can easily replace them with build-in NS2 compressor, but Korvpressor is just AMAZING. Works like magic, doesn't matter if used on drum bus, arpeggio or on master ... It's build in EQ and limiter and all settings are finetuned the way that you literally in seconds get sound what tou want - perfect combination of UI and sound.

The only issue with Korvpressor is it isn't universal. Then again, @rms13 is producing in BM3, which is not universal either. The built-in NS2 compressor requires NS2 and can't be used in BM3. It wouldn't hurt for @rms13 to switch to NS2 however since it's definitely suited for EDM and Techno.

@BlueGreenSpiral That's a superb interactive guide mate. Even I learned a couple of new things I didn't know before.

@rms13 Mastering involves a lot more than just a compressor on the master track mate. You need an EQ (at least to balance a track), a compressor (which is what you're inquiring about), and a proper limiter (which probably wouldn't be the compressor/limiter in BM3). So what I'm going to do is first explain how I polish a track, and then I'm going to give you my recommendations. Right, let's get on with it.

There are a handful of different mastering chains I use, depending on the situation...

Here's what I do on the iPhone...

Situation A - A mate wants to hear a work-in-progress demo. So in that case, I just use the TripleBand Preset in BarkFilter with BarkFilter's limiter ON. I usually use a stereo gain that I feed into BarkFilter. It really works a treat and leaves plenty of headroom so distortion doesn't happen when converting a track into a compressed format (such as .m4a or .mp3 or uploading to Soundcloud). Sometimes BarkFilter's limiter can make a track sound a bit too squashy however, but when it's a quick WIP demo, it doesn't matter.

Situation B - I want to master an individual track straight from Nanostudio 2 (in your case, BM3). Okay, this is where it becomes slightly more involved. Warning - this isn't necessarily professional mastering per se but rather a bit of a cheat. Works in a pinch however...

1. I place Toneboosters' EQ first given I need the steepest filters. I place a high-pass filter down to about 30Hz in order to shave a little bit of the low-end. "What the fuck Jimmy? Isn't the low-end the most important part of EDM?" Dur! I'm not shaving off the subs. However, a high-pass filter at 30Hz tightens the low-end a bit and frees up headroom (which is very important once you get to compression and limiting!) I also place a low-pass filter at around 17kHz. "Wait a tick. Are you serious?" Right, that doesn't dull the sound. Rather, it staves off aliasing when downsampling a finished track to a compressed format (such as m4a/mp3/etc).

2. After the EQ, I use a stereo gain to reduce the peaks down to around -10dB and place a MagicDeathEye compressor. I use the D1 release setting, medium attack, and get the gain reduction down to about between -3dB and -4dB. It's VERY subtle, but it glues everything flawlessly.

3. Then I place a BarkFilter with the TripleBand preset with the limiter OFF. This is a quick and dirty way to balance my track.

4. Finally, I place Toneboosters' Barricade using the "Loud Master" preset and adjust the limiter's gain to taste. (I.E. Not too squashed, but not to quiet either given I'm producing EDM). Then I adjust the output gain of the plugin to about -1dB headroom and turn on "true peak" so the track doesn't become distorted when uploaded to Soundcloud. (Soundcloud is pants in that regard. 🙄)

Situation C - I want to master an EP/Album. Ah, and this is where my "10,000 hours of practice" come into play in regards to PROFESSIONALLY mastering tracks. No quick dirty cheats here, and I MUST use my iPad since the plugins I need are not universal. I usually do all of this in Auria Pro, but any DAW with audio tracks will do. Before the mastering begins, I bounce each individual track unmastered and gather them in AudioShare. Then I drag and drop them into Auria via Files. NOW, onto the mastering....

1. First of all, I use Pro-Q3 on each individual track to both make my cuts at 30Hz and 17kHz using steep filters and to balance the track to a reference track (Lucas & Steve's "Calling On You" being my favourite reference track for the style of EDM that I do).

2. Then I adjust the output gain of the EQ so that the output peaks at around -10dB. After that, I slap on a MagicDeathEye compressor on each track using the same settings I described above in "Situation B".

3. After that, I place a Pro-L2 on the MASTER track (not on each individual track mind!), usually using the "EDM - Transient Xtra" preset under "Loud". I also set Oversampling to 8x and the output to -1dB for that sweet headroom. After I put that in place, I use the faders on the mixer itself and the RMS meter Auria has in order to feed the limiter each track, making sure the RMS doesn't exceed -6dB (which is a pretty tight squeeze).

4. This is where the magic happens. I use fader automation on each individual track in order to bring back some of the dynamics of each individual track! The drops can be limited at full force, but I want my breakdowns and buildups to have a bit more movement and energy rather than having the dear life squeezed out of them. (I also do this on pop tracks where the verses are lower in volume and the choruses are limited at full force.)

5. Before I export the entire EP, I set Pro-L2's oversampling to 32x (which cannot be played back in real time without a ton of stuttering, spitting and sputtering). It takes forever to render, but the final product sounds great.

OKAY, I think I rambled on enough. The compressor I recommend would be MagicDeathEye. The other compressors you have work a treat for individual tracks and busses, but MagicDeathEye is the final glue, the final say-so. I'd also buy BarkFilter for quick and dirty track balancing and Toneboosters' Barricade for the limiting. I hope I didn't confuse you any, and I hope to our god Doug that this helps you out. Cheers mate.

Thanks for the extremely specific and detailed answer. Helps with software recommendation and workflow.

brambos

I like that so far everyone in this thread has recommended a different app

gusgranite

And I’m going to add another couple! This compressor from @Blue_Mangoo is fascinating. It really does sound very clean. https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/mix-bus-compressor/id1467711076

I also love the @woodman Woodpressor with its side chain cleverness and tube saturation https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/woodpressor/id1410677870

dendy

@brambos said:
I like that so far everyone in this thread has recommended a different app

@jwmmakerofmusic
The only issue with Korvpressor is it isn't universal. Then again, @rms13 is producing in BM3, which is not universal either. The built-in NS2 compressor requires NS2 and can't be used in BM3. It wouldn't hurt for @rms13 to switch to NS2 however since it's definitely suited for EDM and Techno.

yeah, of course, i mentioned it just to illustrate how really great is (at least for me) Korvpressor. I literally love this plugin Especially as master bus compressor for edm and especially especially for techno - it makes perfect pumping effect so needed it those genres ..

Ok to be totally honest i use also FAC Transient on drums, which is in some way compressor too, but not exactly (at least ot plain universal all-purpose compressor)

If i should use different daw than NS2, then i would use together with Korvpressor also DeathMagicEye as totaly transparent clean almost "invisible" compressor - with very nice UI So my go-to duo for other DAWs would be Korvp. + DME . But DME i see more as track / group glue compressor, not mastering compressor for edm/techno - it's too transparend.

richardyot

@dendy in BlueMaggo's testing MagicDeathEye seemed to have quite a bit of aliasing showing up on the spectrogram, however I've listened really carefully for this in my own tracks (I love to use MagicDeathEye on vocals) and I've never been able to hear any actual audible artefacts. But just be aware that while it seems to sound good, it doesn't measure well.

dendy

yeah i saw thst video but like you said - until i don't hear any issues, it doesn't bother me :-)

[Deleted User]

@brambos said:
I like that so far everyone in this thread has recommended a different app

Yes, lots of recommendations on new ways to spend my money ;-) I like the fact that I can buy everyone's suggestions if I want for less money then one vst plug in back when I was using a PC.

Also for the record the stuff being fed into the compressors on my tracks includes a lot of Brambos (I own them all except for Phasemaker and Troublemaker so far) so thanks for your work and contributions to the community.

[Deleted User]

@dendy said:

@brambos said:
I like that so far everyone in this thread has recommended a different app

@jwmmakerofmusic
The only issue with Korvpressor is it isn't universal. Then again, @rms13 is producing in BM3, which is not universal either. The built-in NS2 compressor requires NS2 and can't be used in BM3. It wouldn't hurt for @rms13 to switch to NS2 however since it's definitely suited for EDM and Techno.

yeah, of course, i mentioned it just to illustrate how really great is (at least for me) Korvpressor. I literally love this plugin Especially as master bus compressor for edm and especially especially for techno - it makes perfect pumping effect so needed it those genres ..

Ok to be totally honest i use also FAC Transient on drums, which is in some way compressor too, but not exactly (at least ot plain universal all-purpose compressor)

If i should use different daw than NS2, then i would use together with Korvpressor also DeathMagicEye as totaly transparent clean almost "invisible" compressor - with very nice UI So my go-to duo for other DAWs would be Korvp. + DME . But DME i see more as track / group glue compressor, not mastering compressor for edm/techno - it's too transparend.

The only one I've bought so far based on conversation here is Korvpressor even though most comments here would say that's not the "one" I should get. I'm sure I'll get some more of them but so far I really like how it's making my tracks sound in combination with Pro Q on my master. Unfortunately it seems to crash my BM3 whenever I try to add two instances of Korvpressor because I want to put a separate on my bass track too. But I'll be upgrading my iPad on Black Friday so hopefully those issues will go away because I'm using an Mini 2 with A7 processor right now.

I was looking at NS2 as well and intrigued by it because I've had a very love/hate relationship with BM3 and it's development over the past couple of years but right now a big part of my work flow is making synth loops in Ampify Groovebox and exporting the WAV into BM3 and apparently NS2 has no audio track support right now so switching would involve changing how I'm working right now

jwmmakerofmusic

@rms13 said:

@dendy said:

@brambos said:
I like that so far everyone in this thread has recommended a different app

@jwmmakerofmusic
The only issue with Korvpressor is it isn't universal. Then again, @rms13 is producing in BM3, which is not universal either. The built-in NS2 compressor requires NS2 and can't be used in BM3. It wouldn't hurt for @rms13 to switch to NS2 however since it's definitely suited for EDM and Techno.

yeah, of course, i mentioned it just to illustrate how really great is (at least for me) Korvpressor. I literally love this plugin Especially as master bus compressor for edm and especially especially for techno - it makes perfect pumping effect so needed it those genres ..

Ok to be totally honest i use also FAC Transient on drums, which is in some way compressor too, but not exactly (at least ot plain universal all-purpose compressor)

If i should use different daw than NS2, then i would use together with Korvpressor also DeathMagicEye as totaly transparent clean almost "invisible" compressor - with very nice UI So my go-to duo for other DAWs would be Korvp. + DME . But DME i see more as track / group glue compressor, not mastering compressor for edm/techno - it's too transparend.

The only one I've bought so far based on conversation here is Korvpressor even though most comments here would say that's not the "one" I should get. I'm sure I'll get some more of them but so far I really like how it's making my tracks sound in combination with Pro Q on my master. Unfortunately it seems to crash my BM3 whenever I try to add two instances of Korvpressor because I want to put a separate on my bass track too. But I'll be upgrading my iPad on Black Friday so hopefully those issues will go away because I'm using an Mini 2 with A7 processor right now.

I was looking at NS2 as well and intrigued by it because I've had a very love/hate relationship with BM3 and it's development over the past couple of years but right now a big part of my work flow is making synth loops in Ampify Groovebox and exporting the WAV into BM3 and apparently NS2 has no audio track support right now so switching would involve changing how I'm working right now

Then again, NS2 is iPhone compatible. Also, you can trigger loops via Slate (the drum machine). Just sayin.

BlueGreenSpiral

🌀

[Deleted User]

@jwmmakerofmusic said:

@rms13 said:

@dendy said:

@brambos said:
I like that so far everyone in this thread has recommended a different app

@jwmmakerofmusic
The only issue with Korvpressor is it isn't universal. Then again, @rms13 is producing in BM3, which is not universal either. The built-in NS2 compressor requires NS2 and can't be used in BM3. It wouldn't hurt for @rms13 to switch to NS2 however since it's definitely suited for EDM and Techno.

yeah, of course, i mentioned it just to illustrate how really great is (at least for me) Korvpressor. I literally love this plugin Especially as master bus compressor for edm and especially especially for techno - it makes perfect pumping effect so needed it those genres ..

Ok to be totally honest i use also FAC Transient on drums, which is in some way compressor too, but not exactly (at least ot plain universal all-purpose compressor)

If i should use different daw than NS2, then i would use together with Korvpressor also DeathMagicEye as totaly transparent clean almost "invisible" compressor - with very nice UI So my go-to duo for other DAWs would be Korvp. + DME . But DME i see more as track / group glue compressor, not mastering compressor for edm/techno - it's too transparend.

The only one I've bought so far based on conversation here is Korvpressor even though most comments here would say that's not the "one" I should get. I'm sure I'll get some more of them but so far I really like how it's making my tracks sound in combination with Pro Q on my master. Unfortunately it seems to crash my BM3 whenever I try to add two instances of Korvpressor because I want to put a separate on my bass track too. But I'll be upgrading my iPad on Black Friday so hopefully those issues will go away because I'm using an Mini 2 with A7 processor right now.

I was looking at NS2 as well and intrigued by it because I've had a very love/hate relationship with BM3 and it's development over the past couple of years but right now a big part of my work flow is making synth loops in Ampify Groovebox and exporting the WAV into BM3 and apparently NS2 has no audio track support right now so switching would involve changing how I'm working right now

Then again, NS2 is iPhone compatible. Also, you can trigger loops via Slate (the drum machine). Just sayin.

Thanks. I'm a very visual lego blocks type of producer so I like to see my 8 or 16 bars of each thing laid out on a time line. Even when I am using Midi in BM3 I usually record it to an audio loop in my timeline. I'm sure I could work around it loading samples in NS2 but I'll wait for them to do some real audio implementation. Another major part of my workflow is Ruismaker Noir and for some reason I prefer using the internal sequencer on that and recording the loop instead of sequencing the midi in my DAW even though I know I could do that as an option

jwmmakerofmusic

@rms13 said:

@jwmmakerofmusic said:

@rms13 said:

@dendy said:

@brambos said:
I like that so far everyone in this thread has recommended a different app

@jwmmakerofmusic
The only issue with Korvpressor is it isn't universal. Then again, @rms13 is producing in BM3, which is not universal either. The built-in NS2 compressor requires NS2 and can't be used in BM3. It wouldn't hurt for @rms13 to switch to NS2 however since it's definitely suited for EDM and Techno.

yeah, of course, i mentioned it just to illustrate how really great is (at least for me) Korvpressor. I literally love this plugin Especially as master bus compressor for edm and especially especially for techno - it makes perfect pumping effect so needed it those genres ..

Ok to be totally honest i use also FAC Transient on drums, which is in some way compressor too, but not exactly (at least ot plain universal all-purpose compressor)

If i should use different daw than NS2, then i would use together with Korvpressor also DeathMagicEye as totaly transparent clean almost "invisible" compressor - with very nice UI So my go-to duo for other DAWs would be Korvp. + DME . But DME i see more as track / group glue compressor, not mastering compressor for edm/techno - it's too transparend.

The only one I've bought so far based on conversation here is Korvpressor even though most comments here would say that's not the "one" I should get. I'm sure I'll get some more of them but so far I really like how it's making my tracks sound in combination with Pro Q on my master. Unfortunately it seems to crash my BM3 whenever I try to add two instances of Korvpressor because I want to put a separate on my bass track too. But I'll be upgrading my iPad on Black Friday so hopefully those issues will go away because I'm using an Mini 2 with A7 processor right now.

I was looking at NS2 as well and intrigued by it because I've had a very love/hate relationship with BM3 and it's development over the past couple of years but right now a big part of my work flow is making synth loops in Ampify Groovebox and exporting the WAV into BM3 and apparently NS2 has no audio track support right now so switching would involve changing how I'm working right now

Then again, NS2 is iPhone compatible. Also, you can trigger loops via Slate (the drum machine). Just sayin.

Thanks. I'm a very visual lego blocks type of producer so I like to see my 8 or 16 bars of each thing laid out on a time line. Even when I am using Midi in BM3 I usually record it to an audio loop in my timeline. I'm sure I could work around it loading samples in NS2 but I'll wait for them to do some real audio implementation. Another major part of my workflow is Ruismaker Noir and for some reason I prefer using the internal sequencer on that and recording the loop instead of sequencing the midi in my DAW even though I know I could do that as an option

That's a pretty interesting workflow, but it does take up less processing power. Say, not to go off topic, but do you have any tracks posted on SoundCloud?

[Deleted User]

@jwmmakerofmusic said:

@rms13 said:

@jwmmakerofmusic said:

@rms13 said:

@dendy said:

@brambos said:
I like that so far everyone in this thread has recommended a different app

@jwmmakerofmusic
The only issue with Korvpressor is it isn't universal. Then again, @rms13 is producing in BM3, which is not universal either. The built-in NS2 compressor requires NS2 and can't be used in BM3. It wouldn't hurt for @rms13 to switch to NS2 however since it's definitely suited for EDM and Techno.

yeah, of course, i mentioned it just to illustrate how really great is (at least for me) Korvpressor. I literally love this plugin Especially as master bus compressor for edm and especially especially for techno - it makes perfect pumping effect so needed it those genres ..

Ok to be totally honest i use also FAC Transient on drums, which is in some way compressor too, but not exactly (at least ot plain universal all-purpose compressor)

If i should use different daw than NS2, then i would use together with Korvpressor also DeathMagicEye as totaly transparent clean almost "invisible" compressor - with very nice UI So my go-to duo for other DAWs would be Korvp. + DME . But DME i see more as track / group glue compressor, not mastering compressor for edm/techno - it's too transparend.

The only one I've bought so far based on conversation here is Korvpressor even though most comments here would say that's not the "one" I should get. I'm sure I'll get some more of them but so far I really like how it's making my tracks sound in combination with Pro Q on my master. Unfortunately it seems to crash my BM3 whenever I try to add two instances of Korvpressor because I want to put a separate on my bass track too. But I'll be upgrading my iPad on Black Friday so hopefully those issues will go away because I'm using an Mini 2 with A7 processor right now.

I was looking at NS2 as well and intrigued by it because I've had a very love/hate relationship with BM3 and it's development over the past couple of years but right now a big part of my work flow is making synth loops in Ampify Groovebox and exporting the WAV into BM3 and apparently NS2 has no audio track support right now so switching would involve changing how I'm working right now

Then again, NS2 is iPhone compatible. Also, you can trigger loops via Slate (the drum machine). Just sayin.

Thanks. I'm a very visual lego blocks type of producer so I like to see my 8 or 16 bars of each thing laid out on a time line. Even when I am using Midi in BM3 I usually record it to an audio loop in my timeline. I'm sure I could work around it loading samples in NS2 but I'll wait for them to do some real audio implementation. Another major part of my workflow is Ruismaker Noir and for some reason I prefer using the internal sequencer on that and recording the loop instead of sequencing the midi in my DAW even though I know I could do that as an option

That's a pretty interesting workflow, but it does take up less processing power. Say, not to go off topic, but do you have any tracks posted on SoundCloud?

No, nothing online right now. I had some tracks on Soundcloud and Bandcamp a couple of years ago but took them all down because I wasn't happy with anything. I played bass/guitar for a long time but just got into electronic music and production 3-4 years ago and I'm still very much learning. I posted some tracks back then because I just thought it was cool that I could easily put stuff online these days. My tastes in electronic stuff have changed a lot since I started so I'm mostly focused on learning how to create stuff I like to listen to now and I'll eventually post some stuff when I'm happy with it.

But....you convinced me to buy NS2 today so now I'm starting over and rethinking what I'm doing. I have a bad app addiction like most here so I didn't take much convincing. But after playing with it for a couple of hours today it blows BM3 out of the water despite lack of audio support right now. It feels much more like desktop DAW that I've used. The mixer routing makes much more sense to me, it seems very stable and I seem to be able to load many more instruments and plug ins without crashing or crackling audio (as in I haven't experience that at all) and the interface is much snappier. Just scrolling and zooming the timeline in BM3 was becoming a chore and in NS2 it's very smooth and responsive. I'm even questioning whether I really need to upgrade my iPad which I've been planning to do on Black Friday ;-)

MonkeyDrummer

My $.02... For Techno (proper techno... not edm or house...) you should really think of the compressor as another instrument that’s just as important as the synths and drum machines... In that context, I love RoughRider2 because it so playable and you can discover some awesome hidden grooves in pretty much anything you loop through it...

jwmmakerofmusic

@rms13 said:

@jwmmakerofmusic said:

@rms13 said:

@jwmmakerofmusic said:

@rms13 said:

@dendy said:

@brambos said:
I like that so far everyone in this thread has recommended a different app

@jwmmakerofmusic
The only issue with Korvpressor is it isn't universal. Then again, @rms13 is producing in BM3, which is not universal either. The built-in NS2 compressor requires NS2 and can't be used in BM3. It wouldn't hurt for @rms13 to switch to NS2 however since it's definitely suited for EDM and Techno.

yeah, of course, i mentioned it just to illustrate how really great is (at least for me) Korvpressor. I literally love this plugin Especially as master bus compressor for edm and especially especially for techno - it makes perfect pumping effect so needed it those genres ..

Ok to be totally honest i use also FAC Transient on drums, which is in some way compressor too, but not exactly (at least ot plain universal all-purpose compressor)

If i should use different daw than NS2, then i would use together with Korvpressor also DeathMagicEye as totaly transparent clean almost "invisible" compressor - with very nice UI So my go-to duo for other DAWs would be Korvp. + DME . But DME i see more as track / group glue compressor, not mastering compressor for edm/techno - it's too transparend.

The only one I've bought so far based on conversation here is Korvpressor even though most comments here would say that's not the "one" I should get. I'm sure I'll get some more of them but so far I really like how it's making my tracks sound in combination with Pro Q on my master. Unfortunately it seems to crash my BM3 whenever I try to add two instances of Korvpressor because I want to put a separate on my bass track too. But I'll be upgrading my iPad on Black Friday so hopefully those issues will go away because I'm using an Mini 2 with A7 processor right now.

I was looking at NS2 as well and intrigued by it because I've had a very love/hate relationship with BM3 and it's development over the past couple of years but right now a big part of my work flow is making synth loops in Ampify Groovebox and exporting the WAV into BM3 and apparently NS2 has no audio track support right now so switching would involve changing how I'm working right now

Then again, NS2 is iPhone compatible. Also, you can trigger loops via Slate (the drum machine). Just sayin.

Thanks. I'm a very visual lego blocks type of producer so I like to see my 8 or 16 bars of each thing laid out on a time line. Even when I am using Midi in BM3 I usually record it to an audio loop in my timeline. I'm sure I could work around it loading samples in NS2 but I'll wait for them to do some real audio implementation. Another major part of my workflow is Ruismaker Noir and for some reason I prefer using the internal sequencer on that and recording the loop instead of sequencing the midi in my DAW even though I know I could do that as an option

That's a pretty interesting workflow, but it does take up less processing power. Say, not to go off topic, but do you have any tracks posted on SoundCloud?

No, nothing online right now. I had some tracks on Soundcloud and Bandcamp a couple of years ago but took them all down because I wasn't happy with anything. I played bass/guitar for a long time but just got into electronic music and production 3-4 years ago and I'm still very much learning. I posted some tracks back then because I just thought it was cool that I could easily put stuff online these days. My tastes in electronic stuff have changed a lot since I started so I'm mostly focused on learning how to create stuff I like to listen to now and I'll eventually post some stuff when I'm happy with it.

But....you convinced me to buy NS2 today so now I'm starting over and rethinking what I'm doing. I have a bad app addiction like most here so I didn't take much convincing. But after playing with it for a couple of hours today it blows BM3 out of the water despite lack of audio support right now. It feels much more like desktop DAW that I've used. The mixer routing makes much more sense to me, it seems very stable and I seem to be able to load many more instruments and plug ins without crashing or crackling audio (as in I haven't experience that at all) and the interface is much snappier. Just scrolling and zooming the timeline in BM3 was becoming a chore and in NS2 it's very smooth and responsive. I'm even questioning whether I really need to upgrade my iPad which I've been planning to do on Black Friday ;-)

You want my honest answer about the iPad upgrade? Unless the battery is dying in the iPad, you don't really need to replace it mate. NS2 functions ripper on devices that support iOS 11 or later. It has better built in effects than BM3. @dendy wasn't joshing about that built-in compressor, was he mate?

NS2 reminds me of FL Studio in so many respects, especially the version of FL Studio before audio clips were added. And one could get totally lost in NS2's Obsidian (the built-in synthesizer). I've produced more tracks in NS2 than even in Gadget (which was what I used prior to Gadget 2 which mucked up the experience for me, lol).

SO, what kinds of tracks do you like listening to? Can you post a couple of Youtube examples?

Blue_Mangoo

@rms13 I did a video several months ago in which I measured distortion levels for almost all iOS compressors. The link is here:

We made that video because there are many compressors on the App Store and ours has the lowest harmonic distortion so we wanted to demonstrate that. Of course, there are many other ways of evaluating compressors and a little gentle distortion often warms up the sound in a pleasing way. However, when people talk about putting a compressor on a mix bus as opposed to an individual track, it's customary to look for the cleanest compressor possible.

Our Mix Bus Compressor:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mix-bus-compressor/id1467711076