5 Minutes To A Better Mix: Mix Bus Compression - TheRecordingRevolution.com

[@Yong.J]

Easy to understand than any other explanation on the web about meaning of 'Bus compression', 'Glue' and 'Gel'. Much appreciate it.

[@jinxypoes1]

this is the first video i ever saw in making 25 years of music and mixing and watching techniques, if you set a compression on the master before it's all done you will never get the right balance because your compressor will react in the wrong way and will influence your sound in the mixing process

[@ProdbyStardust]

Miss you Graham 🙏🏽 As I am now as Born Again Christian I appreciate this music too.

[@statikaos1]

These five minutes to a better mix series are perfect! Great idea! Great Help!

[@shahriaralavi4904]

One of the best demonstration of mixbuss compression, thank you.

[@recordingrevolution]

@HelgeTaksdal Not disinformation at all. Granted mix bus compression is subjective and genre dependent, but this is very much accepted (and smart) in the audio world. The key isn't to do heavy compression. I make this clear in the video when I even dial it back at the end. It's only catching some of the peaks and compressing just a hair. Nothing earth shattering here.

[@bamlive79]

I would only do this right near the end of a mix to hear (approximately) what mastering may do to the mix and then drop it before final bounce or maybe use it just a touch (but definitely not that compressor). Sony Oxford Limiter is pretty good for what I am suggesting. All other vids in this series have been Awesome! Keep it up man! It's cool that you are using mostly free plugins for the average user. It's nice to watch a well put together thing and to get a some confirmation about what I do.

[@Dmyra]

Master buss compression can be cool, but i agree with HelgeTaksdal, that being able to a/b, with a similar relative gain, is important for "hearing" how the mix is being affected, musically. Great videos, has a nice clear voice.

[@rickaroberts]

Thanks, Graham for sharing this enlightening series. Seeing and hearing really helps. And reading the worst of the comments reminds me why few are willing to put themselves out there. Reading the best comments reminds me there are many approaches and opinions - and that is an education too. Thanks, for what you do! Great stuff!

[@MaximumFeedback]

keep doing your thing grant your information is very applicable if used correctly by your audience Mixing isn't a drastic process its the collection of subtle changes realized and brought the concept of dynamics is not a comprehensive lesson but one of relationship and im reading comments who have not done the work day and night and don't understand because they are looking for handouts not quality tips

[@meomarte]

Fantabulous videos man! Thanks for doing these. I understand the master compression also helps in distributing the compression load, ie If one has a single tight compressor on a given track, it sounds squashed. Put three mild ones in a row, and you´ll get more transparent compression. This way (in theory) you can take one compressor off of each track by putting one on the master bus, saving some CPU.

[@JaMal-ps1zh]

Super helpful tutorial Graham, thanks very much for that. I am getting a lot of distortion with my mix and I need to head over and try out this gain staging concept. Thanks again.

[@dkyx]

@recordingrevolution I agree with putting a master compressor and "working into it". The problem I have with your method recordingrevolution is that you're using just a raw compressor. On quiet passages/without high-energy signals the compressor will instantly make your mix sound different, no matter how subtle the settings. Read next post.

[@youngcstylz]

neva tried that before after watchn these tips tried it out and made quality sound a lot better!

[@recordingrevolution]

@AmpsforBuddha Don't remember what settings I used, but in general start with a mild attack and release (i.e. in the middle). You don't want to slam the transients with a fast attack, just squeeze things a bit.

[@mbot48]

Thanks Gram, you have one of thee best tutorials on youtube. I actually apply what I learn from your videos with good results. I'm sure a lot of people produce electronic music do you think you can do a mix tutorial that geared toward an EDM track or hip hop track?

[@JimijaymesProductions]

Mix buss compression is different to hard limiting it glues the mix together more then adds volume just makes it more cohesive and sound together. To control level you put on each track but if you mix with a 2 bus compressor then you won't add as much on each channel and it will sound smoother. It is different for each mix especially with different genres but it is nice.

[@nktxr]

Thanks for that Graham, will be using this on my current project to see if there's much of a difference!

[@jamlimited3]

Youre forgetting that using this on the masterbus is one of his FIRST STEPS in mixing. After all the EQing and all the other slick mixing, those dynamics not only reappear BETTER but the mix sounds BETTER and more together all the while full of dynamics. To shy away from using this technique is like shying away from using EQ in your mixing stage because you know it will be used in the master stage. Dont let music become a religion of legalism when its truly a kingdom of purpose.

[@recordingrevolution]

@soundslykmusic Nope. You want to keep the compressor on. This is part of the mix's sound. It's not compressing very much though, not like a limiter.

[@MaximumFeedback]

grant is very correct it is genre dependent and regionally specific you cannot if you don't have the proper environment mix in the box with out buss compression how ever you can remove the bus compression and then back off of the fader a bit to ensure your staging is accurate buss compression is for reference mixes not to be sent to mastering but to reference then make adjustments

[@TwoThreadsAhead]

I have to agree with you, I personally mix on the fly and generally like to end up with my master channel peaking around -3db, I'd then compress to use up the head room and get everything sounding level/balanced.

[@MaximumFeedback]

As a veteran mix engineer, producer and Professional Songwriter buss compression is highly recommended when you are mixing in the box be cause the Hardware gain structure is not accurate when your not monitoring all of your systems resources there are things in the digital realm that are not revealed to those who don't seek and before there was a transient shaper there were compressors

[@arnabshahriar]

It works like charm.. I also use it on the Drums Bus Track and sometimes that's all it takes to bring enough attack, punch & body out of a mixed acoustic drum's sound in the mix ...!

[@ReillyWestOfTFP]

aha! this is one of the best tutorial videos ive seen yet!

[@jrhager84]

@recordingrevolution Couldn't agree more. I love throwing the SSL Strip on the mix bus with *light* compression to get it to 'gel' like tape does IMO.

[@recordingrevolution]

@foreverGraceby Not at all. Compression is used all the time in the mixing phase, especially on the master fader.

[@dkyx]

@recordingrevolution You should always sidechain your mix with an EQ'd copy of itself (low freq range pulled down plus maybe a dip at 2k ish). This way the comp will not react to quiet passages or muted (kick)drums etc. as much. The single compressor will work much more uniformly throughout.

[@chrisjennings5731]

YOU explained that so well Graham. Thanks bro.

[@datapenguin]

Definitely, just putting on there makes it sound better.

[@i2sharr]

Omg! This song! I needed this on this moment :) God is awesome. I feel so much love through this song. Besided that, I love your work, your tutorials, it helps a lot!

[@adam872]

I recently did a couple of mixes where I was happy with the balance and overall tone of the songs, but they just lacked a bit of punch and a smidge of volume in comparison to reference material I had. In headphones and on my monitors it sounded nice enough, but on my two stereo systems (both pretty high quality) the punch wasn't quite there. I've always been very, very sparing in the use of mix bus compression because I don't want to squeeze the life out of the song and perpetuate the loudness war, but I have say that adding a subtle amount compression on the main stereo bus was exactly what the songs needed. Everything sounded a little bit fatter and the level more comparable with commercial mixes. If I were releasing this stuff I'd leave to a mastering engineer or at least print two mixes for them to choose from (with and without bus compression). I should add that I was pretty sparing in my use, the threshold was fairly high, the ratio only about 1:1.5 and the make up gain only a couple of db. I didn't want to oversaturate the signal and push it into ugly digital distortion.

[@benhall2235]

If you ever have the chance try running the master through a reel to reel tape for lovely tape saturation

[@keepcalmheadbang7114]

For a mix buss compressor give variety of sound density mkiii a shot. It's free and it's absolutely amazing for what it does.

[@sebachirinos]

That snare is fantastic!! Coud you post a sample of it? THANKS!

[@dkyx]

@jrhager84 Wrong, bro ;) Parallel compression is having two signals, one compressed/processed, one dry, and blending the two together. My method, sidechaining the mix with an EQ'd "copy" of itself doesn't allow you to blend both signals. The EQ acts purely as a frequency based gate, affecting the compression on those selected regions. Cutting the low frequency region in the EQ will make the buscompressor react only to signals above that region, keeping bassy sounds transparent.

[@gclef101]

Thanks that was very informative. I will try this technique.

[@jrhager84]

@dkyx This technique is more commonly used when people use bus compression, and bounce to stems. You bounce a 2 track, you key input on the compressor to the output of the 2 track. Then you mute the actual stereo track, so you get the *feel* from each of the tracks separately, while retaining the 'vibe' of the bus compressor when asembled. Especially if it's on outboard gear that you don't have with you when stem mixing... Watch the needle... ;-)

[@jrhager84]

@dkyx Parallel means "Side by side"... If you have 2 channels playing the "same" content, it's a parallel signal.

[@ACKEBRACKE]

im a house lover but this track really got to me. nice track

[@mikeroach7478]

You love houses? ME TOO!! I agree though, this Christian song speaks to my heart.

[@remiband]

I've always worked with Compression of the mix bus. But let's say you get this rendered and then you go for mastering, let's say you do it yourself. Would you add another compressor on the mastering stage or the mix bus one is enough? Apart from limiters etc etc

[@jonatasnascimento6600]

Hi, I really like your video. I want to know if this session can be made available for study? Thank you in advance. If there is no impediment, I would study the mixture in this session.

[@benhall2235]

Controversial tip! i do it too but you have to know what you are doing with the compressor and really understand how they work. You need to be sparing with this technique for a nice hug/gel

[@byouno93]

I do the same thing on my mixes. I do at most 1.5 dB of GR but it really gels with the compressor on.

[@myheadface]

Actually this technique is very common, check out the article's in SOS or HSC on "Mix bus compression". Pretty sure it's where he got it from.

[@ApakukiNayacakalou]

Quick question, any pros or cons for using a multi compressor instead?

[@bobhowyousay]

But , didn't you put it on the aux bus (Submix)? Putting it on the Master Fader defeats it as the compressor is "post".

[@IFY0USEEKAY]

Great vids, man! Unfortunately my 'net computer is playin' through crap speakers so I can't always hear the things on the vids clearly enough to distinguish. My Tools comp. has the nice speakers so I hafta try them out on that to hear the difference. Sure, I can't use ALL of your tips, however I DO try them to see if they work for me. This one works well for me! As you state over and over each song/genre/personal taste is different. Lotta angry people here, huh? For an instructional vid?? peace

[@wado1942]

4dB of gain reduction is not what I would call subtle for a buss compressor. It's also really hard to get it consistent from one mix to another as well. While yes, it's somewhat common, it's not for beginners and is in fact a quick way to make mixing harder. 90% of the time when I'm mastering buss-compressed mixes, I have to try and undo (nearly impossible) the compression because it's done poorly. Also, raising levels shouldn't be of concern in mixing, even -30dB RMS is fine!

[@Hamachingo]

@hotboy2093 It's a great way to start before even doing any mixing. Typically, I would dial the main bus compression down as the mix progresses and put bus compressors on things like the downbeat bus (I like to put the kick, snare and bass there), rhythm section and melody section. At the very end of mixing I'd bypass the main bus compressor, it should sound even better because you've put the glue where it needs to be and not on everything. Let the mastering guys figure out the master compressor

[@RigorMortisBR]

Hello,i'm a music productor here in Brasil and I realy think that it's a very good idea to do in the mastering stage to do...but in a mix,were the idea is exactly opposite this (correct dinamics in each separate tracks)...this way of work may mask the real dinamics,and turn the work more difficult....

[@soundslykmusic]

so the compressor is on the master bus for mixing, but you would take it off before sending to mastering, correct?

[@markkessels]

Graham when you export your mixes for mastering, do you bypass the master fader compressor? Or do you leave it on?

[@Lethargy01]

@recordingrevolution Cool, thanks! I've used PT as a recorder/mixer for over a decade now, but always on setups where everything was routed out and mixed externally, so never really paid too much attention to the PT mixer itself until more recently. Learn something new everyday! :)

[@dkyx]

@jrhager84 Yeah watch the needle, so you can see THE DIFFERENCE in the response between high energy and low energy material and how the compressor RESPONDS with an EQ filter sidechained. I had no choice but to boil it down to "simple" and perhaps SEEING the VU/needle response would make you understand. Subtle settings or CRAZY settings isn't what matters, the point is the response. That's why you wanna slope off the lows so the ONE COMPRESSOR doesn't react drastically to the bass frequency.

[@RonaldJacksoneverythingmanband]

Good teaching vids and you kept my attention. Compressing and leveling to me a must in removing noise and such. I want to do vids to help mixers and bands mixing... Subscribed in case I change to protools I dont think I will but incase the interface looks different excellent sound on this interface. I think . Peace bro..

[@emmanuelmanny3272]

I've noticed you clicked bypass during the track, what does bypass do? Is it the timing when the compression effect takes place when you click it during the playback?

[@NacreousMusic]

Bypass means the plug-in is essentially ignored (bypass)- it is equivalent to muting :)

[@kgrayson655]

Emmanuel Manny just so you can compare the effect before and after

[@TwoThreadsAhead]

Because to err is human, and humility and reason make people want to better themselves. I don't know about you but I'd rather someone mock and correct me than them say nothing and allow me to assume what I know is solid.

[@PsychoStueyHappyKittens]

It's "Find Rest" by Annie Lawrence (I found it on graham's personal website, under samples (his name dot com).

[@siriusfun]

Depends what your end goal is. The Neve 33609, API 2500, VSC-2 and Fairchild 670 all bring different nuances/colour.

[@recordingrevolution]

@Lethargy01 There's a very specific reason why I do this. Check out my video on master faders in Pro Tools.

[@honestbread8558]

great work- how much you charge to mix a 1 track ????

[@0tto777]

@hotboy2093 As long as you know what you're doing and aren't driving volumes and stuff too much because of the compressor it's helpful but if your still at the amateur stage you may not want to do this until you feel comfortable

[@dkyx]

@jrhager84 You're not gelling things together like tape that way. Unless you have the same energy throughout your entire track. If you have parts without drums or bass/synths (I assume you do or it would be a very boring track) the compressor will react differently on these parts. Watch the needle. Now try my method and watch the needle again.

[@lengotin]

no effects on the master channel for me, thank you very much

[@AndreasvanHaren]

Do these rules also work when working with classical music that doesn't have a constant volume level?

[@CLYBS]

Hi, If I'm using Ozone for mastering, how does it fit in this scenario? Does Ozone come after the compressor or Ozone first then compressor? Or just use the compressor in Ozone and no need for a compressor bus?

[@jrhager84]

@dkyx If you have one being compressed from a keyed EQ, it's *still* parallel compression. It's being compressed *alongside* the original signal. If it's not letting any of the original signal in, it's pointless to have a 'copy'.... Sorry 'bro' ;-) Ever heard of a multi-band?

[@ergitfortuna1885]

mixbus eshte shume i mire

[@NRezni]

Any tips on attack and release? Apologies if it has been answered below..

[@GroveEndRoad]

Bypass stops the plug - in form working. He's using it here so you can hear the changes. The compressor in not effecting any thing when he pushed bypass.

[@13thAMG]

Being an old school analogue dog, this isn't an unusual technique. Not everything that gets recorded is sent to a Mastering engineer (speaking mostly of home recording enthusiasts, non-professionals and 'church' types who are just disseminating their sermons/concerts etc.) So for them it can be handy. That said, not every mastering engineer is going to blow his stack at you for doing it. Thanks for the video. (Ok, so I wasn't much into the song choice, being an Atheist, but hey, ya get that. Ha ha ha.) Rock on!

[@GuernB2]

The SSL Stereo Bus Compressor is the way to go

[@cutthroughrecordings]

Density MKIII is an excellent free bus compressor

[@thodin87]

Hey, great videos! What is the band behind this music? Can i get this song somewhere?

[@AngryMan410]

Learned it thanks so much!!!

[@Lethargy01]

Just curious, is there any reasoning to sending your entire mix to a bus, and then sending that bus to the master fader bus? It seems like an unnecessary step considering the master fader is already your default 1 and 2 out... unless I'm missing something here? Just curious.

[@jubjub905]

Hi everybody I was hoping I might be able to get some help on what is probably a very simple issue. I've been practicing mixing with some stems I get online and my first one I ever did worked out fine with my signal routing, drums all had a bus, guitars, vocals, mix bus, then a master fader. Ok worked fine. Tried to do my next one, I route my drums to stereo 1-2, guitars to 3-4, etc... then all to my mix bus and output that to my output and have my master fader as well. However no sound, no signal even makes the buses meters bounce. I go back and look at my old project to see if I forgot something, nope I did it the same way. The only thing that was different was that the first time under the bus menu when I highlighted it I was given the whole list of buses. On this mix i highlight it and I have a choice of menu a or b. A has all my busses while b has stereo instrument. I believe b appeared from an earlier recording when I tried to find a way to route superior drummer to different tracks but I don't even know how it appeared. I just want signal to show. Anybody have any ideas? Im working with PT11 btw

[@GroveEndRoad]

Sounds like your master fader needs to know what sound card or interface you are using, Just go to your master and use the drop down box. It's very easy

[@jubjub905]

it was something so brain dead stupid actually, I accidentally made all my buses audio tracks as opposed to aux tracks

[@GroveEndRoad]

I think every one has done some thing like that

[@ACKEBRACKE]

jubjub f did it to once. got so mad, and even mader when i discovered my mistake..

[@GroveEndRoad]

Should be easy. Make sure your master is listed at what interface you are using. Than make sure all your buses are listed to the master

[@AmpsforBuddha]

What are your Attack and Release settings? I'm working with Logic, what would be your suggestions?

[@aliceislostofficial]

I'd use WAAAY slower attack and release, something like 50ms and 300ms and only 1.5-2dB gain reduction on the master. This way you let the transients through (punch!) but you can control the overall volume of mix. With quicker attack, you're just basically peak limiting. But to each their own.

[@FBS88italy]

Wait a minute. But if you do that on the Master Fader, than all the plug-ins you'll use on the single tracks will run before this one.. or not? Btw, this is helpful, thank you very much!

[@felixdandrea8553]

Of course yeah 1:03

[@darkstar941]

Is there a good order of which effects you use when you are mixing?

[@Mickimmusic]

Shazam tells me the song in this session is: "Find rest" from Annie Lawrence, but where can I find it ? Seems it's neither on youTube nor Spotify.

[@RoccLefty]

love this page

[@cubdukat]

What would you recommend as a decent free compressor for the master buss? I was using Compressive, but the company that made it seems to have gone out of business. I was thinking something like Density or one of the Antress plugins.

[@EL34tube]

Hi! Why you have a "Submix" and a "Submaster", Aux and master Track in the session?

[@darylninetofive1736]

What's the song title?

[@magicalmusicman6567]

This didn't work for me at all. I did it exactly as you said with 3-6 dB of gain reduction and it just made my track clip after exporting it. I usually just use a Maxim limiter and that works to get rid of distortion (but some iphone speakers still distort when turned up). I feel like my mixes are okay but I want them to be stunning. I've also heard you're not supposed to put compression on the Master but you are when mastering. What's that about? Any advice? Is there something I may be doing wrong? Any plug-ins I should know about? (btw I use Pro Tools 12)

[@rengorevaly]

very detailed vid,very helpful thanks man

[@SC86Canada]

I use Cubase 8, I'm wondering if I am supposed to import my recordings in Mono or in Stereo?

[@Jimbo386000]

I always run my instruments through a bus (grouped by what they are. I.e. percussion, melody, background, etc) and compress those, but I don't like to compress the master. It makes your levels all out of whack in my opinion. If it helps you though, you should do it. Personally, I could never balance a track with a compressor on the master before I go to master it as a whole.

[@jrhager84]

@dkyx A couple of points for you to chew on: 1. If you were worried about the bass getting squashed, you could multiband it.. Instead of doing some ridiculous pseudo sidechain where the key is the actual channel. Just seems weird. 2. Parallel doesn't mean 2 to 'blend' in the technical sense. It's the mix (however static) of two signals. If you have a bass signal that's untouched by the comp, and a comp'd signal, it's a PARALLEL SIGNAL! 3. You mix with your ears, not your eyes... ;-)

[@aaronhoyt1995]

Graham i am probably wrong but is that kari jobe?

[@soulboy1968]

I really don';t get this concept of putting some light compression on all your tracks before your start compressing and EQing many of them individuially, do you do it pre effect, what about drum/ busses, verb buses. Jesus I spend so much time reading different peoples opnions on mixing that I barely make any music, then (as I do normally) using the NY technique on the drum bus (or folder in Reaper) which really works on getting a great drum mix. Then it eventually goes to the master and gets compressed yet again and then it goes through a mastering EQ and then gets compressed again with your mastering comp and then it gets compressed again when it goes through a limiter. And I use a limiter as lets face it, most people are trying to get the thing to sound good on Soundcloud and that means unfortunately loud. As for mastering....I mean high pass filter on all tracks, yep, that crazy panning thing??? It will end up sounding like thiose ridiculous early Beatles CD's where it was like having a different band in each ear.

[@maccanizales7805]

+Andy Hinton the Master buss compression works as a glue it gives you an idea how the final mix would sound and again it makes sounds everything glued it doesn't matter if you do the ny comp or not it just does something different bc your shaping the transients of the whole mix not instrument by instrument thats why you don't want to much compression on it so you won't kill the dynamics of the mix

[@shiningstarrecords2849]

I still dont see how shaping the transients before you actually eq, and compress your individual tracks is more beneficial than properly Eqing and compressing as you gain stage and mix as you go (which is the fastest way to work because people dont have time to not mix as they go anymore.) I always add compression or limiting after when I master and after all the processing of each individual channel. It can add a weird tone and frequency too and the character of the compressor as well which might not be good for the track in the long run. Anyway I think this tutorial is backwards and agree with @andy hinton. Add the compressor last to rope in any stray transients and last compression/EQ issues with as little processing as you can and you know how the mix actually sounds versus overcompensating in the beginning and constantly adjusting your compression/EQ on the master bus. I am just saying its a waste of time to do it first.

[@SouBieT]

Where would you recommend i put this in the master chain?

[@noahmusicnz]

Try it after your EQ

[@chabbb]

Ok, interesting but you forgot to talk about a BIG problem in this worflow. You can not hear the compressor When you solo the AUX track containing the compressor plug, it mute all the sources tracks. So you hear nothing. You Can not hear your compressor track Alone. The only way to hear Only this compressor track is to send all these sources tracks by Sends, set all the sources tracks in Pré and shut down their faders. Then you hear only the compressor. Easy to do with one or two sources tracks, BUT when you have multiples tracks or multiples sub-groups sending sounds to a Compression bus, you have to set ALL these sources track and/or sub-groups in Pré and shut down ALL their faders. LABORIUS, LONG, and source of error. And if you do that you lost all the proportions of the Post sends slaved to the sources faders. Because all these sources tracks are in Pré, they are not slaved anymore to their fader position, so the sound you hear in the compressor bus is wrong, it doen't respect the proportion of sends that you had set before the "Pré" action. So the sound of the compression is WRONG. And when you have made automation on the volume of these sources tracks, setting them in Pré make you lost all the mix of the send flow to this compressor.

[@eyadhaddad]

do you take the compression out when you send the final mix to the mastering stage ??

[@ootoobings]

Adding 2 mix compression is a great technique but it should be done AFTER the engineer has mixed the individual tracks! Putting it on first is like putting gravy on the Thanksgiving turkey before you've even cooked it in the oven.

[@MairyHuffinMan]

Cool video!

[@hydralisk18]

Im diggin that song

[@DaisyOpals]

I was taught to heavily to have a good mix before the compressor..

[@milmar_echoes]

Yes i agree. It has a simple reason: u will do lots of things that change ur overall spl in the masterbus therefore ur compressor will behave not at all as u set it up at your starting point. Against this Graham would probably say, yes but if u keep ur master -10 it will do more or less the same. Personally i wouldn t do it because of sonic changements i just don t wanne hear overall compression all the time. When i mix on my master is only measurment things like ozone insight or similar. After having a good sounding mix with some headroom for a mastering engineer i would give it to him to "glue" it if necessary.