5 Vocal Compression Rules

[@NSVNBeats]

THINK OF IT LIKE THIS. Threshold - The volume at which your mom tells you to cut down your music Ratio - The amount you cut down your music when she tells you to (the threshold) Attack - How FAST you cut it down when she tells you to (the threshold) Release - How quickly you cut the music back up when she leaves the room

[@mlady4783]

@NSVN I see you're a student of wayne.wav, I am too and i'm gonna give him his credit, Shout out to wavy wayne💃🏾😘!!!

[@Jayztunning]

This

[@inventorofswag4017]

Your mom

[@marymoon96]

That's brilliant! lol And that's my teenage son!

[@prodbyyasuke1754]

@@inventorofswag4017 lol

[@riveratley]

Wow! No one has ever explained release to me that way! Thank you so much!

[@jwalters8498]

This is absolutely the best explanation of release time. I have been struggling with compression and this have me such an ah ha! Moment. Thank you!!!

[@dwaynekendrick_]

Just wanted to say thank you. You save people so much time and money and I am one of them.

[@connollytunes]

I love how you do what you do. You're my kind of engineer!

[@nihaomao3063]

I think of all the videos I've watched about compression (especially for vocals), this video was probably the simplest and clearest explanation. Thank you for your content, seriously.

[@misterjaroslav6859]

Thank you. I have to try all of these settings...

[@marymoon96]

Oh man, I think you said something that finally clicked in my poor brain with compression. I have really been struggling to understand and your explanation here with the consonants really helped! I'm working on a song where the vocalist hits his consonants really hard at the beginning of his phrase and I've been struggling to make it sound good. I don't want it to happen on accident - I want to know what I'm doing! lol Thank you, Joe!

[@MultiMillyon]

That was helpful. I always like to go neck to compression videos to see if there's anything I missed

[@flipnap2112]

best way I ever learned. way back in the day, I was very familiar with ducking reverbs with vocals. its probably the first trick we ever learned. My colleague was like "all a compressor is doing is ducking the loud parts in itself".. and that was it. it all made sense to me ha ha. of course it gets deeper but.. I got the point

[@SHTMusik]

On rule 2 notice how he RAISED the eq first to find the frequencies that he wanted to lower. That is a great eq 101 trick.

[@pauljrogers]

I just learned that trick of Joe too recently. It looks counter-intuitive, but it just works. I love all of Joe's tutorials.

[@ryanreedtv3242]

Sweeping for unwanted frequencies

[@javierbennett5778]

@@ryanreedtv3242 exactly

[@Fuffuloo]

seek and destroy

[@MadMaxBLD]

@Ricky Anthony Very true. I think since Joe was already thinking of the midrange, he was just sweeping around the 1 kHz range to find the exact spot to cut.

[@ChilubaCChola]

Joe you are my favorite teacher God bless you continue to teach us

[@beatfromjetsetradio8239]

Finally-a simple-but-detailed answer to the questions I’ve _actually_ been asking about these damned things.

[@michaelyolch79]

One of the BEST compression videos I've ever seen. Simple, smart, and right to the point. WOOHOO! SUBBED! :)

[@GoodrumMC]

I finally understand release, thank you!!!

[@TheLaguitarteacher]

This is a great explanation! I love the way you share your experience with the community. In the end it all boils down to taste but you are supplying the user manuals to the tools we need to use! Thank you so much!

[@VictoriaWhitlock]

Where was this video all my life?

[@edgarsnake2857]

Thanks Joe. This is the best explanation and demo of compression I've seen...and heard.

[@CarlosDantana]

This is by far the best non-techie explanation of compression and demonstration I've seen to date and I've watched tons of videos on compression. Got anything on "Gating"?

[@sebastianbyma]

Man, I don't know how you do it, but you post your videos just in time when I actually need. Thanks for that and keep on rockin'!

[@pa4565]

absolutely you are the best dear joe.

[@geraldcelestin2806]

Dude!!! You explained this so good without the extra bullshit!!! I entered in entry level and I graduated on the same day... thank you very much for getting straight to the point and breaking it down to it’s very last compound!!

[@excellenceobi202]

Awesome it opened my eyes about a lot of things on compression Thank you

[@mattcalloway8775]

this is one of the most helpful videos i’ve ever watched on compression! thank you!

[@SteveSnelling]

Qwik and to the point. Nice cliffnotes on vocal comp

[@Giofergom]

Hey Joe, comenting here again after the EQ Vocals videos just to say that these two tips helped me. The vocals that I was having problems are now perfectly working on the mix. Turns out All it needed was some cutting on the low end, not a single boost on the whole chain and it's souding exatctly how I wanted. Thank you man, have a great weekend

[@LiamStewartMusic777]

Mate I've never heard someone break down the attack and release like that so thank you! You put exactly what I was hearing into words but could never quite describe it 😂😂💯💯

[@yaoguangtang1759]

What you talk about Release , is so great!

[@tankdaproducer8282]

This explained in depth how compression works listen to this man compression is key when you know how to use it

[@weedeeeter]

There is something with this video that made me understanding better.

[@shanealec]

Im still learning about compression attack and release...thanks for the info...your videos have helped me understand alot about mixing in studio one

[@lifepath7741]

I am afraid that you have a confusion on everything, you think that you know something but in reality your informations are useless, because there are so many and from different sources. I am still very frustrated and all that makes me so aggressive. Maybe you are more rational and with high equilibrium levels.

[@tdz69]

Great information and one of the best explanations of the various compression features. TY!

[@lastspoil5547]

Thank you so much!

[@everybodyhasoul5438]

This is awesome! Producer and music teacher here. I am always looking for videos to help explain these concepts to my students. My suggestion is to demonstrate some of these awesome mixing concepts using a variety of DAW’s, plugins, etc. There are a TON of young people learning this stuff on KZbin and having these concepts explained in a variety of formats would make them really accessible to these young people!

[@HomeStudioCorner]

OR you could argue that the concepts transcend the software.

[@everybodyhasoul5438]

@@HomeStudioCorner They most definitely do! I teach a wide spectrum of middle school learners (11-14) and for many, the concrete visual of doing something using the same exact set of tools resonates differently. Regardless of platform, your videos are really great and informative, thank you!

[@mortenkalland]

Dette var nyttig, Joe! Takk

[@danielsomerstein9996]

Best explanation!! Wish I would have found your video 3 years ago

[@jankuna9479]

Wow. This was almost perfect. Thank you.

[@Anonymous.android]

I’ve watched so many videos on compression but I feel like this is the one that has finally clicked with me. Thank you

[@abcdxyz2]

You are right about eq and gain reduction. I've experienced when I use eq prior to compression the compressor won't be triggered as hard by lower mid frequencies. Also I tried to use two compressors after each other and had moderate gain reduction on both of them. It made it sound much more enjoyable than having only one compressor with lots of gain reduction.

[@johnm5321]

"Release as clarity" really helped me understand! Your demos of the consonant sounds with fast and slow release were so helpful!

[@jenggyendeng4231]

Very understandable and helpful, like the way u go straight to the point 👍

[@limaraeme]

Great videoooooo💎I’ve just understand everything about compression

[@ourmusicvideos]

Thanks Joe, Awesome.

[@Frankenstalex]

Best explanation about attack and release I ever watch. Thank you!😄

[@BeatsRadio23]

U blew my mind with ur rule #2 and the way u explained the release. To focus on vowels n consonants🤟👏👏👏👏👏. Love n respect frm India❤️❤️❤️

[@seshnolan]

great video 🔥

[@Marchuevoreal]

It’s crazy to se the comparing volume trick , I did that before watching this video and I got my best mix so far . Ver agree

[@lantanabeatz]

I want more about compression... Thank you for the video, very helpful❤

[@randomfeller]

Where were these videos when I started learning Voice Over last year?!?! Outstanding video! Really simplifies things for an audio troglodyte like me ;) Thank you for the great information!

[@rlyng8816]

Thanks so much for your videos! Rule # 2 really helped me out yesterday! EQ first then add compression if needed. Such a simple concept but very helpful!

[@old-school-cool]

Thank you. Obviously, this helps :)

[@kaiulrich6185]

I wanna add two things....when you pick your plugin first listen to what kind of flavour it adds to the sound without even compressing. Some modelings of vintage compressors change the sound dramaticly. And also know, what type of compressor you want, a vca comp acts very different to an optical one. Oh and if you have a severly dynamic vocal performance, don‘t try to let the compressor do all the work, use automation or clip gain to at least roughly even out the volume. Other than that, very helpful video.

[@allatsea2746]

You're SOOO right, but this is obviously aimed at beginners and not at people that are like: My 1176 will sound too agressive on this, let's try the LA2A ;-).

[@kaiulrich6185]

I guess you‘re right😎

[@PabloAdame]

thanks for making everything clear and detailed, it actually helped me a Lot :)

[@teashea1]

good information - very nice production values on the video

[@meghannwilhoite]

super helpful, especially assigning a characteristic each to attack and release (aggression and clarity). Thanks!

[@JamEZmusic86]

Also. Attack = close/far. It's a good tool to create depth, or at least to use in conjuntion with reverb and balancing (far instruments = more ambience/less transient/lower volume)

[@mgmg116]

If you really want to nerd out about it, the attack is how quickly the compressor goes from 0% of ratio to 100% of ratio. Say you've got a ratio of 4:1 or something like that. Attack speed is how long the compressor takes to go from 1:1 (no compression) to 4:1 (taking 4dB above thresh to get 1dB out, above thresh). :)

[@richardsmusic5577]

Super helpful. Thanks so much. !

[@Peter_Jungwirth]

Best compression tutorial! :)

[@briankingart]

Joe! All I can say is WOW. Finally, compression clarity!

[@davebassP5]

Very well thought out tutorial. Subscribed 👍

[@ntkproduction150]

Thx my friend 🙏🏻

[@jacobdejongh9042]

ah i was about to watch some vocal compression videos and saw this in my reccomendations! thanks joe. I've always found it much harder to compress a vocal than drums or bass as the "input" varies so much so i find it harder to listen for

[@kjtheproof]

Great video, excellent training!! Thanks bro!!

[@stephenpeacock7990]

Thanks for the vid Joe - very helpful as always.

[@iainmackenzieUK]

Great tutorial - Many thanks

[@djrickysmith]

This was much better than the one you did awhile ago !! loving the presonus line. Made the switch last year and have been loving Studio One. I do mostly live shows, but been having fun with all the other goodies. Just bought an Atom SQ to help with workflow in Studio One. Using the studio live 32 board with 2 NSB 16x8 boxes for live shows.

[@randylscott9613]

Good explanation once again. Thanks again, Joe.

[@adamknox8416]

Dude. I hope you keep banging out videos. This was the perfect explanation of exactly what needs to happen, when, and why. Short and informational but to the point yada yada, I'm sure you've heard it a 361 times but I still want to express my gratitude. So thanks!

[@ampharos6585]

This is so great. Thanks for the knowledge! Needed it last week... but better late than never.

[@effdpaul1815]

Great video Joe ... and helpful.

[@tem_nb]

Just found your video - love your way of explaining! thank you so much :)

[@Purpleboo6875]

Thank you so much I was struggling with this ❤

[@markcook2980]

Excellent Vid. For someone that is new to this world, you're making it easy! Well... at least easier.

[@elvins694]

I would like to see more videos like this

[@studioonetalent3715]

Thanks for this knowledge...

[@timdovecool7202]

Honest tutorial, thanks

[@michaeltablet8577]

Excellent video! Thanks again Joe!

[@ChrisLambrou00]

Fantastic job

[@marin4311]

Excellent tips as usual.

[@payneasylum469]

Great video, your explanation was very clear, to the point and easy to understand.

[@davidscanlan]

I watched this when you released it, but I forgot it all so I came back while working on a mix and the release advice is EXACTLY what I needed to get the clarity I was after. Thank you!!

[@roxammon5858]

Well done Joe - you are the best out there. It's a shame you don't do Logic Pro X !

[@kelvynification]

She has a lovely voice:)

[@hadassahbayless2870]

Your videos have been SOO helpful to me, thank you! Your explanation is so clear and concise in all of them, and this one is great. Love how you compared the attack and release, I've never understood it fully until this second. Thank you so much!

[@xBattsey]

Super helpful video. Thanks.

[@yusufkun_]

Thanks Joe 🙏

[@DanDjurdjevicplus]

Excellent tips - thanks!

[@AudioAssassin]

Thanks Joe. I've been producing for 20 years but only started to use compression about 10 years ago when working with vocals for the first time. I used to sculpt everything manually but once I started recording vocals I realised that compression was needed. This is a very helpful video as I have never had a good ear for compression. I use Fabfilter's Pro-C2 compressor on vocals and although it gives users the visual representation of what is happening, videos like this are very helpful. Thank you for sharing you tips :)

[@jameslopez6807]

just stumbled across your channel and I love the way you explain things. to the point, easy to understand and none of the youtuber theatrics. definitely understand attack and release more now too. thanks!

[@wesleyhendricks153]

Another great tutorial! Thanks Joe. I like the way you explain it with the demo. Makes more sense.

[@bengrimshaw4811]

Found this so helpful, thanks for making and sharing 👍

[@aloesepuefuasale9918]

so helpful for us beginners, love to see more from you,,,

[@MrTinOkz]

Thanks man, really interesting and instructive

[@lonewolf368]

thanks Joe, learning every day...

[@leecooper7084]

Great tips. Thanks.

[@jaygod3869]

this is good stuff

[@richiebenoit]

Great video. Sweetwater service is excellent

[@martineden5197]

Thank you very much!!!

[@vkmusicz8160]

Thanks for this video ❤️

[@jatrivas3120]

Thank you for the video, explains a lot