Understanding Compression on Live Vocals

[@rodjennings1051]

James, this is the best tutorial on compression I have ever watched. I started running sound for bands about a year ago and have learned something every single time (sometimes the hard way). I have struggled with compression. This has helped immensely! To everyone else, I used to carry around a full notebook of charts, notes, how to’s etc to every gig. Over the year that has gotten thinner and thinner until all that was left was James’ field guide. I highly recommend it!

[@AttawayAudio]

Wow, thank you Rod! I'm so glad to hear the video has been a blessing to you. Also, I'm happy to hear you got your hands on a copy of the live mixing field guide! 👊

[@LeonardoLembranci]

I'm pretty sure your videos help clarify a lot of points for many audio professionals. Thank you for everything! Greetings from Brazil! God bless! :D

[@AttawayAudio]

You're very welcome, Leonardo! I'm glad to hear that, thank you for your kind words. Wow Brazil! That is awesome! God bless you as well! 👊

[@Jude107c]

That was the most concise, basic, brake it down to me 1st grade level explanation of RMS I’ve ever heard! Now I understand it a little more. Thank you! 🙏🏾

[@AttawayAudio]

You're very welcome, Jude! I'm glad to hear that!

[@Jude107c]

@@AttawayAudio : Can you do a vid on the difference between Gain and Trim? I operate a Vi2000 and in the head amp section in the gui two of the parameters are GAIN and TRIM. My colleagues exclusively use the trim in gainstaging claiming the signal sounds 'smoother'. I use the GAIN parameter as that's how I learned how to do gainstaging. We always butt heads over it but they do it that way because someone else said so. Can you explain?

[@Photo-zl6wt]

Great job! Most people don't explain makeup gain very well. Your trick of turning up the channel fader when you lower the compression threshold is a great way to keep the volume consistent. And then, turning down the fader while turning up the compressor makeup gain knob so that the volume doesn't change when you turn compression on and off is a much clearer way to show what you're trying to do with makeup gain. In most cases a very light gain will do.

[@arguy2021]

The way you pulled the threshold down and the fader up at the same time and then did an A/B comparison without the effect of the output gain was really nice. Cool way to show that.

[@houseofjesseworship]

I clearly haven't watched one of your videos lately, cause that beard growth!!! haha Great video as always.

[@AttawayAudio]

hahaha thank you very much!

[@johnmcvicker6728]

Nice snippet of training. Next week, I hope to get “certified” on that dLive 5000 surface at AES. Nice desk with easy to understand layout. Volunteers there learning have a good platform to get into audio with. Samantha P. Was there last year but A&H don’t seem to have a floor exhibit this year.

[@andreasthen409]

As always, another excellent video! Just a quick note from the nerd corner - RMS is actually calculated the other way around: it's the square root of the mean of the squared signal.

[@AttawayAudio]

Thanks for that clarification.... it'll really help next time I'm calculating the levels while mixing :)

[@wxfreak]

Thank you. This was a great tutorial!

[@AttawayAudio]

You're very welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@eyesaflame3747]

Used to go to rocklane! I live like 5 minutes from there

[@mogglie]

Amazing. I’m backstage going in to set the mix for our church’s big Christmas concert. I’m gonna make better compressor on the vocals tonight. I’m on an sq5

[@AttawayAudio]

Very nice! How did your service end up going? I'd love to know!

[@normpeterson9311]

thanks James. I am an AD at Eagle Brook and I sit at the front of house booth and listen for my ques to call shots after the rehearsal from thusday. The sound engineer is over to my right between me and the lighting volunteer and I notice the compression to get all the vowels level so the lyrics person can hit the timing spot on. Now I know how that compressor works on the weak signals as well as the over blasts with the singers look up at their mics and really let it go. Soft knee indeed. Now I can talk intelligently to the sound guy!

[@BSP1822]

Eaglebrook in MI? Met an LD that works in that network just yesterday!

[@normpeterson9311]

@@BSP1822 Eagle Brook in Blaine Minnesota as an assistant director in production (video)

[@BSP1822]

@normpeterson9311 MN!** NOT MI sorry. Better work on my state abbreviations lol.

[@normpeterson9311]

@@BSP1822 Just curious whom it was you met? There are 12 campus' here with Eagle Brook but maybe I know the person you met. I introduce your stuff to my front of house audio person. He is brilliant, but so are you. It's fun

[@BSP1822]

@@normpeterson9311 Jacob

[@dominikdudek16]

Nice beard🙂 and of course great video. Cheers from Poland. God bless

[@AttawayAudio]

Haha thank you! For both compliments, I'm glad to hear it. Cheers to you from Kansas City!

[@BAdams138]

Thank you.

[@vektacular]

Anyone who hasn’t tried it yet….the DBX-160 compressor is a very good vocal compressor.

[@JoshMackey-pn4fv]

I use compression to more or less take the edge off of the song/preacher. Couldn't do without it.

[@AttawayAudio]

Oh for sure, especially for the more dynamic style of preaching. It's definitely a must need!

[@AndyWhitten-d6x]

Great Video!! Where'd you get the black SPL meter? love that!

[@josuethefilmaker]

Can you make a video on how to tune a room?

[@pedrorocha2536]

Im digging the beard!

[@AttawayAudio]

haha thank you!

[@prestonpinkepank8609]

Histogram seams like cheating! lol Great video James! Love the content! Also TEAM! That's great!

[@AttawayAudio]

It's like "instant replay" for compressors :)

[@stephenbent1516]

Good training James! Good looking beard by the way!

[@johnmatt5660]

Living Mixing Field Guide ordered! I should just drive over and pick one up from you, go Chiefs.

[@AttawayAudio]

Hey John I'm glad you got one! lol! GO CHIEFS!

[@kainoaliu]

Aloha from Hawaii! I was wondering… I currently mix on a X32 and add compression to the vocal channel, then send the vocals to a mix bus and add a bus compression Pre-EQ. I then EQ the bus to cut 150Hz and around 2kHz. I then have an LA-2A compressor inserted on the bus post insert. The issue I’m running into is that the vocals sound a little thin. They sound okay as a recording, but in a live setting, they seem a little thinned out. I feel that I might be over processing the vocal bus, but not sure if the issue is the EQ or the over compressing of the mix bus compressor Pre-EQ, with the added compression of the LA-2A post. Any suggestions?

[@jeffreyely8548]

Just remember that the makeup gain increases the loop gain at low volume, which can result in ringing or feedback when below the threshold. So avoid low thresholds and high compression ratios (both to preserve decent dynamics AND to avoid underdamped response below the threshold.

[@BlackCoinCrypto]

Is that a digico desk?

[@naphtal]

Thank you! Do you use serial compression live? If so, how do you set the two compressors' settings? I use serial compression in the studio, but I've had issues with feedback and bleed in live situations.

[@AttawayAudio]

Sometimes using two compressors in a row (serial compression) can be helpful because each compressor with different settings (attack/release, knee & ratio) can "grab" the signal lightly and within each compressor's "sweet spot" without going overboard on each. The downside is that you can overdo it and run into feedback or high noise floor issues. Just remember when you're doing that, less is more, and your ratios are actually MULTIPLYING rather than adding together.

[@the_bootstrap_paradox]

Whats the desk there?

[@stevenadams-o9k]

D live

[@the_bootstrap_paradox]

@@stevenadams-o9k Cheers thanks

[@seriykot1]

Thanks James! If you have a DLive desk and your volunteers don't know what compression ratio is, then they're not using the desk to it's potential and just wasting money, unless I am missing some context here.

[@AttawayAudio]

I think you have a fair point, however, some churches prepare their equipment for the maximum number of inputs or the highest level engineer that might be there, not the lowest skill level or number of inputs. Yes, there's the option to rent in those situations, but I'm not on the budget committee!

[@barbarabarbara5301]

Harder to follow when camera is to the side of the console, rather than in front.

[@barbarabarbara5301]

Oh, and the beard looks good.

[@wyattlauth1453]

No one leaves church humming the kick drum 😂

[@wyattlauth1453]

I have a theory that people from KC all sound the same. I can’t put my finger on what it is, but as someone from STL this guy has that

[@nigell.8705]

Me when the video started and bearded Att' pops us: "Who the heck is this?"

[@lilgbolahan]

nice beard 😀

[@ScottFultonNC]

Nice beard.

[@davykelly3053]

Great video but wow, here in the UK churches need to do coffee mornings and fundraising to repair roofs etc, American churches are buying dLive consoles😂

[@AttawayAudio]

LOL the church budgets just keep growing

[@kadomingtipi1006]

You are getting old... reminds life is just like a vapor.

[@Jude107c]

It’s not age my friend. He just didn’t shave.

[@polygonalmasonary]

Or, you could teach your singer to use the microphone in order to preserve the design features of the microphone. Compression is ‘Dumbing down your microphone’. Therefore, if you are using compression on live vocals you might as well use cheap microphones, in my opinion. I believe Jesus responded to controversial or difficult comments, Jesus did not ignore people, he embraced them, even the difficult ones 🤔🙏♥️🌈🇬🇧

[@AttawayAudio]

I disagree - great singers with great technique using great microphones still benefit from compression. But you can mix however you want :)

[@polygonalmasonary]

@@AttawayAudioThank you for your response. It would be helpful if you said why you disagree. I am a much older person and my experience is that high end microphone manufacturers spent lots of money and hundreds of hours designing and testing their microphones to ensure the very best frequency responses, feedback rejection and neutralisation of explosives . Isn’t using the mixing desk compression (in live performances) reducing frequency response, maximising volume v’s feedback whilst reducing and compromising vocal reproduction quality? Wasn’t mixing desk compression originally used solely for studio recordings? For stereo mastering in order to keep the entire recording within the limits of distortion for tape masters being copied to metal masters then pressed to vinyl records?Arn’t we overcomplicating the process just for the sake of using ‘knobs’ to correct other unprofessional flaws? 🇬🇧🙏♥️

[@robobrien6319]

@@polygonalmasonary I also disagree with your comment. As a sound engineer, especially if in a paid professional position, it is not your place to tell performers how to perform. This is the responsibility of the music/artistic director. As a sound tech your job is to take what you’re given and make it the best you can. Also despite original use case, most if not all of, the highest level of singer are using compression on their tour dates. If the video went like “don’t use compression on a vocal, instead get better vocalist” I think it would not be nearly as helpful. If you don’t like using compression on vocals then don’t but I think it’s a disservice to tell others not to when it’s definitely an industry standard.

[@Photo-zl6wt]

If we're talking about the pastor, yes I would never compress and instead focus on getting a better microphone and working on mic technique. Whether or not the band gets compression can change for every song or style of music. You don’t need to use a compressor on everything. In live sound, the talent up front performs and the sound tech in the house tunes the room with what they get.

[@polygonalmasonary]

@@robobrien6319Wouldn’t making the best of what you’ve got be NOT to use compression? 🇬🇧🙏

[@josuethefilmaker]

Can you make a video on how to tune a room?