How to Compress Vocals Like a Pro (Recommended Settings)

[@BlackGhostAudio]

Addition Vocal Compression Tips: -More aggressive vocals, like rap, metal, and punk vocals often require really fast attack and release settings. If you're using the SSL G-Master Buss Compressor, consider using an attack time between 0.1-1 ms, and a release time between 0.1-0.3 seconds. Recording with a dynamic mic can mellow out these aggressive types of performances and actually make applying compression easier. -Smoother and more melodic vocals, like the vocals from this video, sometimes sound better with a slightly longer release time. The release time I used in this video (0.6 seconds) is generally considered somewhat long for vocal compression but it suited these vocals well. I didn't like how a shorter release time sounded. Trust your ears and your judgment! -You can apply a limiter to individual vocal tracks, or your vocal buss, to completely prevent peaks from reaching above a certain level. You’d normally use a limiter like a safety net after your compressor. If you're looking for a really "tight" sound, try experimenting with this. I recommend using a limiter like Plugin Alliance's bx_limiter (www.plugin-alliance.com/en/products/bx_limiter.html ) to do this because it lets you reduce the limiter's threshold without applying automatic makeup gain; this makes it easy to hear the effect it's having on your vocals. In most situations, 1-2 dB of limiting during loud passages (applied after your compressor) should be enough to really tighten up your vocals. -The settings in the video are explained in a simplified way to make learning how to use a compressor easier, which comes at the expense of certain technical accuracies. Having said that, the way I've explained compression is how you would learn to use compression if you attended school for music production or audio engineering. If you care to learn more about what's truly going on under the hood of a compressor, I recommend checking out this article: www.attackmagazine.com/features/columns/gregory-scott-demolishing-the-myths-of-compression/

[@HughLynnMusic]

Genius! Love how you explained how to fine-tune the threshold level with the quieter parts.

[@s.russell1856]

Thank you for explaining this so clearly. Compression has had me stumped for YEARS! Now, I finally get the picture. Gonna go now and apply what I've just learned. Thanks again.

[@BillGraper]

My favorite way to compress vocals is to split the loud & quiet parts, manually adjust the louder parts down & the quieter parts up. That balances it nicely. Then add the compressor & do a lower ratio. This technique allows you to have a nice, even vocal without making the compressor do too much work.

[@popolokross444]

You are the most successful teacher in teaching compression and other stuffs. I wished u upload more video in the future

[@BlackGhostAudio]

Thanks! I've got more on the way. The last year has been busy for me because I was spending the majority of my time creating an online music production course. Things should fire up again in May :)

[@ivaavimusic]

I feel sad that I didn’t came across your channel earlier. Glad I did now ♥️

[@fmajor_music]

I was literally struggling with this. Thanks for the help!

[@MadDoggEntertainment]

Went through your channel to save all the videos I wanted to watch, ended up adding all of them to my “Watch Later”... 😂😂😂

[@BlackGhostAudio]

Haha, that’s awesome 😄

[@ondoh]

So awesome, thanks for sharing

[@mattcero1]

Dude! Awesome video. Would you mind sharing your compression settings for simple vocal for talking head type of videos? I need a baseline. Thanks so much!

[@BlackGhostAudio]

It depends on the compressor you're using, the nature of the person's voice, and the destination format. However, if you're using the SSL compressor from the video, the following settings will act as a decent starting point: Attack: 10 ms Release: 0.6 - 1.2 s Ratio: 4:1 Film dialogue tends to be less compressed than KZbin dialogue. When watching a film, the assumption is often that you're watching it in a quiet theatre. As a result, you'll be able to hear quiet and loud sounds without any issues. When watching a KZbin video, the assumption is typically that you're listening on your phone in an environment with background noise. This means that the dialogue should be compressed enough to sit comfortably above the noise floor of your environment - without jumping up in level and becoming too loud at various points in time.

[@Dblup]

Love these videos. They help a lot

[@BlackGhostAudio]

That's great to hear! I've got a really comprehensive mastering tutorial coming out next, so stay tuned for that.

[@flipbroski639]

is there a full version of this song? i like it

[@JorGeAlvarezCrespo]

muy muy muy buenooo..!! y muy bien explicado..! saludos desde Argentina

[@abhishekc1458]

Great Explanation .

[@onlyoneneuron]

Very useful, thanks

[@thesilentproducer7632]

This was really helpful

[@ROQSTAR]

Great tutorials! Keep it up 🔥

[@WVVYBEATZ]

this really helped mahnnn.tnx

[@PatrickObiang]

Bravo!

[@dftweedie3021]

Engineers like Greg Wells recommend slow attack and fast release when using an 1176 while recording vocals. Is there some fundamental difference between using a compressor in recording as opposed to mixing? Or is that a product of FET compressors simply having much faster attack?

[@BlackGhostAudio]

It depends what you’re going for. Using a compressor in that way is going to sound quite natural, and not act too aggressively. That’s how you’d set up a buss compressor to gently squeeze a mix too: it works because it doesn’t clamp down on transients too hard. When recording vocals, many people simply want to apply a light form of compression to tighten things up, and the settings Greg Wells recommended would work great for that. Further compression might be applied during the mixing process, but it depends on the genre, intended mixing goal, etc. If you want to slam transients down, a slow attack isn’t going to work. For aggressive rap and metal performances, it makes sense to use a fast attack time, along with a short release time. You don’t want abrupt peaks aggressively slipping through your compressor. It’s all about catering to the vocals you’re working with. If you know how all the controls on a compressor work, just think about the type of processing you want to apply and what your mixing goal is. Do you want to provide a gentle squeeze, or provide some serious transient control? Perhaps something in the middle? The release time I used in this video was actually somewhat long for vocal compression, but it catered to the melodic nature of the vocal well and sounded more musical than a shorter release time. Just trust your judgement 😁

[@dftweedie3021]

@@BlackGhostAudio Thank you!

[@seanchun8069]

Aloha! My name is Sean and I work with Aixdsp. What's the best way the get our software to you for review?

[@BlackGhostAudio]

Cool! You can reach out to me using the contact form on my website: www.blackghostaudio.com/contact

[@seanchun8069]

@@BlackGhostAudio will do.

[@keithplunk6611]

I don't know if the singer had reverb in her cans or not, but she is singing really flat. Otherwise very informative and helpful. We all sing off now a d then, but some are tone deaf and still successful. Look at Whitney Houston on "I Will Always Love You".

[@pauljsm]

The vocalist's intonation is... questionable 😢

[@joshorange]

too long to get to the point mate

[@lifepath7741]

Sorry, but you are not making any difference! After 11 years of watching videos about this topic, still 0 understanding...

[@BlackGhostAudio]

A compressor makes loud sounds quieter. The controls on a compressor affect the way in which gain reduction is applied. Don't overthink it.

[@lucafauna4824]

very useful! thanks!!