F9 - How to use COMPRESSORS to GLUE your mixes together - 6 Ways to use compressors Part 2

We're all familiar with the concept of 'glue' in compressor discussions. In this video, we'll plunge into the fascinating universe of stereo bus compressors, demonstrating some of the industry's top-tier tools that can take your tracks to unprecedented levels. We'll examine in-depth the iconic SSL bus compressor plugin, Pulsar Modular's impressive P11, Acustica Audio's superb offering, and the emulation of Waves API2500, just to mention a few.
Moreover, for those perpetually eager to master new techniques, I will guide you on how to optimize the use of some original hardware emulations, like the Waves API2500 - a method that's been a staple in my mixing toolbox ever since I deciphered why its past performance was underwhelming for me.
We've crafted a 'Cheat sheet' for vintage compressor emulators that employs vivid language to assist you in deciding which compressor fits your current project. While having options is fantastic, it can also lead to decision paralysis. We trust this chart will help restore balance in your decision-making process.
We’ve created a vintage compressor emulator ‘Cheat sheet’ that uses descriptive language to help you choose which compressor is good for the job currently in hand. Choice is a wonderful thing, but can be overwhelming. We hope this chart will re-address that balance for you
Download the F9 Vintage Compressor Emulation Cheat Sheet :
bit.ly/f9-comp-sheet1
Other parts of this series
Part 1 - Using compressors to level your audio
• F9 - 6 Ways to use COM...
Don't forget our other videos on compression :
Do you think you know EVERYTHING about COMPRESSORS?
• Do you think you know ...
DID YOU KNOW PIPE ORGANS led to one of the world's MOST LOVED COMPRESSORS?
• DID YOU KNOW PIPE ORGA...
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You can now use TRAX instruments to make sample packs
It's with great pride we announce that effective from June 1, 2023, all F9 playable instruments and kits have been granted license for usage in the development of audio loops. These loops can be included in commercial sample packs designed for your personal use, your individual sampler store, or for third-party platforms such as Loopcloud, Splice, Arcade, NI sounds and more. There's only one restriction to bear in mind: the midi. When creating for these releases, you must compose original musical or rhythmic parts and avoid using any midi or musical motifs from this or any other F9 release.
This updated licensing term now encompasses stem creation and "track-outs," which are frequently seen in beat marketplaces. It also applies to ghost production and collaborative projects. Our goal is to provide you with even greater flexibility and creative potential in your music production endeavours.
To read more about this exciting development, follow this link: www.f9-audio.com/pages/license.
#compressor #audiocompression #audioproduction #mixingtutorials #compressionexplained #UA1176 #uad1176 #la-2acompressor #fairchild670 #shadow hills mastering compressor #ssl compressor #vintage compressor #ozone compressor #waves compressor #compressor attack and release #compressor threshold #mastering compression #mastering limiter #compressor shootout #compress vocals #compress snare #compressor bass

[@srgzbltch2249]

As always, your tutorials are one of the best on the internet. Thank you for the cheat sheet.

[@NishantRastogi]

i love this guy

[@Lekan675]

I would add to this excellent list Slate Bus compressors

[@F9Audio]

Good shout - we'll come to these next I hope

[@DaedalianAbilon]

Loving your tutorials man! Your Freemasons stuff is what made me look you up here to see if you had vids because i knew you'd be very knowledgeable, as an electronic producer of 12 years its nice to hear someone on youtube who actually knows what they're talking about. you're a very smart guy! Keep up with the great vids!

[@F9Audio]

Thank you my Friend - that's ever so kind of you to say ... All the best from us all here this morning

[@lukassbeataddicts]

That SSL mk2 is a hell of a plugin and I bloody missed the sale. It smokes Waves and UAD so hard it's unbelievable :)

[@F9Audio]

Absolutely right - recently I went back to a studio I used to use all the time and went back to a real SSL G for our Starlight release - The real thing is amazing when in that console … what was sad is the studio is now mainly used for vocal recording - I was the 1st person to spread out a production on the desk in over 18 months - normally it’s just 2 faders .. I was really shocked

[@lukassbeataddicts]

@@F9Audio I truly appreciate your work on that release. I recommend to everyone who is into funky or disco house. Absolute goldmine. 🫡

[@the_JTowny]

That softube compressor sounded very nice. Gonna give that one a trial.

[@musicbyjmcx]

I also heard a nice sheen on it

[@F9Audio]

Yes it's very good - very useful on individual sounds too and they've added their newest tech to it

[@philtrickey]

A phenomenally useful video as always - thank you James!

[@CoolStoryStudio]

Another great video. I'm in love with the SSL Native Bus Compressor 2. It just sounds great immediately

[@MG-gu3qx]

just had time watching it, great, useful video again! you're the best 🙌 thank you

[@DIGOOfficial]

Great video as always James, and always great to hear your honest unbiased opinion with no affiliate link too 👍🏼Have to say the Aquamarine by Acustica Audio sounded pretty special to my ears. It just seemed to bring out so much more in the mix. Looking forward to learning more in the remaining videos of the compressor series.

[@alanlockwood849]

7:59 Thanks James! It's not said enough :)

[@F9Audio]

I agree Alan - It's a very human fault to forget that everyone is different - I'm a huge fan of Richard Feynman the physicist and there's a brilliant video where he discussed the potentially huge differences in the construction of though and reasoning processes between people - kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZuXqmN7itGIY7s The whole recording ( originally from the BBC ) is one of the most amazing examples of complex ideas explained in terms many can understand - much of the world we live in comes from this ( brilliant yet flawed ) man's mind kzbin.info/www/bejne/hmLaqGR_jbeZiqM

[@TimBunch]

Great video, James! I’ve been loving the API 2500 from UAD lately. But honestly it’s hard to go wrong with almost any compressor and the right settings. It really is up to the ears of the engineer.

[@bennthirteen3701]

I am concerned about phase issues with parallel compression, and parallel distortion, it would be nice if u could do a video about this.

[@F9Audio]

Don't be Benn - As long as you don't use multiband compressors or distortions you'll be fine 99% of the time - all Filters adjust phase so splitting signals into more than 1 band will nearly always result in a phase shift around the corner frequency - investigate it, spend time to learn the process and see if you can find the odd thing that will cause phase issues so you know what you look out for - remember - no one looking over your shoulder, no one's going to put you down so experiment and get the knowledge - every trick stays with you forever once you properly learn it

[@bobeschism9426]

Never knew the gain +/- 12db trick you demonstrated with the API. Thanks James!

[@F9Audio]

It works on loads of the old emulation - also important on early Acustica plugins … if only I’d known circa 2009

[@sirwanmusic]

Which one you prefer the most ? For glueing strero mix ?

[@F9Audio]

It depends on the track , but for most I’ve found that Acustica Aquamatine to be the most flexible - not surprising considering the Source - a really nice Shadow Hills The Massenberg is very good on individual instruments - Actually forgot to mention the Amek mastering compressor that’s also based on the 8900 from PA Only just a starting with the P11 and the new Softube and very impressed

[@djchemie]

@@F9Audio This comment reminded of one of my ideas. I want a producer "remake" his/her track from preferably 90s with everything modern and let us compare the listening experience. No change in sound selection, just the processing.

[@churchlesssociety]

Thank you so so much!!!! Like always, you are always and I mean always about “SOLID CONTENT” that blesses the mind with questions! Thank you for all this wisdom! Now where is part 3456……. Hey that cheat sheet is FIYA!!! Ty

[@Caelo_music]

I am beyond excited for this compressor series. Just recently acquired the U-He Presswerk compressor VST and it`s one of the first compressor effects were I can realy understand and hear what compression is happening.

[@anndrew_gi]

Same here!

[@F9Audio]

I'll come Presswerk in the next video as it's perfect to discuss artefacts and how we can deliberately use them - As always with U-he it sounds amazing

[@danikoenig]

Still a big fan of "The Glue" by Cytomic for bus compression! I also use a VU meter in front of some emulations for the -12db trick. Thanks for the content James

[@F9Audio]

Yes it's an excellent device - I had it before it got ingested into Ableton - must talk about this in future videos

[@warehoused]

Thank you so much for this. I'm fairly new to production and this is something I'm totally clueless about. Will try it out on a few tracks ❤

[@F9Audio]

Brilliant to read this - there are actually two more videos on compression covering the history that will hopefully shed more light on the subject for you - well worth it as they discuss the reasons for some of the terminology involved : Part 1 : kzbin.info/www/bejne/qHy4eIuIgbCqodU Part 2 : kzbin.info/www/bejne/rnO0l2RjfN2ir7s

[@warehoused]

@@F9Audio ahh mate, thank you do much for the heads up on those. I'll be sure to check them out. I feel right now I'm on the cusp of turning another corner on this creative journey and I've got the bug to learn more about compression. ❤️🙌

[@doodoogtube]

Nice video my friend...especially the compressor comparison. The one that sounded best to my ear was the "Pulsar P11 Abyss". To me it had the right amount of "Umph" without going overboard like the Aqua Marine ( but I guess you could always dial that one back some). There were a few nice ones in that line-up and there were some that did unflattering things to the synth range. Again, very nice comparison especially with that bumping "Full Range" musical selection so I could hear what it was doing to the Bassline, Drums and Synths at the same time (instead of just 1 instrument like a drum set or Jazz). I produce House Music so this was very helpful Thanks! Now lets talk about the price of the Pulsar P11 Abyss🫣...$342😬. It's definitely not worth anything less than $100 but I guess if you need that edge, it's worth it. Brilliant Video, Keep 'em coming.👍🏾👍🏾

[@F9Audio]

Wonderful to come in and read this over a coffee - as I say here - whatever is right for you is right - It woiudl be a very boring world f we all liked the same thing - if you think about it - if we did, there would only be about 2 compressors, 2 EQs and 2 synths on the market

[@LouisMoorhouseMusic]

19:38 Where are these drum samples from? They sound amazing! Loving this series of videos. Are there any plans to continue the “Ask Me Anything” series as well? Learned so much useful stuff from those.

[@F9Audio]

Thank you Louis - House ones from our recent MPC release, the 80s uptempo from our recent mercury release www.f9-audio.com/products/f9-mercury-p5-contemporary-synthwave-multi-sampled-patches www.f9-audio.com/products/f9-origins-classic-house-for-mpc

[@MrMikomi]

The Oxford inflator is on sale at pluginboutique until the end of April.

[@F9Audio]

I'd highly recommend this plugin to anyone - Not just for mixbuss for all sorts of uses www.pluginboutique.com/product/2-Effects/9-Limiter/492-Sonnox-Inflator-V3 Also mixing into it is often a brilliant move - To hear in in action - check this - I used it on this to bring the mix to life for SEB's Kitchen Disco : open.spotify.com/track/6PfQLYhSMr3ryxbloW53G9?si=ca36c1ac20e34746

[@claysoul_music]

Why is it, on Ableton's Glue Compressor, that when I move the compression ration from 2 to 10, the meter indicates less compression? This is confusing the hell out of me. If I'm getting 5dB of gain reduction at 2:1 shouldn't I get more gain reduction at 10:1 given no other controls are moved? Doing the same moves on the SSL the results are different, higher ratio equals more compression as you would expect.

[@F9Audio]

GREAT question ... OK - so this is a quirk of the SSL bus compressor but actually a very useful one - I worked extensively on G+ and E series 4000 series desks in the late 90s that had my favourite version of this comp inside ... The threshold control is not an absolute control - there is an offset that runs in the background that is dependant on the ratio selected .. This may sound ridiculous at first but bear with me - If this were not the case, you would get enormous level drops switching between the ratios and that would make it very hard to judge which ratio is best for your particular track / mix. This way you can scan through the ratios and find what works best against the drums and then tweak further without experiencing massive changes in level. We will naturally prefer the loudest sound when working quickly and re-gaining lost level with the makeup control adds a step that is not always intuitive - Also when flipping back from 10:1 - 4 or 2:1, if this were not the case, and you'd re-levelled, you'd get a level jump upwards and be fooled into thinking that ratio might be better With the threshold offset in place, you can scan thoroughly with a consistent level to find the best response quickly and then tweak. Give the original position of this compressor in the centre of a desk and the design strategy ( which was always to make the most useful version of it possible ) - I think it's a great system, but you have reminded me of a weird quirk that's not explained unless you dig for it so I'll endeavour to cover this in the future videos for this series

[@alessiorossi]

❤

[@seascs]

can the LA-2A be used for the same purpose, putting it on a bus and sending instruments to it to glue the mix together. is there an advantage of the ssl above it?

[@F9Audio]

Good question .. Yes you can - And right off the bat I should say that you should always try everything like this you are curious about - I loved Chris Lord Alge' comment in a Slate video some years back - "what's the worst that can happen? - no-one's going to die ( as he dialled in over 12Db of gain at 14Khz ) ... The thing to be aware of though is the speed of the LA-2A. It is quite 'spongy' and slow which works wonders on individual channels, but may not be quick enough for a buss-compression job. I find every track is as unique as a fingerprint even across identical genres and tempos and with that, the timing controls of dedicated bus compressors can be really handy. There's also so great amount of personal choice involved here as I'm really coming to the conclusion that every human being is very different. I honestly think my internal CPU clock is a bit slower than others ( I'm not great at video games as my hand-to-eye reaction time is quite slow and also why I'll never be a virtuoso jazz piano soloist ), but I've also found over the years I LOVE slow attack times ( 10-50ms ) whereas others i know love really tight attack times ( 3-10ms) As you can see, it may be advantageous here to have those additional controls, handy to test this. I do though, personally love the simplicity of the LA-2A and La-3A designs. Here's one option - why not try both ? ... pop in an LA-2A first, head to the loudest part of the production and set it working gently, then use a more flexible bus comp afterwards - or the other way around ? ... if you use Ableton or Bitwig, also try the La-2a in parallel using a rack - set the dry and wet chains at -6DB each output wise and then tweak to taste But also as i say at the top - run with your curiosity - it will be your friend and i have no doubt you'll surprise yourself in your investigations It's very easy to get swayed by group-thought and opinion, and It's incredibly important to understand that in your own space, the rest of the industry is not looking on, you are completely by yourself and you should try everything, make mistakes constantly as every now and again something extraordinary will pop up and then you'll have a personalised trick up your sleeve forever. Every major producer I've ever talked to suffers from a really funny thing in the studio - they mentally conjure up a jury of musical peers behind them and then they subconsciously start critiquing every move - It is all completely imaginary, but can be utterly debilitating if you don't understand it or keep an eye on it. The human condition is remarkably affected by social shame and if you monitor yourself in your creative work, you will probably see you are often worried about what someone will think if they heard what you are doing. Next time it happens and you are aware of it, stop right there and just note it - don't give yourself a hard time, but just say to yourself - "there's no one else here, it;s just me and I'm testing, trying and perfecting' . I spent 20 years doing this and I was amazed and delighted to find out ( way too late ) that everyone else was doing the same - including the people I was conjuring up as my virtual peers in the studio - I was lucky enough to meet most of my heroes along the way - everyone is just an insecure as everyone else . Now you're armed with that insight , always remember plugins are just lines of code and just because a device is coded and designed to look like a hardware unit, it really isn't and should be tested to it;'s extremes as nearly always this is where the surprises,delights and sometimes even eureka moments are. E.G. - Just because SSL have a 4000 Series channel strip plugin, this doesn't not mean it shouldn't be tried on your master - one day it'll be perfect for that process. I always use the analogy of the guitar amp and it's history. These were originally designed to amplify clean, jazzy and highly melodic guitar playing over a busy jazz drummer. The only components available initially were valves. The inventors never expected guitarists to do what they did - turn it up so loud it distorted in the rock and roll era Suddenly it was a completely different animal as it squared-waved the clean tones. Famously people were even taking razor blades to the speaker cones to make then even fuzzier. Eventually the likes of Marshall deliberately designed high-gain circuits and rock exploded - all from people pushing things to extremes Back to bus compressors - years back I was playing with Eventide's extraordinary Omnipressor ( designed originally as a compressor to be used as an effect, not a utility ) as I'd used one the studio ( the hardware is mono ). I was convinced that Portishead used it on their first album for that immensely smashed-up breakbeat on Glory box : kzbin.info/www/bejne/aqK0qoifad-ZetUsi=cQ7aK4ORTz0etPpj&t=177 I put it in the master bus and was utterly blown away with what I could get out of it and I've used it ever since on so many mixes - I'd never in a million years thought of doing so if I hadn't been experimenting I wish you all the best with this - try every, fail quickly of often and along the way you'll build an entire toolbox of tricks No one is watching you

[@lukassbeataddicts]

Also James have you tried UAD API 2500. I was using Waves version for a long time and thank you for a level tip btw but that UAD API is so good.

[@F9Audio]

Yes it certainly is .. have you tried pink by Acustica Audio ?

[@lukassbeataddicts]

@@F9Audio Not yet, but do I need another plugin it’s another question 😂 Thank you for this great videos. 🫶

[@lukassbeataddicts]

@@F9Audio I just tried some of their plugs. For me the enormous file size and CPU hit is a big no no. Something is not right there. Also today I tried Pulsar Modular ABYSS, man this one is amazing. Expensive though.

[@F9Audio]

@@lukassbeataddicts Acustica use a very advanced and dynamic version of Impulse response technology - I understand both points - they are not for everyone - incredibly close to the hardware but need serious system resources - because I'm normally working on small parts these days I find them a good fit . Pulsar Modular have incredible code - the warmth and feeling they are able to extract from DSP is seconds to none - not cheap, but a very small and dedicated company who are worth supporting

[@djchemie]

What is a gain plugin you use for MPC? or what do you suggest? Because there is no "gain plugin" like Ableton does, I tend to use an Air Limiter or another insert without any FX applied, just adjust the gain from there.

[@F9Audio]

You can always use the channel strip - always handy to have it in a chain - many of the Air FX have output gain controls

[@djchemie]

Does BusCompressor mean you should "absolutely" use it on a Bus channel? Can I use it on individual tracks for example in MPC?

[@F9Audio]

Great question - absolutely not - you can use it on anything - please download the cheat sheet that's linked in the description for some ideas for other uses

[@SlavaChrome]

I see you use Logic, but not talking about Logic’s compressors at all. Why? They not so great?

[@F9Audio]

I need to share the love between all these videos - For buss duties you will do very well to invest in a dedicated processor - Logic’s are very average for this but ever so useful for general purpose

[@SlavaChrome]

@@F9Audio oh ok! :) Don’t think, that I forcing the love of Logic’s compressors. Just was curious about, why you don’t say any words about them.

[@jorisvdstraten]

Any glue tips for Bitwig users?

[@churchlesssociety]

Elmers lol 😂

[@F9Audio]

Just investigating Bitwig at the moment - Theres some very serious power to be had - the upwards section of the Dynamics module really caught my eye and I used a lot in the recent Mercury release - Hoping to get some investigation examples out there next month or so - will see if I can include here - probably on the last one in this series about frequency dependant compression

[@churchlesssociety]

@@F9Audio If we take a poll, I beat am not the only one that has "NOT" used "uPWARD" Compression, is this a must know in our tool box? I know your busy, ill wait for the video, just wanted to bring it to mind, Thank you so much.

[@F9Audio]

@@churchlesssociety Ahhh - OK - this is great to know ... So 99% of compression used is 'downwards' - meaning that the process effectively turns audio down past the threshold point - we then get the power by turning the overall level up afterwards - Upwards compression has a threshold set much lower that turns the output up when the signal falls below that threshold - this leaves the load bits where they are but brings the quietly levels up and it's built into the Bitwig Dynamics module ( right had side of the GUI ) ... It very similar to the effect shown at this point 16:49 Using the Waves MaxVolume and the excellent Sculpt by ADPTR . Def one to experiment with - in particular on individual instruments

[@jorisvdstraten]

@@F9Audio Thanks, would be great!