Gain Compensation and Its Effect on Parallel Compression

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[@Whywhatwherehowwhen]

I’ve always used parallel compression by sending the dry signal to a dedicated bus for the compressor so you’re only adding wet signal and you can see exactly how much wet signal you’re adding

[@realsonicstv]

Parallel compression is actually achieved by using parallel similar signals. Well explained.

[@mange586]

I set up a parallell chain versus a single channel with compressor using wet and dry/mix knob. phase flipped. Nulls 100% I have tried it with Pro C-2, Slate Digital FG-Grey and Arturia TUBE-STA.

[@ozzy3ml]

You should always gain match the output to the input regardless of what kind of effect you are using. Otherwise the louder signal will usually sound better simply because it’s louder. Better to improve your listening skills than be afraid of parallel compressing «wrong»…

[@Justanothermusicproducer]

Great comment! I am 100% with you about improving your listening skills. Thats the reason I "always" work at the same monitoring level so you know what is the real effect of any procesing regardless of the volume. If you make a new track I work with it as an indivial source that I can use in the mix, I look for what it ads to the mix, and that happens most of the time with some parallel compressions. If I do a parallel crush to the drums I wont "compensate" the different instruments (Kick, Snare, hh, toms, Ohs...) because of the perceived loudness of the result, I will do in relation of the feeling and what it ads, and there is no problem that one of its effects is increasing the volume. This are tools at the service of the music. You can use them in several ways, believing that the only thing you can do with parallel compression is having an static mix of the dry signal and the parallel is just limiting the use of the effect. You can open the drums in the chorus adding the track just when it hits (using the compressor with different setting you get different effects), adding a "dark" parallel compression to the vocal in an intimate bridge... Parallel compression can be treated in sooo many ways, like a Reverb, a Delay... anything you use for procesing can serve in many different ways the music ( the message, the energy, etc). This can be applied to any "usually static" processing like EQ (for example: adding some highs to the drums in the chorus can also have the effect of opening them). I think you talk about the treatment of individual tracks, and yes, you should be aware of the output level of the individual track to acknowledge the change of perceived loudness, and one of the easiest ways is to compensate and match, but sometimes not the best. Thats the importance of the balance of a mix. If your lead vocal has a herarchy in the mix you can always judge any change you do in the vocal (eq, saturation, compression...) based on the place it should stay and just find the right level of the signal with the fader. Thats the "power" of a fader, you can always check the effect of changing the volume in any context so the change of volume wont blind your judgement. And this is very easy when you work at the same monitoring level AKA "Know your levels". You should be able to know how a vocal is soft and intimate at an specific volume in your working space (as well as hard and aggressive, deep and lush...). I spent a lot of years second guessing when I took outside my mixes because I did not understand how it should sound a lot of things in my studio, or putting it another way, because I did not know how to translate to any system "soft and intimate/hard and aggressive/deep and lush..." with the tools I had. And I found a lot of improvement once I started to understand the importance of "knowing your levels". Thats why I am a 100% with you about improving your listening skills, and I believe this is one of them. Best wishes!

[@AshleyKampta2]

Should you gain match after every plugin? (Especially if plugins don’t have output gain controls?) Or just at the end of the signal chain? I’ve seen people do this differently on KZbin.

[@boulevardsound5137]

@@AshleyKampta2 I only do if it's giving me adverse results. The final gain stage before going to master buss is what really counts.

[@boulevardsound5137]

@@AshleyKampta2 I'll just add a native parametric eq and move all bands up or down or simple gain knob in between plugins to adjust gain if plugin before has no gain control, (Or maybe you want to clip the previous plugin and turn down gain after)

[@ozzy3ml]

@@AshleyKampta2 My comment was a little oversimplified. Gain matching is not always needed (especially with things other than EQ, dynamics and saturation), but it's important you are able to hear if the plugin is actually improving the sound. Without gain matching, this is difficult unless you have a highly trained ear. I would say it's good practice to gain match between plugins, and use a gain/trim plugin if there is not output level control...make it a habit and you won't need to use brain power on it. But there are exceptions, for instance if a plugin has output stage saturation or you want to overload the next plugin in the chain. Be conscious of your gain staging.

[@PurpleMusicProductions]

From my understanding and readings, using the wet/dry buttons is not how parallel compression is done. It is more of blending a crushed signal with the original into one bus. Wet/dry does not achieve that effect entirely.

[@louisalfred3]

love this hated wet/dry always used an aux return. 'old school" great video.

[@3rty6ixRaps]

A send is my way to go! I never trust this mix knobs either🙌. Great vid!

[@Trackformers]

There is even more problems created with the oldschool method. You see, if i use a plugin to paralell compress with the dry/wet knob, and then proceed to adjust output gain to compensate. With a plugin what i can do is turn the plugin off.. and literally instantly hear all levels as they were, pre any type of parallel processing or any gain compensation. I could with one click get back to the original dry kick. With just one click i am able to A/B the parallel compression. But if you uses the oldschool method things are not that simple. First you would have to mute the aux channel. And after that hopefully you have memorized the original level of the dry kick, if u did any level compenstaion to it, while parallel mixing. Since u would have to turn it back to it's original level. You would have to memorize it, or write it down. And what makes things even worse is, now if u wanna A/B u would have to reverse those steps, and that will atleast take a couple seconds and... boom ur not really even A/B'ing anymore. So A/B'ing is basically out the window.. 👍🏾 While on a plugin A/B'ing is literally one click of a button. Again, one more example of your over/flawed thinking on this video..

[@mr.cutback3642]

Such is the power of our eyes. They reinforce our ears :) and that’s a powerful thing. It’s why I always mix with span open on my master channel

[@conanliquid]

"We've been..." Speak for yourself dude lol. I have always done it correctly.

[@dougleydorite]

Me too - Since watching the video

[@dougleydorite]

I think more examples of how to retain the mix control and reshape it without gain compensation would be nice. I am rethinking the wheel here

[@whitedovemusic2227]

Great topic and analyses! Thank you very much🫡

[@ORIGINAL_MEDIA]

Good question Sage Audio. Keep going. Your videos are very interesting!

[@jeracravo]

Or maybe just send it via an AUX and balance the wet/dry levels using your ears?

[@nacnudselrahc420]

I might be confused, but isn't that what he explained to do at 8:07?

[@jeracravo]

No you're not. You're 100% correct @nacnudselrahc420 . My issue is with all the marketing BS with those "advanced" functions with those plugins. Lots of "solutions" for problems we didn't have.

[@OperculumAudio]

I watched this, and immediately wanted to buy the Weiss MK3, and found out its $549! Holy snickies!

[@jfilbert]

Most people probably don't really need it but the Weiss bundle does go on 50% sale once in a while which I found reasonable for what I consider one of the very few "professional" plugins.

[@vigneshkarthikeyan8174]

I only found out about this when the ssl bus+ allowed the mix knob to be converter to a parallel knob.

[@threethievesmusic]

I always set up a dry chain in Ableton, the crush a signal with which ever comp and feed in on a separate chain to taste. I never trust these parallel sliders!

[@You-ud2fp]

This is the way.

[@threethievesmusic]

@@You-ud2fp thanks, I just do whatever sounds good!

[@MonkeyBars1]

What about using a DAW's built-in wet/dry knob such as Reaper's? That is a straightforward mix knob and therefore shouldn't have any auto-gain, right?

[@StevenHadfield]

I was thinking this, but is blending out compressed signal the same as blending in unaffected signal on top of compressed?

[@MonkeyBars1]

No, you're right. I guess if you're using parallel compression specifically for its upward compression effect while keeping the louds the same, then any wet/dry control won't achieve that with another gain up later in the signal chain

[@maxjjk]

You're still changing the shape of the transfer curve in both cases. If you're using parallel compression to amplify low level details, then sure, gain compensation doesn't do that, but if you are after the unique shape of a parallel-compressed transfer curve, where the ratio lessens the louder the signal gets, you will achieve that using either method.

[@maxmileski1248]

Jaquire King was noticing this with his ears. He seemed to be nearly doubting himself in the video where he was explaining why he just ‘feels’ the mix/dry knob on the UA distressor wasn’t doing what using it on an Aux does for him. Can’t recall which mic tutorial; probably something from Puremix

[@TheDragonDeacon]

You could have just said to volume compensate or use a send in a LOT less words.

[@hakangurdol]

I all ways use channel blend type paralel compression even with the effects to.

[@rumar4u]

It would be interesting that instead of a compressor, there was a plugin that completely eliminates sounds at set dB, that way we can mix both signals and enhance quieter sounds without artifacts.

[@rumar4u]

@@pevy_sue Yeah there's different variations to attempt it but not a single straightforward plugin - In my case a bus send to FF ProQ3 with High Pass and Low Pass Brickwall Filters focusing on frequencies with low dB and adding 1-2dB. But instead of doing vertical cuts I'm referring to a horizontal cut. Guess I'll check POWAiR

[@RelicLabzEntertainment]

Yeah i never used the knobs, i didnt like it because i thought it wasnt giving me the punch that the aux gave me, people said i was crazy but i just know what im hearing

[@lillightstruck5378]

can u make video on how to make bass and kick stand out more when u only have the unfinished mix who are on the same mp3 or wav

[@lukaszsalomonbryla6854]

Great job 👏 👏👏

[@RetroDivergentes]

The best way is the old way in this case.

[@Yendorb51]

Good thing I couldn’t figure out how to P. C in the first place 😅😂

[@cbob213]

If it sounds quieter and you see that it’s quieter, most people wouldn’t think to turn it up? What…

[@Sarsour_]

Awesome!

[@Walid.OnTheTrack6725]

that's really cool

[@LBJedi]

Honestly, I just prefer using a send too.

[@KAUTIONMUZIC]

It's simple use the mix nob vs set up a send and tell me they sound the same.....

[@dougleydorite]

Not if you’re mixing with real faders/ two hands

[@djrapstar]

Hey I work for aixdsp and was wondering if you were interested in doing a video or 2 about some of our plugins.

[@shivbhalla]

If you use a parallel aux or wet dry blend in the same proportions, the only difference will be gain. The signal is the same, one is compensated, the other is not. Your video is breathtakingly misinformed

[@tdtrecordsmusic]

wait ?? people thought using wet/dry was giving them parallel compression ?? hahaha lol ,, use your ears

[@dougleydorite]

It most certainly does though… My Looptrotter Emperor 500 has wet/dry and I get parallel compression out of that just fine

[@Whywhatwherehowwhen]

I wonder if this is the same on hardware compressors with a blend knob. I’ve got a neve mbp. Never use it for parallel compression but curious to know if my $4500 investment suffers from the same problem as a $100 plugin 😂

[@dougleydorite]

You would know because it would be trickier to gain stage if it were separate controls

[@rambo953-rv6gl]

Hello sage how come you never mastered a track using just acustica audio plugin

[@markschreiner5906]

Nice

[@thamilanban]

Great one. Did you try the MTurboCompMB from Melda with parallel bands?

[@smallshorts24]

Whats the One Plugin Would you recommend for Mixing Vocals In Pop Music - Rvox ? or PRO C2 ? Or CLA 2a ? Or 3a

[@Trackformers]

CLA 2A, though pro C2 is more versatile.

[@PurpleMusicProductions]

Whichever one that you feel comfortable with learning as not every situation is the same and compressor types behave differently. Not every vocal situation will fit a LA2A style, but a FET or VCA is needed. Therefore there is no ONE compressor for such and such. Your stock plugins may be enough. But if you insist on making a purchase then Fabfilter ProC as it is the most versatile.

[@Slugxthalickman]

Very interesting Video! 🔥

[@francobuzzetti9424]

i didn't know ANY of this omg i feel like such a noob

[@sparella]

Enjoy the learning journey! No one is born knowing it all.

[@kriss12loverap]

But when Are u supposed to use the dry wet knob? I use both just looking for ideas

[@NirvzHD]

It's the same function, you just have to gain compensate if your plugin doesn't do it automatically like the Fabfilter compressor does, or you can just do it through separate mix buses. There is no "Right/Wrong" here.

[@Trackformers]

Use the dry wet knob when you feel that you like the sound of the compression, but it's a little too much. Then you can just pull down the wet a little. I mean you can even go intentionally overboard with the compression, and then pull down the wet 😏 I swear, if u have a wet/dry knob in your plugin, use that!! Much much easier and less clutter..

[@Trackformers]

@@NirvzHD No there is no "right or wrong". But there is a simpler, faster, easier and a less clutterred way.

[@NirvzHD]

@@Trackformers obviously...

[@BEER-boonyapong_mesil]

❤