Hardware vs Software compression & HOW TO get an AWESOME snare sound!

[@deadasfak]

Damn, those fast rolls sound insanely good. Mad props to the drummer too, he's good.

[@CameronFleury]

thanks man!

[@BearingBear]

Rad drummer.

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

+Bearing yep. Cam is amazing!

[@dragon-eye75]

Agreed.

[@dreadsoft99]

BEARING! Love to see you here :)

[@craigjones8558]

Good catch at the end lol

[@MonsterJuiced]

Bearing Eyup Bearing good to see you here ;)

[@seantierson2633]

That last drummer was by far the best drummer you've ever had on, Glenn. Best playing, best set up with a good mix of ergonomic aspects and recording in mind, and by far the best snare sound!

[@QuincyKane]

In the first 2 comparisons, I think I actually favored the software compressed snare because I like a snappy snare with a lot of crack; although I could hear an "explosive" quality to the hardware compressed snare. However, I thought the sound of the snare for the playthrough at the end sounded best; it seemed to have a good balance of both those qualities.

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

+Quincy Kane Morris last snare: Distressor & tuned higher. That 'snap" you're hearing is tuning, not compression :)

[@IntheDAW]

that snare sounds so nice. but can you get that sound using a line 6 spider speaker as a mic?

[@MrBarnejstinson]

Line 6 spider does a poor job as a microphone but you can dump it from the 10th floor which will give you the best sound you can get from this amp.

[@IntheDAW]

MrBarnejstinson i love the sound if a dead spider

[@Davidthestratman7]

Wrong!!!!

[@Streamtronics]

It's either the fact that's it's compressing on the way in that makes it sound great (like you propose), or the fact that the distressor just sounds great. You could try doing a direct recording and then 're-compressing' it by going out your interface, through the distressor and back into the interface. If that sounds the same as compressing on the way in (with exact same settings and levels involved), it'd mean it's really the distressor making it sound great, and it's not all that important to get it right on the way in. Which would also mean, if there was a plugin that emulates the distressor to 100%, it should sound identical.

[@SpringVinMoto]

Holy cow! That drumming was a pleasure to watch. Amazing control! Merry Christmas Cameron!

[@CameronFleury]

Merry Christmas!

[@Smung]

Hey Glenn, With all these new mixing/recording techniques you've learned, I think it would be interesting to hear a new version of The Eagle Has Landed with reamped guitars and bass ran through the darkglass amp in a side by side comparison to your older version.

[@gvtshorts2024]

Thanks for the tip Glenn. The overhead cam on the drummer really puts into perspective he's incredible hand speed...imagine this guy faced with multiple attackers on the street, time for a drum roll

[@charlcoetzee93]

What a drummer. Get that dude in for more videos

[@CameronFleury]

Charl Coetzee I’m in quite a few already! Haha

[@ChainsawChristmas]

So crisp. Finally, someone nailed that St. Anger tone.

[@simmsdn]

Well, you are starting off with a Ludwig LM402 Supraphonic with a Coated Aquarian, so it doesn't take a lot to get the sound righteous.

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

+David Simms Always start with a great source! Love those Aquarian skins!

[@simmsdn]

I've only played Aquarian heads since 1992. Mr. Roy Burns puts out a great product.

[@dannyd.8860]

Great demonstration. Absolutely agree about analog compression on the way in. My go to signal chain in my home studio for vocals is mic->preamp->1176->LA3A. Set the gain staging so the LA3A is more or less in constant GR and the 1176 reacting only to peaks. I've never been able to reproduce that tone and level of musical dynamic control with plugins.

[@reuvenal0]

Why not using two snare tracks: the first is just the mic pre amp, and the second the mic pre amp and the hardware distressor....

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

+Reuven Herszkowicz might try that next!

[@Lepp123]

I use Head Crusher on snares and kicks sometimes vocals.

[@timothymckane6362]

Those drumming skills are awesome.

[@CameronFleury]

Why thank you!

[@fireseed-metal]

nice, that snare reminded me of how the snare sounds on The Agony Scene's album "The Darkest Red". that album has an insane loud and brutally awesome snare sound! I always thought it was just the snare they used, now I'm thinking it was a combination of the snare plus fine tuning and mixing. keep up the good work, Glenn.

[@ianhopkins5016]

When you have someone come in to record things for your KZbin mixes (i.e. drums, bass, guitar, etc.) and product demos/reviews, do you pay them? Or are they just doing it for "exposure?"

[@Stev0BabaGhanoush]

Goddayum that guy’s got some chops.

[@crashdan0783]

Man I am learning so much from you. I've always wanted go play with a compressor to learn. I don't do much with recording, only live work for me

[@PrinceLX]

Merry Christmas! 🎄

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

+Luke Baldwin merry Christmas, Luke!

[@wongsanggar]

Great drummer! Really inspiring...

[@CameronFleury]

thanks Amir! :)

[@roq_itrecordingstudio4152]

Hey Glen! Love your technique for sharing your education with us! I built myself 2 1176 black face and one 1176 blue stripe.. I use them on the way in while tracking a lot... I Love them !!! Thanks again !!

[@MarkBayfieldvillageidiot]

Yeah baby, good video, what a drummer! Go Cam

[@CameronFleury]

Mark Bayfield thanks buddy!

[@KillbotAndGorGorAttack]

This video shows that compression can be good when used carefully. Obviously, loudness war and dynamic squashing can hurt my ears. However, there's a difference between loudness war and light compression that can add punchiness and some warmth to the sound. Thank you, Glenn! By the way, that kick drum sound!! Wow!

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

+Killbot&GorGorAttack!! I'm compressing the individual elements hard. But not killing the final mix

[@NovianLeVanMusic]

Question: I'm a bit confused... Was the software compressor you used transparent/linear? If so, was the point of this video to see how a transparent/linear digital compressor compares to an analog one? There are obviously major discrepancies between the Distressor and the (presumably transparent) software compressor you were using, as you pointed out, but I feel like this wouldn't be the case if you had used the Slate FG-Stress or UAD EL8 plugins, which are both officially licensed. (And calibrating your Distressor to behave more like the Distressor Slate or UAD modeled would further bridge the gap).

[@Tomater768]

WOW! The drums do sound fan-freaking- tastic! I always have preferred using outboard compressors! I was in a studio that had Drawmers and they sounded killer! I do like the sound of the Distressor! Keep on rocking!

[@jasonhoudyschell666]

Cam Fleury ROCKS! Glenn you are a Master. Listening to this through my PA was very impressive! I just punished my neighborhood with a 1500 watts of Cam Fleury.

[@xdeath3037]

You're channel is really helping me alot. I appreciate everything you guys are doing.

[@nicks4802]

Its a Christmas miracle! A video for the drummer in my old band!

[@tristanawild380]

For a course assignment, I once slammed a vocal into a Distressor in British Mode with some early reflections added after. When I demoed my mix, the room echoed in audible gasps when the vox kicked in. Sure do miss having access to thousands of dollars of gear.

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

+Tristana Wild :)

[@tristanawild380]

+acidbath32 Interning for a studio in the 2010s is like a mini version of winning the lottery.

[@BuriedAudioUK]

Check out the art valve compressor, it intrigued me because of the price.

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

+Buried Deep it's awesome!

[@BuriedAudioUK]

SpectreSoundStudios thanks man, there goes my Christmas money

[@mckevrock]

I love the big room sound you get on your drums! Can you explain your reverb plugin/technique?

[@killersajmon]

I actually thought the snare sound was more pleasing to my ears with the software compression. So tight and punchy.

[@rorylondon9534]

I preferred the hardware compression, myself, as it brought out more of the room's sound. The software compression was really dry and bland, IMO.

[@charflord3156]

@@rorylondon9534 I preferred the hardware compression myself, but I thought that the software did a great job as well. Still had good life to it.

[@perrypelican9476]

Sorry forgot to wish you merry Xmas and happy Chanukah and happpppy dapppy new year. Keep bringing your great energy to us. Its so motivating, and believe me, I need all the motivation I can get.

[@Amrovia]

That drummer is a machine!

[@JeffBarberDigideus]

"Cam Flurry" (?) sounds like an engineering term but hes got some awesome skillz. i could have sworn I was listening to Gene Hoglan in places with his work on the ride cymbal and china! Realistically, hardware is like a completely different side of recording that most bedroom guys will only entertain if they are able to drop some serious cash on the equipment. is there some nice hardware sub $150/£100 for the real world guys? I'm about to drop about £1500 on a new computer and audio interface so id be interested in seeing the results for my next investment!

[@CameronFleury]

Jeff Barber wow! Thanks so much for the kind words. I’m humbled to be compared to Hoglan. Cheers!

[@scottriddle5468]

He is a killer drumming force!!

[@devinbuchhorn]

I feel like Cam might have picked himself up a gig or two off that little demo. Killin it

[@carlosbell1132]

Damn that drummer is good ... O.o

[@valonberchtold]

Merry Christmas Glenn, and thank you for all the lessons!

[@GuitarJacksonkvx10]

Hey Glenn, really enjoy watching you Videos. I'm always learning something new. I would love to know what Reaper theme you are using, it looks really clean and not distracting. Thanks Will.

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

+William McCormack fusion beta

[@mikedixon8830]

Entire video is gold.

[@_Doug4l]

Hey Glenn, I wondered if you could do a video comparing how flat wound bass strings sound in a mix as opposed to normal bass strings?

[@yantaran4757]

Merry Christmas, Glenn!

[@stephenbaldassarre2289]

If you plan on doing a video on inexpensive compressors, please include the FMR Audio RNC 1773. I had eight of them for almost a decade, but still have six.

[@schecterseven3894]

Glenn you know your craft . great videos.

[@carleyshark]

I have the art pro vla2 compressor and mpa2 pre amp. If I'm running through the preamp first I'll run both outputs from a channel of the preamp. 1 of those outs will go to my compressor and one will go straight into libe inputs on my interface as a fail safe if I mess up or don't like the compressor settings later

[@jasonstallworth]

Man, night and day difference with the first clip

[@Stefan-]

Wow ! That was some great drumming right there !

[@SoilentGr33n]

So I've been listening to a drum solo for 4 minutes and didn't really realize it. That's musicality.

[@Ouvii]

I thought that the biggest difference between typical analog compressors and most virtual compressors was that hardware units tend to introduce gentle saturation which sounds pleasant. Some plugin makers like Variety of Sound make analog style virtual units that add that gentle saturation. In my experience, the subtle dynamic alterations (or less than subtle if it is a compressor emulation) and the gentle distortion give vocals that full sound and it's noticeably fat on very dynamic sounds like snare drums. I don't own any hardware other than a behringer mic preamp and some budget microphones so i don't really have a way to do a direct comparison, but I'd be willing to bet that the saturation from the hardware distressor is what beats out other software compressors. I mean, I love the stock reaper compressor and how transparent it often is, but that saturation from analog style compressors does sound really nice in most circumstances.

[@Linqua2112]

Lots of great content in this but I was wondering if you would do a follow up going in depth what is going on here? What is the difference in terms of how the waveform is being effected? What are your settings in milliseconds on each compressor? If you used the same compressor pre vs post would there be a difference in sound?

[@caspermaster-com]

Uad/slate stress plugin Vs Hardware at recording???

[@darrylportelli]

A lot of youtube tutorials tell you to set the compressor to fast attack to increase the punch of the snare .... i find that this actually kills the punch and i set it like you're setting it here for slow attack ..... one thing no tutorial has ever mentioned is that a compressor is actually an AMPLIFIER , it is selectively reducing certain parts of the wave but it is also amplifying other parts of the wave with the makeup gain - setting a slow attack on a snare means that the transient goes through and is actually amplified and you can actually see the amplified transient if you have a snare take and then print it with the compressor enabled

[@samuliauno8163]

Wow, those blast beats! Almost like Kai Hahto, nice work!

[@joeybaronstudio]

Recording with comp on the way in does give you better signal to noise ratio, making the ad Hit harder

[@TrevorOkonuk]

But how different would it be to run the snare track out to the Distressor in post? Would that not have the same effect as putting it before the recorder/interface initially?

[@julianyoungsings]

What do you recommend? Sound source into Compressor into interface? OR Compressor as a send/return or as an insert?

[@matthewhill1163]

What I do is record without them, then run each drum through the distressor. I'll also run a mix of the drums through for side stem compression.

[@xsonicassassinx]

i guess all of your efforts to counteract bleed at the source make the compression less of an issue? that would be my main concern. more difficult to gate/tominate if the bleed is compressed in. snare sounds like an explosion though, and i dig that.

[@michaelrawson6261]

Hey Glenn, another great vid, always informative, cool shirt man!

[@redevil200]

Please Glenn, I've been meaning to ask about your I/O setting about your gear but figure it takes a lot of work. Since you're about to add gear, would it be possible to document this and breakdown your gears I/O? Much thanks!

[@kpierce1111]

I still wonder what you'd think about software emulations of the Distressor like Steven Slate's FG-Stress or SKnote's Disto. I think they're pretty damn close and that part of the problem here is that pretty much no other compressor sounds just like a distressor so a software compressor that isn't a distressor emulation is gonna miss by a mile. But then again, I'm a novice, just kinda thinking out loud.

[@DivinityDown]

Hey Glenn, just curious what are some differences in using a rack mount compressor or any effects for that matter vs. using a pedal or pedal board? Could you get similar results using a pedal compressor for instance? Thanks

[@Ninja6485]

What's important about doing it on the way in? Would anything significant be lost if you take a dry track first and then send it through the outboard gear?

[@MarcoPrimeau]

I'm wondering, is the sound so different because since there's a compressor on the way in, Glenn drives the preamp more ? Or the plugin used sucks..?

[@JBauerProject]

Any way you could talk about how you're getting that nice solid kick sound?? I mean, the snare sounds fantastic, but the kick sounds great too. Nowhere in that mix is it lost or displaced. Sweet

[@christophem2001]

I know it’s not related to that video but a comparison between a Peavey Windsor and a Marshall JCM 800 would be great

[@martinmorales3195]

IMO During the first few examples the snare sounded way better when compressed with software. Compressed in the way in sounded like a bombastic out of control mess. The final example sounded great though.

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

+Martín Morales it was tuned higher. Funny mistake tuning for compression

[@marcsoad09]

Hallo Glenn, nice video and merry christmas! I would love to see a fearless gear review about the mooer radar, do think it's possible?!

[@mistdrinker6479]

Hey Glenn have you ever heard of Billy Anderson, Randall Dunn, or Arthur Rizk? They've recorded and mixed some of the greatest records in recent history like Foundations of Burden, Celestial Lineage, and Armor of Ire respectively. If you've heard any of their work I'd love to know what your opinion is.

[@compucat]

Interesting. I'd love to see a comparison between a hardware compressor, a VST emulating that model hardware compressor, and "reamping" the dry recorded signal back through the hardware compressor; that'd narrow down where the magic lies. That's a massive difference in snare sounds, though!

[@nintrevor9040]

Hey Glenn. What's your opinion on bands playing to a metronome at live performances? I know how important it is to play to a click in the studio, but do you think it adds "life" to the performance if the band just play off one another at gigs (provided their drummer can keep a beat)? Also, I'd like to say thank you for the videos. As a high school student considering a career in music, your videos have changed my life. The music industry needs more people like you.

[@instrumentalist28]

My favorite hardware comp, is the slate fg x.....but for mics, I actually use my art tube mp/c, best bang for ur buck hardware, acts as a mic pre and has a compressor, and can also be used as a d.i box, with the valve tube, it makes just about any amp sim I played more "amp like"

[@Hexspa]

Hey, Glenn. Please make a video on your youtube audio levels. I see your content loudness for this video is +0.9. I have some notes about various content and how speech seems to register differently than music. Just wondering if you've honed in on a level. Seems like KZbin doesn't care about "true peak" and, for speech, the target seems around -16.3 LUFSi. Unfortunately, KZbin isn't using any EBU standard.

[@AdamFaulkner375]

Cameron's a sick drummer btw. Also your toms are sounding better lately. If I had to guess, I'd say he told you to stick your drum dial up your arse and tuned them by ear.

[@totaleclipse518]

Hey Glenn, I'd love to see you demo the Warm Audio stuff. I've heard tons of great stuff about the brand.

[@ValentineGoloubev]

Happy New Year, Glenn!

[@BobCorey]

Pheewwww what a drummer...I am wondering though: I usually need to smile up my sm57 like crazy (I do it on a studio master old console I have and I like the results very much, broad 3 band EQ), but didn't have the time to do this test, record flat vs boosted bass and treble (like I'd do later). Is it harder for the DAW to recreate that frequency balance if it's recorded flat? I don't know if it's the good takes that I like or the closer to the final result sound. Been questioning this as in video making, if you record a compressed codec, it's hard to color grade or enhance contrast without introduce artifacts...🙏

[@lfox02]

"There's no undo button" Can't you route the original recording out of Reaper and into the Distressor, or something like that? I believe you did it on the IGS Alter 500 demo.

[@timothyberner9938]

Have you checked out any JLM gear Glenn? I had the chance to use a bunch of their 500 series compressors and their headphone amps. Really great stuff and very reasonably priced!

[@kingzulu5484]

This is exactly what I’ve been looking for. I’ve been literally wondering the answer to this question at the same time looking for that quality in a snare. Overall I think your mixes are great, but I was never thrilled with the snare. This was the missing element, and also was missing in my mixes.

[@sirkayda7205]

In these snare sound examples I prefer the sound of compressing after recording compared to compressing on the way in.

[@Salien1999]

Just one thing I didn't hear you elaborate on. If you don't want the permanence of using a compressor on the way in, why not record dry/through a preamp and then reamp the signal later?

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

+Salien1999 but you DO want it. Commit. It speeds everything up

[@erikarko]

(This might be a stupid question, but what the hell...) What about re-amping the snare-track through the Distressor? Wouldn’t that achieve pretty much the same result, or am I missing something? I know that Warren is a huge fan of “commuting to a sound” (which I admire and try to do as well) and I guess “sticking” with a compressed snare track is part of this?

[@ricorutolo1023]

I noticed that you're using the red one with the snare mic rather than a 512c. I own both pres and am curious what made you go with the Focusrite over the API. I'm using an EV ND44 as my snare mic, not a big sm57 fan.

[@fredrikstennabba]

Oh, oh, oooh please check out the fmr audio rnc! Lots of great talk about them online!

[@rune288]

hey glenn, when you repatch all of your gear could you do an in depth tutorial on patchbays and routing in general. there's a lot of info on the concept of patchbays out there but actually putting it into practice is another matter, and there doesnt appear to be a decent tutorial on the subject anywhere on youtube. thanks

[@jessemccormick5623]

That guy might be one of the greatest drummers I've ever heard.

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

+Jesse McCormick check out his channel!

[@jessemccormick5623]

SpectreSoundStudios Will do! 👍

[@CameronFleury]

thanks dude! :)

[@leothemetal]

Hey Glenn, Just an idea. Nowadays there is such thing as reamping, when you record the guitar raw signal and process it afterward by playing it back through a hardware amplifier. Can you apply the same thing to the compressor? I mean, what if I record an uncompressed signal and run it through compressor afterward? Maybe just for practice. If you are inexperienced sound engineer using the software compressor might be better because of "undo button", but if you use hardware compressor...is it ok to at least to record an uncompressed signal in case you make a bad decision, so you can run it throug hardware compressor later? Greetings from Germany.

[@sendingunit5678]

I've been using a dbx 286s channel strip on vocals before going into the interface, it really helps and it's only 200..

[@daleonov]

Ha, knew it! you do have a compressor after the preamp. I wonder if you ever tried the tehnique with 2 top mics, when both are pointed at the center of the skin, but one is at almost 45 degrees, and second one is closer to about 20. That gives a lot of great tone options as well. UPD: I live that snare tone at the end of the video, but the china drives me nuts. Attack and decay don't sound like they belong to the same cymbal... Did you something new with your room and OH signal chains?

[@hunterjansson3003]

Would you get the same effect if you recorded direct with no compression, and then during mixing, after getting the bleed out of the track, going back and basically reamping the snare through the distressor? Never heard of anyone doing it, but I imagine it would work

[@liamkeaneycomp]

More of this drummer please?? I couldn't find if you said his name or his band in this video. But please link this guys channel if he has one! This guy is such a skilled musician!

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

+bkeaneyboy link is on end screen

[@toki_-_wartooth]

great video! have you ever tried coming out of the box to use hardware compressors , for instance using something like pipeline in studio one v3?

[@Norgz94]

Hey Glenn! Speaking of compression, have you ever used guitar pedals in unorthodox ways? I saw a video of Mick Gordon (composed for the video game Doom 2016) using guitar pedals on synths with some crazy cool results!

[@lloydthehuman6922]

Hey Glen, do you reckon I could get away with a 5 string jazz bass for progressive metal? Would swapping out the pickups (passive squire pups) for the EMG J5 set help?? Thanks

[@rustymetal9648]

Hi Glenn, if you insert a compressor for the snare before recording, doesn't it raise the crosstalk too much? Can you still gate the snare in the mix or clear the snare track otherwise? Thanks

[@lukebogartmix]

I preferred the in-the-box snare, but it might be because of the room sound on the Distressor clip.