How to Choose the Right Compressor

How do you decide between two (or more) compressor plugins? Lemme help.
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[@BassmentBrain]

Thank you so much man I have really been trying to wrap my head around how compression effects my drums and this is the video that made it click.

[@aaronstout6494]

I really appreciate what you do. The accident that is electric guitar breakup is such a beautiful analogy. As with so many music related things, the small imperfection is what makes it.

[@shanklafe2664]

I don't know what I enjoy more, the precious knowledge I get from these videos or Joe's honest and sweet personality. Amazing content man, it's always a great pleasure watching your videos. Thank you for what you do!

[@lavalizard1]

Loved this and the EQ vid Joe - really great explanation..... I’ve sort of stumbled into this decision making - you really helped me understand some of the “when” & “why” considerations better - cheers

[@donmiller2885]

I am new to this and this channel is the BEST. It got me started "out of the box' when other tutorials have left me confused and frustrated. THANK YOU!

[@DadRockAndGuitars]

Great comparison - especially with the attack times! Some compressors can definitely sound more aggressive while others can sound smoother and more refined. And sometimes that depends on what you're compressing.

[@Beatledave7]

Hi Joe, just wanted to say I listened to your resurrected podcast & enjoyed it. It’s something that can be listened to while doing things around the house without missing out on any visual demonstration you may be doing on KZbin, so a worthwhile complimentary thing to do, especially the Q&A 👍

[@briankingart]

Very educational: tone! Thx, Joe! You rock.

[@petegreenfield8366]

Very cool video. Thanks Joe.

[@forsale313]

This helps me a whole lot. Thank you so much

[@AbhisekChakravorty]

This video undoubtedly expanded my horizon, thanks Joe

[@tonytaylor8576]

My favorite use for the stock compressor is to de-ess. I even got the Sibilance free from Waves and like this better.

[@casillasscorer]

I got an analog classics pack for free from Universal Audio, so I had the 1176, LA2a, Fairchild, and a few more, but I didn’t really know when to use what. I just recently started using them more and I love doing a shootout to see what works with what

[@warlanefam]

Hahahah that intro 😎 my all time favourite KZbinr and now he's all over the place!! Thank you, Joe

[@Ksjskalkwvshwjwvqnam]

My favourite compressor is Fabfilter Pro C2. Also I like compressor from Studio One. It works very cool

[@HomeStudioCorner]

I've used the Fabfilter limiter and multi band, and they are sweeeeet. I bet the comp is amazing too

[@chikofalcon1886]

Thanks sir. Youre awesome

[@MrDanee22]

Great video thanks man

[@portuguesebeer5069]

Nice video! Cheers from Portugal 🍺🤘

[@joshuadavison267]

Cool vid, Joe. I tend to like the 1176 for things I want sounding more aggressive and the LA-2A for things I want more smooth or vintage. Especially love the fat channel LA-2A on vocals.

[@HomeStudioCorner]

Yup that sounds about right for me too

[@mrmorpheus9707]

Another Great video joe... Thanx

[@ParthPandya1992]

ooh another great video! Thanks again for the great explanation. Sorry if it's already been asked but do you have a favourite go-to compressor?

[@charlesdufrene6244]

As always, great video and insights!!!

[@danielbellemare3063]

You're a good teacher!

[@Righthaven_Music]

Joe Gilder is the man!!! I really loved this channel especially its content. This really helps me in my music production in my home studio.. I have created a channel featuring also my original music, covers, recording and mixing tutorials where Joe Gilder became my inspiration and influence!!!

[@HomeStudioCorner]

Thanks dude

[@Righthaven_Music]

@@HomeStudioCorner it's my pleasure man! You really change my views when it comes to audio mixing, you gave me more courage in making and producing music in my bedroom studio!!! I really thank you for creating tjis channel, it helps many aspiring musicians like me..

[@chills2447]

Joe, you're the best

[@theiriscen]

Great video. Maybe these difference come from how the developers setup the rms detection of the different compressors ? As in, some compressor hit more of the body of the signal, while other hit more of the peaks, regardless of how low you set your threshold

[@officialWWM]

You are exactly right about guitar tone. Great tone was discovered by accident :)

[@Randrewk1]

Your videos have been a huge help me in my journey to learn recording and mixing. I have an unrelated(to this video) question in studio one. When i use guitar plugins and try to record there’s always latency no matter what my buffer settings are. I’m using an AudioBox iTwo as my interface. I don’t experience nearly as much latency if any at all with the same set up in GarageBand. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

[@matthewgale1458]

Along the line of your story with the guitar amps: The birth of distortion came by accident at the Grand Ole Opry in 1960/1961. If I remember the story correctly, Marty Robbins & his band was unloading their equipment just minutes before they had to be on stage. His bass guitar man dropped his amp by accident, leaving it with a "never heard before" sound coming from the speaker. As luck/misfortune had it, one of the songs Marty had on his set list for that night was "Don't Worry About Me". With no time to run and get/borrow another amp, they decided to go ahead and play the show as-is. When they did the turn around after that first chorus, the crowd jumped to their feet and cheered. Right after that show, they took the amp to the studio the next day and cut that very song. The rest as they say, is all history.

[@HomeStudioCorner]

Yes!! I heard that story recently on the JHS show. So cool.

[@barisaxx4493]

My opinion. The compressed sound got popular for the same reason the tube sound (whatever that is) got popular. It’s all we had. Compressors were necessary to keep from over driving the medium-whether that was a recording system (keep the tape from saturating, keep the LP from causing the stylus to skip out of the groove, keep from over-modulating the radio signal). Now we consider them necessary despite improving dynamic range in our systems by tens of dB. But they sure are cool toys!!

[@slowbrain8869]

I was waiting for this

[@HomeStudioCorner]

😊

[@pronavsandhu]

Joe guilder is now body builder. always amazing tips

[@HomeStudioCorner]

Wha??

[@DeepFriedHallelujah]

I’m in full agreement that’s exactly what I got out of this video. Good eye!

[@carymichaelayers6803]

Guitar amp and compressor histories I believe are linked....and yeah in the beginning they pushed the amps to like 8 when my dad learned to play and they tried to push it just to the distortion point. Then, they gave up LOL..... EMBRACE THE CRUNCHINESS!!! Gave into the Crunchy Side..... what ever. Now it is the sound, complete with tube hum button and adjustment levels...... sorry now I went off on a tangent. I am watching all the vids now, and am catching up as you can see. Thanks for the insights Joe!

[@shawnlutz7008]

Great video Joe. I typically use the various UAD's LA2A and 1176's as well as a Warm Audio 1176 hardware clone but I gave the PreSonus Fat Channel compressor a shot and I was impressed, its pretty good stuff. I do like UAD but if I didn't get their Analog Classic plugins bundled with an Apollo I wouldn't really need to spend any money on compression as the Fat channel is really that good. I do like having the multiple options though. I have an outboard analog chain of WA stuff, 1073-EQ, 1176 and Pultec Tube EQ that I usually prefer as I like old school knobs but you can get excellent results in the box with Studio One without any other purchases really.

[@HomeStudioCorner]

Yeah I'm gonna be doing some comparisons with the fat channel and UAD stuff. And that Warm Audio stuff looks soooooo good.

[@afumkoranteng5973]

Hey man you look different in a good way. Keep up with the good work

[@DJILLEE]

Not sure if I just missed it but I didn't hear you mention vca, fet or opto which make it easy for choosing what you're looking for. FET is generally a really fast attack, vca is more adjustable but usually a really "spitty" sound so it can add a tone of punch and opto or optical are generally slower and more gentle. Your video explains the difference very well but you didn't put a name to the different styles. The FET comp is obviously a FET compressor modeled after the 1176, The Tube P1b is an opto modeled after a Tube-Tech CL1B and the Classic compressor is a VCA comp which looks to be modeled after the Neve 33609. All great comps for different things and sometimes its great to use them stacked. Great vid as always! Just wanted to break it down for newbies.

[@TerenceKearns]

Today was literally the day I figured out when to use the 1176 style compressor on fat channel. I had a vocal from a live stage performance that was rediculously punchy. I think it had some to do with the mic and some with the vocalist. The fast attach on the 1176 really tamed it. I just had to get the drive and the theshhold right. Very happy with the result. Wish I'd figured this out earlier. Been using the LA2A emulator to bring out punch. That fat channel is unreal. My fav plugin. the Pultec simulator is also great for punch.

[@DaveWestGuitar]

I do neoclassical/hard rock instrumentals and the 1176 plug-in on the main lead guitar has really helped me to get the guitar to stand out without cranking it's volume to a dominating level.

[@HomeStudioCorner]

I used to be a naysayer, thinking I could get the same results out of a stock compressor, but there's something special about the 1176 you just can't get from using the "same settings" on a regular comp.

[@johannesnystad1355]

This video is so much about compression, that even the video got over-compressed. Jokes aside, great content man. I enjoy watching these!

[@davejohnsonmusic]

Pay attention to the attack and release knobs on those 1176 emulations... the fast and slow settings are usually reversed compared to most other compressors.

[@HomeStudioCorner]

Tricky tricky

[@Bumpy322]

Bruh I thought I was crazy 🙏🏾

[@StrangeXP]

You the man!

[@resslerartstudios]

From all that Ive read, and the Beatles always as my reference, it is clear that EQ and compression are the main first thing to go to whether on a input signal or after during a mix. Your thoughs on this Joe?

[@joejurneke9576]

Hey Joe, have you been successful using "compressor" in side chain to gate out bleed?

[@officialWWM]

Hey Joe, do you know if it is possible to put song lyrics into Studio One and have them scroll along with the chord changes?

[@SHTMusik]

I have heard that damaged speakers in the amps also helped bring us some of the first distortion.

[@davidasher22]

SHT musik that’s what I remember hearing too

[@nicoman3567]

hi Joe great job with comparaison with the two sorts of comp in studio one, also, it should have been better with no EQ engaged in the fat channel witch give an extra color and tone in the tube comp, great job anyway, love all your videos keep going, see ya By

[@mojomood2888]

I like the vintage sound of analog compressor

[@brettmarlar4154]

Are these other compressors available on the Artist version of Studio One 4?

[@menelik23dedon]

u know that genre of music you do, modern country or what ever but its very hard to do, i grew up listening to country, but still didn't understand about the sound, but listening to you sing and record i understand more, i have this reggae song that i tried to add country to but was not successfull, what tips do you have?

[@stupendousmusic4190]

Hi I'm ...🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Like the video. It was great meeting you at NAMM❗️👍🏻

[@Maksitto]

Hi Joe! Did you add something to your voice sound at 0:30?) Seems like it starts to sounded warmer from that point )

[@joelmullett]

What do you think is the best compressor for loud vocals?

[@lbthlakhaitha9788]

Thanks

[@marklondon2008]

Well done for getting the Presonus gig. They're a great company and you're a very good teacher. Sorry, that was a bit creepy crawly!

[@Pologenius1]

Hey Joe, Big fun of your tutorials. Do have a comprehensive tutorial on the how all the compressors sound in the Fat channel? Please send a link if you do. Thanks!

[@AtTheSourceStudios]

Very happy with my ART VLA II but really like all of Cubase compressors as well. Cubase plugins can compete.

[@HomeStudioCorner]

👍

[@robertsteinberger5667]

Can someone recommend a good compressor for iphone with audiobus connection?

[@robburgess4556]

If anything, the 1176 on the fat channel has a slower attack than the original hardware. I've always heard that the fast attack was measured in micro-seconds (I don't recall hearing where the slower attack measured at)

[@joshuadavison267]

The fat channel 1176 attack is from 800 microseconds to 20 microseconds. So probably pretty close to some of the hardware '76s.

[@EHall-zj9zy]

Hey Joe. If I move an event vertically, how can I ensure that it didn’t nudge slightly to the right or left when I drop it in the new track?

[@futurebeats898]

Ctrl x, down/up arrow, crtl v Aka. Copy paste

[@incaroads001]

Get ON with it.

[@claudianreyn4529]

Haha! You have the same habit as me! Going off track in discussions! :D

[@prashunthapa1704]

thank u sir....

[@HomeStudioCorner]

👊

[@Jaburu]

why not just throw in a tape saturation plugin for the analog sound? or use a DAW which has it build in like Harisson Mixbus

[@wildvinesmusic]

Is there a transparent all purpose compressor? I thought the RNC1773 lived up to its name back in my console days.

[@HomeStudioCorner]

Those RNCs were cool. I've found typically the stock compressors in the DAW are transparent/vanilla.

[@davidnika446]

Hi- This is Joe from Presonus Studio Corner... ;)

[@resslerartstudios]

Are things okay with you tornado wise?

[@bboymac84]

So it’s a tone game with compressors then?

[@LossLeadas]

I love stock Eq with graph better..they all seem to sound the same

[@coolvibesradio3267]

how to choose the right saturation?

[@BlackwellAudio]

6:38 "Snare drums trigger me" Yeah, a bad snare triggers me too

[@cornycornhole]

Where can i get that fet comp, the black one at 9:08 ?

[@HomeStudioCorner]

It’s included with Studio One

[@cornycornhole]

@@HomeStudioCorner I will have to look again, thanks for taking time to reply .

[@mbstudio89]

100.000!

[@groovestochaos8138]

13:01 - "I don't know how fast these attack times are on these compressors..." - Here's a little tip: On Studio One stock compressors, if you right click on the knob, it brings up a menu for the knob - at the top of which is the speed of the attack/release, numerically. More importantly, bacon is delicious when crispy.

[@HomeStudioCorner]

You are a fountain of wisdom

[@groovestochaos8138]

@@HomeStudioCorner is that what they call that stuff spewing from my rear?

[@ZaryaMain]

Speech ends around 5:03

[@carloscarrasco5774]

It was entertaining though

[@Anci3ntRobot]

Im listening . its a good speech :)

[@daner36]

Shouda came here sooner to save 5 mins

[@hcmusic101]

Thanks for telling me, I was about to bail on this.

[@profd65]

Maybe you should get checked for ADD or some other mental disorder if that's a "speech" to you, and something to avoid. Maybe stay off the computer for awhile; it might help your attention span.

[@joshguthriemusic8090]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@MortenAndersen-hjemmesider]

Off topic: Is dueling mixes dead? can only see log in No info or registration?

[@HomeStudioCorner]

Yep. Closed down.

[@MortenAndersen-hjemmesider]

@@HomeStudioCorner Then I have to find multitracks somewhere else. Need to practice :-)

[@BojanBojovic]

The famous "all EQs are the same" means that all EQs are just a frequency curve editors, other than added saturation they are all the same in that respect. Some EQs can recreate many frequency curves so that is why people stopped being religious about EQs no matter the model, simply using a powerful parametric EQ should be enough for almost any situation so in that respect there is really no need for any mythical EQ we all know and love. With that being said some EQs have some nice "preset" frequencies and curves that we like to call musical so choosing those can be easier as parametric EQ can lead us to many dangerous setups so they are not for beginners. 👍

[@RKSarathy]

Your snare breaks my teeth😉

[@sprague49]

0:26 "First world problems" LOL -a good reminder for us all.

[@sm5574]

Theoretically all EQs should sound the same. If you put a signal through an EQ and don't boost or cut anything, then you should (theoretically) hear the original signal. If you boost 1K by 3dB with a Q of 0.5, then you should hear exactly a 3dB boost of 1K with a Q of 0.5 (that is, no other frequencies touched at all beyond that mathematically determined bell). And in the digital world, we are absolutely capable of making plugins that do that. But back in the day in the analog world they weren't able to do that, and plenty of EQs attempt to emulate those analog imperfections.

[@DJayFreeDoo]

What's missing from all these 1176 emulations is a "lookahead" feature to compensate for them being slower to react than the hardware. I have yet to come across a 1176 emulation that can grab the transients as fast as the real deal.

[@HomeStudioCorner]

Interesting.

[@chaddonal4331]

Have you demo'd the Purple from Plugin Alliance?

[@Daviddosi]

Have you tried Uad Mk2 collection?

[@DJayFreeDoo]

@@chaddonal4331 no but i have tried the ones from softube (FET compressor), waves cla-76, the three from slate VMR and the one from studio one fat channel.

[@davidnika446]

I have an idea for you, to create your own lookahead: Duplicate the track. Advance the new copy by a few milliseconds (however long you want your lookahead to be). Then send a sidechain from the track that you pushed forward to the compressor on the original track. Heck, you could even render the compressed track, and retain the original. Makes sense?

[@coreyroberts47]

Interesting...

[@chrisstevens2069]

In a bassy tone: "Hey this is Joe Gilder from home studio corner" Then in a octave higher: "Hey this is Joe Gilder from Presonus" 😂😂 you changed keys between the takes I'm only teasing I'm huge fan of your work

[@AlexRossiharmonica]

its ok don't worry,, ;-) hi...

[@allengoyne]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZSpep1uhNp8e6s 1951's Rocket 88 by Jackie Brenston had the first distorted electric guitar, the amp fell out of the car on the way in to the session in Memphis and was held together with newspapers, had busted up the speaker, probably messed up the tubes too. But it sounded cool! Ike Turner was the leader.

[@DukeDamnChin]

huh, this entire time i've been using these ancient ass firestudio projects I thought they were pronounced pre-SAU-nus, not pre-SOH-nus welp that one's on me.

[@Gwyll_Arboghast]

i dont care about the tone of an amp, or an eq. it is what it is

[@ronnieparfait]

Hey Joe I don’t normally email my friends so you have to give me your phone number instead.

[@DeadlyMixKrew]

Not that it invalidates the point but your ratios aren't equal. That's obviously gonna make a difference on brightness/thickness.

[@PANTA-Music]

This is also exactly why people uses degradation filters on their music, like vinyl or wow & flutter. To get rid of the clean perfection as its imperfection is actually perfection as well. Same with guitar amps and compressor. I do wonder what drives that 'imperfection' for people though. I have the same, but not sure if I like the sound better, or just because it triggers a sense of nostalgia in me. Maybe both. I don't know. It's deep, that's for sure. Ask somebody why they like bananas over strawberries. The answer is too complicated to actually explain. Something to do with sensory input in the brain, etc. It is what it is. That's why some of these discussions 'which is better', is completely nonesense.

[@yamansitar6153]

why all the chat. get on with it ,hahaha

[@QLFProductions]

Presonus compressors sounds way better, especially the blue one.

[@AudioReplica2023]

Who else went back to the previous video to find that comment?🙋🏾‍♂️😂

[@HomeStudioCorner]

😂

[@sergeyleps8492]

What is the most FUNNY - NO ONE of the "Professionals on KZbin", as well as the developers of Presonus themselves, over the years have not even seen or heard such a GREAT Error in this compressor .. This is such a Shame for Everyone! And says that - "Hey - are you all doing your own thing?"))) So - as soon as I bought the S1-6 version, and just for the sake of interest I launched Their own 1176 - I instantly heard a Serious Error in their plugin. I immediately wrote to Support about it and They agreed with me that this is really an ERROR / Bug! We are talking about NOT correct compression in 4:1 and 20:1 modes. These modes work perfectly Reverse! Not only that - in their document on the website in the First version, these values were also located on the reverse (where it is now 20:1 - there was a 4:1 button) .. They changed the buttons in places - and the Compression remained the same for the "old" locations of these buttons .And now think - so WHAT have you squeezed and heard all these years there?))))) It's all very funny to me.

[@joejurneke9576]

Vintage compressors are warmer than modern systems.....

[@DeadlyMixKrew]

How compression works: This will sound dumb at first but stay with me. It'll give you a good visual of the whole process before its done... Imagine your being attacked by... idk... a memory foam mattress. Your feet are at OdB. The length of your arms is the threshold How much you're gonna push back is the ratio. Attack is how fast you're gonna react as this mattress comes at you Hold is how long you're gonna keep your arms out after you push, and release is the speed you bring your arms back to you. Now, with that established, go actually push on memory foam. Notice that, as you push, it COMPRESSES. If you pay closer attention you'll notice that , while not reaching as far out as it does before you compress it, the DENSITY has increased considerably. That's how compressors affect the tone of your audio.

[@DeutschlandGuy]

I have no idea what you are talking about. 🤔

[@grandentrance7270]

But presonus has such baddd customer serviceeee, theyll out u on hold for 45 mins, then give u a jamblya recipe then after 15 more mins theyll just say they cannot help u

[@PANTA-Music]

You either had a grumpy employee as we all experience at times, Your problem did had anything to do with their product even if you believe it was, or your question/explanation was too vague for them to comprehend. Anyhow, whatever it was. Just try again, word it differently and show what you have done, or anything that will help them too. In my experience, Presonus customer service helped me greatly as I have provided several files, screenshots, explanations and what happened, and what I already have done. They recognized a bug and a version later it was fixed. It was as simple as that. In practice, customer services are highly allergic to people who are rude, or don't invest time in proper troubleshooting. Some customers expect to get a solution after a (rude) one line sentence describing their problem and/or are tired to follow the standard steps. In such cases they give you a figuratively middle finger. Rude, or not. It's a two way road, even if you are sure it's a Presonus problem. How many time I've read people's complaints (in a sort alike job) where they just say: Customer "You guys suck. I bought *** and it doesn't work. At all. Fix it, or I want my money back. Cs: I am sorry to hear that. What exactly happens? Please follow this procedure: ***** Customer: Ffs, stop using these standard shitty replies and help me. I just did what I normally do. Cs: And what do you normally do? Customer: F you guys. I returned it as being broken. You did not helped me at all. I will never buy your brand again... And I will make sure my friends neither. Cs: (behind the screen) wtf just happened? Not saying you did that. But just wanting to say, you cannot just go online and tell a customer service is bad because you had one bad experience. Just try again, if you are certain it's not a user problem. If it is, try to do everything to rule that out. Cheers.

[@sevchyk]

The video starts at 5:04. Thank me later...

[@FreestyleGalaxyNMore]

All frequencies are the same!!!

[@skyhawk77]

Your titles in your recent videos over the past month are misleading, because pretty much everything is about how you personally work in Studio One, that may be entirely different to another user. You completely skip over things.. so really your videos are not instructional based per see as you would read from an instruction manual...and as other Studio One youtubers have demonstrated. "How I Choose the Right Compressor", "How I Use The Console Mixer", ect would be more appropriate. Otherwise keep up the good work... ;-)

[@HomeStudioCorner]

I don't know how to teach anything other than the way I do things. 😂

[@jackemoberts]

Way to much Blablabla. Interesting Part starts at 5:00

[@profd65]

Get checked for ADD, brah. Maybe stay off the computer awhile; you have no attention span.