How To HEAR COMPRESSION - Music Production

[@slapsilla7858]

can I just say how much I value him showing what compression actually sounds like rather than telling me how to turn knobs and examine waveforms.

[@bruellbart2380]

This!

[@idontknow-xf8uk]

Thank you so much Your channel is the best and so helpful

[@CPMusic254]

He explains and shows how and why, others just make you cram values that you don't get explanations on why. hes just awesome.

[@Questary]

@@idontknow-xf8uk his channel is very Helpful

[@Questary]

@@bruellbart2380 Indeed

[@azomyte]

This guy could talk complete gibberish but his voice would still make me feel like everything's gonna be ok

[@pastorkspeaks]

FACTS!!! LOL

[@Mr.Cactoos.]

coz he know how to compress his audio.. :P

[@ar_snl]

Seriously.

[@Memper]

He could literally tell you he's gonna murder ya but still feel like everythings gonna be ok lol

[@vfxgolden]

FR LMFAO

[@Azerothz3on]

Can't believe all these Michael's videos are for free.... thanks Michael.

[@Questary]

Yah If I Was Him People Would Be Paying 50 Dollars For one Word I Said If I was Micheal lol

[@Windklang705]

yeah Michael is insanely generous

[@brushot]

Well there is ads

[@brushot]

But that's okay

[@_XRMissie]

One thing I do love about all these tools, is that if you REALLY wanted to, you could just do all this stuff manually through automation, even if it'll take until the heat death of the universe. I'm glad you mentioned that at 7:47. Folks, don't be afraid to push a compressor harder either. There's a time and a place to crush the life out of dynamics, but most importantly... If it sounds good to you in the context of the mix and the genre, keep it.

[@Questary]

Yah I Could Not Have Said It Better Myself

[@ericmaher4756]

A combination of both with local compression or even locally adjusting volume on the most extreme spots would also maximize the naturalness of the sound when that’s what you’re looking for.

[@_XRMissie]

@@ericmaher4756 This, exactly this. Nothing can beat a human touch when it comes to music dynamics. Sure, put in a compressor to squish the sound a bit, but in sections of a song where you need those dynamics, a simple automated volume adjust before the compression stage (with perhaps a makeup gain stage after compression) will do wonders.

[@dd23537]

6:56 Micheal: "Getting this to sit, IN THE MIX..." 😉🤣

[@bernardmenigon3162]

I was surprised when I realised you actually made me close my eyes for a few seconds. Very relaxing experience in these days of computer dominance.

[@normallochie7390]

It took me at least four or five separate views of this video over the course of a few weeks to actually hear the difference but now it's so obvious. I can't wait to use this in my mixes, thanks so much.

[@thomasshaw3760]

I was in a trap of looking at the needle more than listening to the result. Meters are useful, but they can tie you to the 'rules' too tightly and mixing by eye instead of ear. I think when I started, I was struggling to hear what compression was really doing, but then did some research and a whole lot of listening, and the results are all the better for it. Glad to hear you're hearing progress. Nice listening exercise and great channel 👍

[@pheenix5653]

I really need this because I just put OTT on everything

[@yony_music]

lol😂

[@ALEX-RAXI]

Oh no. It's spreading!

[@JanithHarinda]

You are a Dubstep Guy

[@radioptix4305]

No bad thing!

[@mythism3467]

OTT is a compressor that just glues up the dynamic range and doesn't sound good on drums

[@BigToker420]

I was literally just looking for a video like this. What amazing timing

[@perfectpitch2506]

Me 2.Looks like god tells him on the next topic for the video😂😂

[@Questary]

Nice

[@unquieteagle4953]

Me too

[@Windklang705]

It was requested a lot - I think it's amazing how he comes back to the actual needs of his community. He really cares for us

[@manishmaity]

This person is the best mentor I swear. Have been following these two guys since there were maybe 200 300 followers in this channel. The best thing is - The neat way Michael puts up things. The cleanliness & attention to details is what I simply admire the most. If you like things clean, this is the best place to learn. ** Honestly I can already visualise where this channel is going go down the line. Just don't know when I can be back in music with so much passion & break this pattern of traditional 9 to 5 job Anyways, Loads and loads of love ♥️ God bless

[@Questary]

He Is And I Should Just Say This Micheal Deserves 10 Million Subs

[@Windklang705]

It's amazing to see people who have been sticking around from the very beginning! Do you know there is an established community Michael built on Discord? If you are interested, you can find Michael's invite link on his video about free instrument plugins from June 20th. Id love to meet u there

[@Matell]

I love how you explain mixing, it's not overwhelming for me

[@valleysoundboy]

These brilliant tutorials are helping me get much better results. Your skills as a teacher are pretty incredible. Thanks man.

[@erichschlender857]

IMO you do a better job of explaining how compression works than any other video I’ve found on KZbin. Thanks!!

[@YouTubeHandlesAreMoronic]

Very helpful presentation. What strikes me is that, like an overly-amplified speaking voice, an overly-compressed speaking voice becomes less engaging, and easier to "tune out" or ignore. For me, the organic rise and fall in human speech draws me in.

[@redybelve7314]

Thank you, man! I've been producing for a few months now, and as a complete beginner, I had the bad habit of copying compression settings I saw on KZbin without really understanding what was happening. Most of the time, this resulted in terrible leveling. However, this video about compression helped me the most. It taught me to properly use my ears and understand how to adjust the compressor knobs as needed in each specific case. Big thanks again! 🙏

[@dimitriskovaios]

I am really glad that in your two videos about compression, you don't talk about gain automation of the tracks! Fixing bits of a recorded take feels more like an actual performance enhanced with processors. Why keep a really bad take and turn it into something completely different after all? Very nice and informative videos about compression, thank you for sharing!

[@4.0.4]

Thanks for making a large difference to show what to hear for, and still say it's ok if we can't hear the difference. This really cleared up what to hear for, and made me feel a bit less dumb!

[@chrisricetopher21]

This stuff is invaluable. 100% my new favorite channel…. And I watch an ungodly amount of other people’s content lol

[@Questary]

I Listened To You Speak And Explain How to Listen To Compression And It Helped Me Son Much With My Instrumentals, they No More sound Like Some OverHead Beats That an Make our ears Bleed, Even Though You Explain To Us How To Hear It But It Helped Me Know How To Compress And Make My Music Sound Like Music Thank You So Much Micheal God Bless You Man! Micheal You totally Deserve each And Every Subscriber You Get, And I Am One Of Them To Let You Know Because Not Only Did I Sub but I Am Officially A Fan Boy, I Will Do What It Takes to Make Sure People Know more About You, The Get Information From The Music You Make And They Truly Realise That Music is More Than Just Beats Put Together Its Art That A Person Like You Can Explain I Wish i Could Meet up With You In Real Life And Steal Your Knowledge From your Brain because As A Teenager My Music Does Not Compare to Anything You Are Making Literally my Music On My Channel is Just Absolute Rubbish, But As I Learn from you In The Course Of 2 months I Finally Can Say You Are A Music KING In MY World #Inthemix

[@WhoIsQuestary]

Good

[@zaneleafellowgirl5701]

Good to Know He also Helps me

[@abashwevibes3217]

yah He Helped ME As Well

[@crimecoastparadise9856]

Yah He helped ME Make Proper Music

[@rockstarsouth5648]

Yah I Heard our Music It Sounds Amazing

[@eusebioraulucsantos9139]

This is actually the first video that i watched on "how to hear compression" that actually uses compression in the context of the mix, thank you for that!

[@peterlepahin]

I thought I saw all of your videos already, but I've just discovered a few I missed, including this gem! Thank you for the great examples and all these tutorials, they are fantastic!

[@joeyrabz1616]

You are amazing Michael... I've always heard people explain concepts of tuning music but never really grasped what knobs I needed to tweak to get a certain sound and feel.. I just got it now. Again man🙏 thank you. I recommend you to people.

[@Fatfingertunes]

Always so helpful... I've always been so heavy handed with compression, not really understanding fully the more subtle aspects. Thanks again, my friends think I'm a genius.

[@phadrus]

This is one of the best compression tutorials on the Internet. Great job and I come back and listen to this every once in a while to tune my ears better.

[@inthemix]

Thanks Chris! When you start applying it to your own tracks, it'll probably all make a lot more sense :)

[@frubo_ssg]

One of the best audio channels on YT I found within >1 year of searching - profound and easily understandable explained. Thank you so much Michael for sharing your nowledge with us.

[@petersim6725]

So great to see you working with IL now, well deserved!

[@Windklang705]

agreed!

[@amikojean]

Expertly made lessons with music examples pleasant as well as educational to the ears : )

[@mikehynz]

From one teacher to another, you are a very good teacher. Thanks

[@Windklang705]

From a third teacher: I agree.

[@ammartarakji8553]

This tutorial came at the right time. I did a DJ set today, then processed it before uploading, but I think I ruined some of the parts completely. This is definitely a necessary video to understand compression and make better music in the future.. Thank you! 🙏🏼

[@charleswhitacre8802]

I was just looking this up and now the best mixing tut series posts a video about it! Hell yeah!

[@Windklang705]

It was requested a lot in the past. Michael is listening close to the communities needs

[@jimcassler]

This is very useful and helpful, truly gives me an understanding both visually and sonically what compression does!

[@briankingart]

Very worthwhile time spent here, learning compression. Thanks, Michael, again!

[@Shaedytm]

Great job Michael. I have been waiting for a video like this especially after watching your video on compression. Keep up the good work :)

[@SilentTravelers]

Dude, this is so good! Thank you for the thorough explanations and using examples that can be heard easily! For anyone that is completely new to compression or just trying to further your understanding of compression, I highly recommend you watch this video! Really gets into the nitty gritty details while keeping things so simple and easy to follow.

[@Questary]

I Wish he Had Around 10 Million Subscribers Because Honestly People Need To Know What he is Explaining

[@Windklang705]

@@Questary Quality over Quantity - that's Michael

[@eggladoid2215]

Damn that lofi was so chill 😍 i love longer videos like these

[@Questary]

Yes These Longer Videos Of is Actually Are Very Fun To Listen To

[@buzlanes]

Just looked 5 minutes ago on your channel and bam now new video 😄

[@yony_music]

magic✨

[@Windklang705]

Always a treat xD

[@stupidrainbo]

OMG I want to hear the end product so bad, that guitar track added so much emotion to the track, and the tape slowing effect between measures was just *mwah*. Everytime you played it I just closed my eyes and shook my head like "damn, it's so good"

[@inthemix]

Thank you! This piece was really fun to produce, it all just happened in one evening. I’m going to try and find the project or remake it after reading your comment :)

[@stupidrainbo]

@@inthemix Hell yes!

[@Nawer_Rapter]

I spent like an entire day rumbling around videos about compression and -now- I understand what it actually does in the hear side I really tought I was going to struggle with this one sound topic but you made just the thing I needed thanks a lot, you're really helpful, in all your vids

[@inthemix]

You’re not alone in finding it confusing. It really is challenging to hear and more importantly know if you are making a positive difference or simply changing the sound! It’ll get easier in time, I assure you :)

[@DEADLINETV]

Very clear and helpful! I have to admit, when you turned of all the effects for the guitar it actually added in a nice way to the overall LoFi feel of the track. Felt like you were just sitting there playing guitar in the window sill on a rainy day.

[@inthemix]

Yeah I think retaining some of the dynamics does certainly sound better!

[@Windklang705]

I love how over time with all your videos and explanations I have learnt to hear a lot of stuff without actually doing production myself. This helps me a lot to communicate with my collaboration partners since I can feedback our own collaboration better as well as understand what absolutely amazing skill set they need to do what they do.

[@auralsunrays9229]

Another great video! Nice loop you made there. The way you make seeing and hearing compression possible here should be very useful for many. For me personally, compression was the most difficult effect to fully understand and hear properly when i started to get into professional music production.

[@appltron1827]

I literally get so hyped every time you upload. Thank you so much for all you do for us ❤️

[@Questary]

I Too Feel That Hype And Amusement

[@Windklang705]

And he is doing so much more! If you wanna connect with Michael and his community more, I'd love to invite you over to his Discord Server where the community is vividly engaging. If you are interested you can find an official invite on Michael's video on free Instrument plugins from June 20th. I would love to meet you there.

[@h.x.e.official]

Thank you Michael, your videos have been really good and informatical for learning. I just signed a release for my track in a record label, which is amazing because I just started and bought FL studio on April 2020 :) I have studied a lot from your videos. Even my genre is different, your channel provides valuable information for all who are interested of music producing.

[@terrybarnett4109]

Fantastic video...thank you. You have simplified something that is so often presented in ways that the effect on the audio is hard to discern. Much appreciated.

[@theriddick2735]

I always struggled to grasp shat the attack and release of compression was for but this has really helped me understand what they're for. Huge thanks for the tutorial.

[@raghuveerrintu]

Hey Micheal I have been following you guys from years and I really love how you guys mastered the art of making music.i have been through your progression and I really love the videos you made on how did your filmed your song "Sparks",how you have build your studio yourself from scratch..etc, But am really Sad that None of the videos are available now. Those videos inspired me to step into making Music. Please make all of them available Brother.

[@avamomoh]

Holy smokes, I already knew compression but this is the best explanation for compression on the internet. And you should put that in the title

[@mitch60mccoy]

Wow. Thank you for making compression use in both vocals and instruments (guitar) so clear! The video was a bit long, but it needed to be. Great verbal, visual, and audio descriptions to make it very understandable. Well done! I've been struggling to understand compression, but after watching your video, I think I really understand the big picture for the first time. And I also appreciated your approach to making each track or instrument work within the context of the total recording. Great, great video! Thank you again.

[@sidvicious332]

Rendering it to make a visual is brilliant.

[@theycallmeheat]

*these* are the videos we need!!!

[@Postinit]

All these Ear training videos are really great keep up the good work Michael :)

[@geoffdavis9681]

This is the best explanation of compression I've heard. Thanks Michael!

[@idanshilv3565]

Finally understood compression and how to hear it, thanks Michael!

[@Windklang705]

Congratulations! Now we gonna hear u compress stuff

[@PevsnerOG]

This video was very clear and helpful. Your descriptions of what to listen out for were so good I could clearly hear the differences even on my mobile. Thanks.

[@laurynadel8782]

thank you so much for your videos!!! this is the first channel I've stumbled upon that actually explains things in ways where I can absorb the information as a concept :') you are empowering your viewers by imparting such knowledge!! other videos just tell me how to turn knobs and stuff like that. but after watching your videos I feel a lot more confident in my understanding and I'm excited to try this in different ways. THANK YOU A MILLION TIMES ❤️

[@laurynadel8782]

like I can't believe this is for free. im gonna cry hahaha

[@inthemix]

Thanks Lauryn! That is my intention so I'm glad it's working :)

[@pixelmusic3121]

In the mix is such a great channel Where you get the secrets which other producers don't disclose

[@architectofathanasia]

Perhaps it's because I have a better understanding of compression (or at least I think I do...) after a couple years of music production but I'd say this is one of the best explanations of compression I've seen. Great video, Michael!

[@Windklang705]

Michael is a legend.

[@perfectpitch2506]

Never clicked faster in life Edit:Today I was looking for how to hear compression and set your ears for hearing mixing! Thanks Mike❤❤

[@santosh_and_music]

Thank you so much....need a full video on mixing .. so that we can know what to do at start and how to make everything bonded and when to take care of phase issues.. so that we can follow same path while doing any song

[@santosh_and_music]

Questary He has short quick videos and mixing breakdowns.. but a longer video on mixing starting from zero “volume balance” and sequentially talking about next problem and a plugin to solve it.. explaining the steps we can follow for a complete mix.. you know what i mean!

[@daemilee1497]

finally found the tutorials I needed! :D I was able to engage training my ears because of this, and the ways you use words to describe a certain sounds made me understand this course more

[@minershurman]

Finally after 6 years of self learning someone explains things like their should be. Thank you for you work❤

[@NoisieBastrdd]

i find compression to be the most challenging aspect of music production. Your videos are helping so so much you have no idea. From the bottom of my heart, thank you Mike

[@Robay146]

Great topic selection Mike.

[@Gnosticpriest]

This is perfect tutorial Michael I struggle with my compression and sometimes I don't even know what's causing the clipping but this video has just pointed out alot to me

[@mike201914]

this is the type of video i have been searching for. what am i actually trying to hear when compressing vocals.

[@irakliscode]

I think, that's my first comment on youtube video in my whole life and i just wanted to tell you - Thank you so much!

[@tusharjamwal]

Something that helped me a lot is messing around with envelopes on synths to develop an ear for what the attack and release does because the compressor is essentially shaping the envelope of the sound you are putting it on. The key difference is that the synth envelope starts when it receives the "note on" signal and it moves immediately to the release portion of the envelope when it encounters the "note off" signal. With a compressor that is not the case.

[@sweetgeorgiebrown6143]

Great content. It just goes this one level deeper than other beginner content, yet is still understandable due to great presentation. Thanks

[@JuergenFrey]

I produce music since years, but for the first time I can understand some very important things much better. And the lack of understanding was not, because I didn't look for education in this area before. But your tutorials are outstanding. Thank you so much!

[@contraslaps]

This is the best explanation I've ever encountered on compression in my 10 years of producing/watching tutorials. Thank you for being so thorough and spreading your knowledge!

[@varao.offiziell]

Hey, you have help me so much in the last time! Thank you so much for your helpful videos. With your tipps my new songs are soooo much better in quality

[@stephaneolivier9311]

A great video that helped me HEAR what compression does to the sound. But, why do I prefer the uncompressed guitar?

[@trevor8764]

I really enjoyed this video. you always find ways to break down something complex and make it understandable. now I will not be afraid of compressors. can you do a video on multiband compression? I always get it wrong.

[@Windklang705]

Hey Trevor! To make sure Michael finds your suggestion, Id love to invite you over to his Discord Server, where we have a channel for video-suggestions which he always reads. You could find the invite link to the Discord Server on his video on free instrument plugins from June 20th. Id love to meet u there.

[@NikhilJoshua]

You were the one in FL Studio's recent tutorial on workflow of lofi hip hop right? Cool video btw. Love from India.

[@inthemix]

Thanks, yeah that was me! I'm working with Image-Line now to make videos :)

[@billfelixc]

Link please 😟

[@hafidiamine]

@@inthemix hard work really pays off huh ? congrats !!

[@NikhilJoshua]

@@inthemix that's so cool. Congrats. I'm really happy to know that.

[@mercwiffamouff7301]

@@inthemix that makes me happy to hear. I've been following you for a year or so now. Hearing this really makes me happy for you dude

[@xathomir]

I was just looking for a video on compression and you posted this! Thank you!

[@Windklang705]

It's been so highly requested

[@ferenctulics9688]

And I thought that I have a good musical hearing... :-) Now, I just realized how much I still need to learn... Great job! Thank you, brother!

[@yony_music]

Great Video! I already knew how to hear compression before watching this video, but the way you explained it is just amazing! Compression in probably the hardest effect to hear, and I remember when I started out about 4 years ago I had no clue of how to hear compression and when to use it, so I just ended up not using it at all. I think this video will help a lot of producers and especially beginners out there!

[@Windklang705]

Yes I feel like by watching/listening to all of Michael's videos my ears have been trained a lot already, but this specific training is even more particular to train your ears.

[@skyrixdreamer4802]

Thanks!

[@CPMusic254]

So basically you just see through my mind and do what am struggling with, I cant explain how thankful I am. Much love from KENYA. I will appreciate if you do a tutorial of how to mix vocals and make them sound/blend well. How you explain things is what all my teachers lacked

[@Questary]

Dude He Explained A Lot Of Things I needed to Know About Compression

[@Windklang705]

Hey hey, feel free to drop your suggestion again over at Michael's InTheMix Discord Server where we have a video-suggestions channel where Michael is regularly reading all the community suggestions

[@CPMusic254]

@@Windklang705 I signed up on that platform but to be honest I keep forgetting about it. I don't really know how it works but will try it

[@zeratul600]

you're a genius, thank you so much for this really detailed video, this thing lets you learn so much, I will not be hearing music the same way from now on

[@camilocastillon]

Thanks, I'm currently working on a track that needs a fine compressing and this tutorial helped a lot and clears out some confusions. ❤

[@victorravn3075]

About the transients, if i have issues with transients, say, i want the transient but i dont want it too loud, i add a 2nd compressor with a different threshold that only works on the transients and then have very very short attack so i can easily control the exact volume of the transients without over compressing the rest of the sound.

[@gabrielcorrea2247]

Thanks for this video! All your videos are extremely good, literally ALL of them. :)

[@Windklang705]

Agreed omg XD

[@youcancallmeX]

first - you are amazing and I love your channel. you helped me so much along the way! having said that - this is a big problem with music now days in my opinion. everything is compressed so much and the dynamic range doesn't exsist anymore. listning to the beatles for instance as opposed to a random pop song from 2020 can really show what compression is doing and why it doesn't necessarily need to be so over used. producers today just compress everything in the chase of a "better sound" and being used so much eventually leads to the opposite. im not saying its a bad thing - just that it gives a very spesific sound and in my opinion - cuts some of the natural feeling of the music once again - thank you so much for the videos you make!

[@inthemix]

I agree with you, added to the fact that most samples and synths these days have so much compression already within them it’s getting a bit insane now. I tend to only use compression for tone these days and for showing basic mixing techniques, I’m really enjoying leaving dynamics in :)

[@youcancallmeX]

@@inthemix You are the best my friend❤

[@navrasicsi]

Very good explanation. If I understood it correctly, then there must be lots of compression on the radio announcers' voice.

[@wethemprod]

Who needs mixing courses, Michael is the mixing engineer we all needed.

[@thorstenkellner]

Needed this one. Love your calming way to explain! ❤️

[@Questary]

He Explains Very Calmly And It Makes Me Know That He Knows What he Is Doing

[@RLNDMUSIC]

Thank god you’re a life saver, literally needed this ty :)

[@livera.6346]

Yesterday I asked what does compression sound like and now u came in clutch 💪🏼💪🏼

[@iamdannywyatt]

Here’s a thing to remember, though: if you can actually “hear” the compression, you’re doing it wrong 😉Unless you’re going for an artistic vibe, if you know what I mean

[@zelenyy4960]

Amazing work. This was so easy to follow along to. Thank you

[@Questary]

yah And I Am So greatful To Know A Lot About This That there are people like him on earth

[@shadownovakj]

Hey Michael, Suggestion: Please make a video (or preferably series of videos) where you make a song from start to finish. I'm personally still in the very early stages as a producer/singer/songwriter, and would greatly benefit from seeing your overall work-flow and creative process, from concept to mixing to mastering, and finally to finished product. Heck, you could even talk about marketing, just for kicks and giggles. Just and idea, but I hope you consider it!!! Thanks for all you do! Kyle

[@DJRSILVAPT]

I have been loving all your content! Thank you so much for sharing all your knowledge.

[@RazorTrap]

This was awesome, would've loved a little drum buss compression example aswell. Thank you very much.

[@randomuser66438]

You have amazing skills. It's a joy to learn from the best! Thank you!

[@skyrixdreamer4802]

As usual thanks again for all your help, this was really really useful!!!!!

[@inthemix]

Always happy to help!

[@kshitijbansod]

This man is a legend, thanks a lottt. I really mean it.

[@pushumonster]

Thank you so much for this ear training ! I really struggle at hearing the changes a mix can make so it's very helpful

[@Papa33J]

Thank you so much to the time you put into these tutorials. I mainly use your videos for learning and supplement them with other sources to fill in additional questions. I am considering joining your group and I'd like to know what all is included with this. I'm new to recording and programming music and have a bit to learn before I can produce great quality.

[@ЭдуардКушнарёв-п6п]

Thank you Michael. First class master class! Your lessons teach me everytime.

[@nour7light]

Thanks man I finally understood that compression is a more simple way of volume automation.