Mixing With Mike Mixing Tip: Compressing Vocals With the 1176 Compressor

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[@stevesynan3910]

Man, I really wish my ears didn't suck. I can't really tell a difference between the different settings. I can tell when they are being bypassed, but if I close my eyes while you go through different settings I just can't tell. I wish I could. I'm listening with Sony MDR-7506s which aren't the best, but should definitely be good enough for this. Maybe one day.

[@slamcrank]

Very nice! UA should be very thankful that you've explained this so thoroughly and so well!

[@mixingwithmike]

+slamcrank Cheers!

[@pauldousemusic]

Nice vid Mike! The 1176 is a beast for so many reasons... I enjoyed the history behind the 3 pieces. Its great to make a connection with the history of the components emulated as well as hear the distinct flavors & advancements offered. Kudos to your videos man.

[@mixingwithmike]

+Paul Douse Thanks Paul!

[@komenzmusic1342]

WE LOVE YOU MIKE!

[@mixingwithmike]

CHEERS!

[@aarona.dubzperson8245]

I use the Wa76 from Warm Audio. Had it modified by Revive Audio. Sounds great. I love the 76 style compressor. Awesome!

[@iamishsantos]

You gave me an idea on experimenting with the ratios! Thanks, Mike!

[@mixingwithmike]

+Ish Santos Cheers!

[@beepbeep2446]

Thanks, thats a well recorded vocal too

[@philpower_]

Amazing. Thanks so much.

[@MayAllSentientBeings]

So helpful - thanks!

[@mixingwithmike]

+MayAllSentientBeings Cheers!

[@TheDazlermac]

Very helpful. Thank you

[@mixingwithmike]

Cheers!

[@overbe]

higher ratios pulled the singer right in front my face, nice vid:)

[@mixingwithmike]

+overbe Cheers!

[@Josteelo]

I sub, your videos are very informative

[@mixingwithmike]

+JosteeloTv Cheers!

[@xaosnox]

So grateful for this! I just happened to buy the right combo of gear at just the right time to get nearly all the UAD plugins I could ever want. Now I have a truly third-world problem-which one of the overwhelming amount amount of plugins I've got are best in which application? This is just the help I need to save hours of trial and error! I wasn't sure if you'd mixed up micro and milliseconds at first because 20 microseconds (.02 milliseconds) is truly INSANELY fast, but then you confirmed it with the 800 to .8 reference. That's undesirably fast in most applications, isn't it? You'd have to do some time shifting tricks like Andrew Zeleno describes to get some transients through that sucker! Thanks again. Very informative video. Need to watch your channel more often.

[@mixingwithmike]

Hi X S, Yes, it is microseconds not milliseconds. I was shocked to find this out but as you dig deeper into the details you find that the ultra-fast attack time is counterbalanced with a soft knee characteristic that makes it sound smoother than the time would suggest. Cheers!

[@TallerdelSebaRehbein]

Thanks Mike! AE version is also great for paralell bus compression, bye

[@mixingwithmike]

+andresferet1 Yes, that 10 ms attack is an amazing mod!

[@nandoblondemobydick5438]

the release in the first on vocal is nice pretty much like an Optical behavior , the three compressors are usable in practically all kind of material, if i understand well and my ears are OK :-) nice how you describe it is a good ear training

[@mixingwithmike]

Cheers!

[@flamersss]

which would u use on rap vocals?

[@JR-qp3fp]

It seems like it would better to get these than a 1176 clone?

[@blackstrapyarnspinners9616]

What should we be listening to when you change ratios? Meaning, what part of the sound - attack, tone, etc. I hear the attack and release changes, but have a real hard time hearing differences with the ratio changes... Thanks! love your vids!

[@BAJAPANTYRECORDS]

If you listening headphones you will notice the difference

[@joelgiles]

i wonder why, i had the experience the Waves 1176, works viceversa, with attack and release. 7 is the fastest, 1 the slowest.what i saw and test... makes no sense? right. maybe i´m wrong...

[@saschakuhn2660]

is there any pitch correction on the voice ? there seems to be an edit which seems to get more audible obviously .but all sound really nice. would have been nice to be able to hear the differences with the playback .thanks a lot

[@mixingwithmike]

+Sascha Kühn Hi Sascha, I did not apply any pitch correction but I can hear edits in the vocal comp. Maybe that is what you are hearing. It's a bit difficult to go through all the options but all 3 are bundled together along with the legacy versions when you buy it from UA. You can pick your favorite from there. Cheers! Mike

[@Josteelo]

Are the UA compressors much better than the CLA 2? I have a basic home studio setup

[@mixingwithmike]

+JosteeloTv I wouldn't necessarily say better, I would say different. Both emulations are very good sounding. The thing to remember here is that every hardware 1176 sounds different even if it is the same revision. There are "good" ones and "bad" ones. I have both UA and Waves versions and now have 5 unique 1176 emulations that I can spread around in the mix rather than using the same exact one for every instance. This is a much more "real" approach than just using the "best" one. Hope this makes sense... Cheers! Mike

[@Josteelo]

+Michael White makes perfect sense thank u

[@albertwangny]

But the AE model is not in the same condition on Ration. And the VU meter on the 3 models is not in the same dB.

[@jamondru]

Mike you said 1176 is not always the best for vocals, so what is your favorite vocal comp and why...Thx Mike!!

[@pauldousemusic]

+Drew Willaims I had the same curious question pop up when I heard Mike mention that. I've used a bunch of compressors for different styles... I'm curious what your personal "go to" ITB vocal compressors are Mike. I dont have UA stuff but I've tried a ton of others.

[@mixingwithmike]

+Drew Willaims Hey Drew, Paul, I can honestly say that I do not have a single favorite compressor or processing chain. The way I approach processing vocals is to listen to the source vocal and decide what to use based on the sound I am going for in the mix. Harsh vocals benefit greatly from compressors like the V-Comp or Fairchild compressors. The 1176 silver face is good for an edgy present sound. The LA2A has a great smoothing characteristic for R&B vocals. Using Tape compression is a great way to add depth and body to a vocal. The MaxxVolume compressor is great for adding that low level presence in vocals that sound dull. The Tube Tech CL1B is about as hifi sounding as a compressor gets. There is no single chain that will ever work for me in every situation. Never has in 30 years of doing this every day for a living. Cheers! Mike

[@jamondru]

You're one of the most pragmatic audio engineers I've have seen to date, almost like the best kept secret, you're the man MIKE!!!!

[@mixingwithmike]

Cheers Drew!

[@pauldousemusic]

Hey Mike! That makes good sense to me. Thanks for the guidance through your take on these plugs too! I'm currently working on a somewhat harsh vocal and realised that the 1176 I had on the track was causing more trouble than good. I wouldn't have thought to try using the old vcomp but I slid that in and shazzam... Helped put that vocal in the right direction. I appreciate your straight up experience & assessment. All the best- Paul

[@Jeppe4421]

Thanks for another supergreat video! maybe the singer name starts on a e and ends on a c? ;-)

[@mixingwithmike]

Hahaha! Cheers Jesper!

[@jvonnjvonn4688]

Them not all the 1176s. I just check my uad plugins unit it's a total of 5

[@davidgardell]

I'm sure you've figured it out by now, but for anyone reading; the other two are the "legacy" versions, so two of them are just updated versions.

[@ojreal925]

sounds like silver face is the best for rap vocals

[@mixingwithmike]

+O J Hey OJ, Could be, depends on the quality of the original recording. Don't get stuck on just one of them for every situation. A quick A/B will let you know which version is best. Cheers! Mike