The Secret Compression Trick Pro Engineers Know

[@pickyourselfofficial]

FREE guide that helps you finish music you’re proud of: pickyourself.com/framework/

[@blaablaa22]

Btw. if someone owns the Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor, which is not the "Class A" version, the sidechain HP adjustment is a small thing on the upper right corner, labeled "SC Filter". Easy to miss, but it's there and as a default it's set on somewhere around 90hz. This just as a tip, if someone is wondering "why I don't have that knob there on the lower part of the interface?!" 🙂

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Ah nice, thanks for adding this, very cool!

[@Sypher474]

Very interesting stuff once again. I'd love a dedicated video on phase cancellation and techniques to deal with phasing issues in general. Hear it mentioned in passing constantly, but nobody ever clearly defines solutions which is where I think you would excel. Thanks!

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Oh yeah, that’s a great idea. I put it on my content list immediately!

[@nikolaudio]

Another way to look at wideband compression is changing the position of frequency content in the time domain, where as multiband (approaching spectral) compression changes the quantity of frequencies. By altering the detection circuit in this way, we have a tendency to prioritize high frequency sounds leaving the speakers first, followed by lower frequencies. Regarding what i mean about positioning frequencies, think about putting some hi-hat overtop of a bass pulse, then using an infinite ratio and a release that reduces distortion beyond audibility on a compressor, and squashing that sound down (threshold is set to the maximum level of bass pulse), the portion where the hat overlays the bass pulse will be turned down in volume. Granted that the bass pulse is constant in volume until it goes silent, and that the hi-hat is the offending sound that trips the compressor, it will be as though the bass pulse is turned down EXTRA, and the hi hat is turned down to the same overall level as the bass pulse. So now we would have some signal that still has the same maximum volume, but we have sort of repositioned the frequencies and when they occur. Kind of a weird concept and hard to explain in a comment, hope you can get the picture of what im trying to explain. So yeah, equing the detection circuit to be less responsive to lower frequencies just increases this effect. Ideally we would have some opposite logarithm filter or something that kind of attenuates proportional to the frequency, considering that the lower the frequency, the more it contributes to the intermodulation of the sound - i THINK at an exponential rate, but im not sure thats just my intuition there. It might just be as presented, the 3db/oct slope.

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Very interesting approach. I’m not sure I 100% understood all the nuances (feel free to send me a screen recording ;)) but it definitely sounds like a fun experiment! You might want to check out the gentleman edition of the Kotelnikov compressor as it has a function called “fdr” where you can dial in specific sensitivity curves. It’s explained super well in the manual. I imagine it could help with your approach.

[@nikolaudio]

@@pickyourselfofficial yeah i know about that one too. You can define which frequency ranges will increase like the ratio response or something. All im saying is that in actuality, wideband dynamic alteration is (yes altering the overall volume changes) but in doing so is also reposition the times at which frequencies occur. Ill try make a video talking about it and let you know if i do :)

[@zeepster]

4:36 I think you could have made much better settings in the multiband compressor. You are compressing too much and too aggressively changed the balance of the track. Live's multiband dynamics can be controlled yet subtle if you carefully set it ( by ear ) and don't let the visuals impact your decision making too much. You could have also used different crossovers, more suited to your example track.

[@JanEkbom]

This was great information. I have all TDR plugins but you are the first one explaining the low frequency relaxation. You got a new subscriber.

[@DrBrunoDzogovic]

Many VCA compressors have bandpass controls these days, allowing for better utilization on the mix bus. TDR implements way more than just bandpass filter, it's band selective compression (at least in the Kotelnikov GE edition), similar to the Weiss unit for mastering. No other compressor has anything similar like the Kotelnikov.

[@synthiemental4908]

jsCompShaper is a great free compressor that has been around for more than a decade. It has frequency dependent compression (aka emphasis)!

[@ritchxmusic]

Right on. I started using the FDR a lot to compress the mids more than the rest as well, creating more density in the mids and I feel its gluing things much better than before

[@paulmulligan2895]

thank you for this channel - I have watched videos like yours in the past but somehow this is the first time I've actually been able to take your tips and transfer them directly into my music 👍

[@gary_edwards]

Excellent video, thank you. I have the Kotelnikov but have never used it...that may be about to change!

[@pickyourselfofficial]

One of my all-time favorites!

[@marcom.]

Kudos to you and TDR... their plugins are dope! Also love the Nova for dynamic Compression (i.e. de-essing) and the Slick EQ.

[@pickyourselfofficial]

100% agreed, they’re awesome! 🙌🏻💯

[@RaptureMusicOfficial]

Will try this one! Low freq compressions create often headphone-earache... lowering those low freqs when mastering on stereo bus will solve this, gret!

[@djnickhodgkins]

Great vid! Got the Kotelnikov - will try it out. I've also got Ozone 9 - and its compressors have detection circuits. I guess you have Ozone; so - does that mean you prefer Kotelnikov (& Shadow Hills)? Thanks!

[@Beatsbasteln]

absolutely agree. and nice audio examples, too

[@pickyourselfofficial]

That means a lot, thanks! :)

[@tape909_]

thank you for good explanation!

[@22222Sandman22222]

Yess! This is a techique I use often, especially in busses containing both bass and high end. I found this out when the compression pumped too much from the bass.

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Yeah! Perfect use case :)

[@bygonebotanical]

This is excellent! Thankyou for sharing 🙏🏻

[@HoundTakeshi]

Oh wow! Thank you so much!

[@chriszellmusic]

this is what i have been missing! thank you 🙏🏼

[@daniwin82]

Note that the vst-version of Cytomic's The Glue also has a 'Low Freq Relax' knob

[@Darushiokan]

I've been using kotelnikov for a long time, very good. Ableton Live's compressors have sidechain eq though, so its possible to filter out the bass (or any frequency range really) for detection.

[@andershattne]

I just discovered MultiBand Compression and it really made my current track sound so much better. Gonna use it for now.. it's really motivating

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Yeah it definitely has its purpose ;)

[@LexvanDijk]

When I do use multiband compression I generally touch only one band. Or I split a sound in two or threes to parallel process the bands separately.

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Nice, thanks for sharing!

[@mehditayshun5595]

You can't let phasing stop you from using EQ in any context

[@schnitzelforce3404]

Thanks, good video! Just one question: the Ableton Standard Compressor also has git an eq detection. Isn’t that similiar to the kotelnikov?

[@kozihoppy]

Isn't this the same as a Glue compressor with the sidechain high pass filter turned on?

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Yes, the main difference is that the kotelnikov overall gives you more detailed parameters (especially for ratio, attack, release) and sounds as transparent as it can be.

[@tobebrandpool3214]

can a kotelnikov match the distressor?

[@embersandash]

So any compressor with a sidechain EQ.

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Yep!

[@robertgetzner]

what I thought, like glue or standard compressor in live

[@EricShans]

Thanks for this - I am getting into mastering now and this helps greatly!

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Awesome, have fun experimenting with this!

[@jacobkoberstein9793]

Great video. I find using OTT on the master to really make stuff "pop" but the depth and clarity really takes a huge blow which personally put me off that hype train. I do actually like what i can do in the 1k-5k range however, do you find yourself using a lot of expansion in your mastering?

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Great comment, thanks for sharing your experiences! I rarely use expansion. I might use a bit of it in the form of dynamic EQ to for example add a bit more life to some percussions but that’s rarely the case. I’d rather just talk to my clients and ask them if there’s a way to make things sound a bit more vivid before it gets to the mastering phase. We often find an easy to implement solution together that sounds much better in the end.

[@howtotrainyourdragon4806]

Another amazing one again. Thanks

[@pickyourselfofficial]

You’re more than welcome! 💯

[@dabedoo1]

Wouldn't leaving out the kickdrum out of the drumbus be the same ?

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Yes and no. You would get a similar effect but it’s not the same as this doesn’t completely take out the kick drum. It’s still part of the groove. That being said: This was mainly for demonstration purposes as I see many producers group all their drums. Personally, I send the kick to a separate bus in most mixes.

[@Zer0Spinn]

​@@pickyourselfofficial would it be posible to do this by adding a low shelf eq before and after the comp or am I caveman-braining it?

[@pickyourselfofficial]

@@Zer0Spinn this is would influence the sound overall and not just the detection circuit that the comp reacts to :)

[@NopeyNopesworthyIII]

​@@Zer0Spinn maybe, if you were using one bus for both compression of the percussion as well as for parallel compression of the kick, but you would then have to re-level the original kick signal again (which could be pretty fiddly, if the send signal for the kick isn't pre-fader). And even then, it would still give a different result

[@rykkks]

thanks a lot for share your knowledge this bass relax is a little trick but in the same time is everything in an electronic track for me you are an authentic electronic sound engineer more than some electro tuto without content its the first time i watching you be sure i will like all your videos i saw gain staging i look after tuto on this a long time ago ♥definitively the first of the first tuto thank you so much greets from south of france 😁

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Very glad to hear this, I’m happy you found it helpful! All the best to you from Berlin :)

[@MKD371]

The other amazing useful feature, which is not commonly known amongst, bedroom producers, for lack of a better term, is the fact that it has RMS release which can be dialled in. We all talk about peak release, few talk about RMS, (average signal), release, which is vast.

[@kafkakos3618]

Hello, thanks for the superb info.. How about a video on how to add vocals to dark techno sounding tracks (minimally done) Like a sample but used with lots of effects, so more on processing. Cheers!

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Fantastic idea! I’ll add this to my list, thanks :)

[@MR_Cellarpop]

Great video, thanks, gonna test this :).

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Nice, let me know how it goes!

[@n.oboyzmusic]

A​@@pickyourselfofficial

[@JunkanooImmersionScience]

What headphones are those?

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Audeze LCD-X 👌🏻

[@nuesmusic]

The Ableton compressors also do have the sidechain feature, no need for the Shadow Hills thing :)

[@pickyourselfofficial]

It’s becoming more the norm now. The difference often lies in how adjustable the filter cutoff points and steepness are. The Shadow Hills is a lot of fun for many reasons, but if one is on a budget, using stock plugins is absolutely fine these days.

[@florentgatin]

Great video, you deserve more views sir

[@pickyourselfofficial]

That means a lot! I truly appreciate it 💯🙌🏻

[@mr.saxomotion9744]

Ich hätte 2 Fragen an dich und vielleicht ist ja eine Idee für ein zukünftiges Video dabei. 1. Wie bekomme ich meinen Mix noch besser abgestimmt, sodass er auf jeder Anlage, im Auto, auf dem Handy oder einer PA gleich zu klingen scheint? 2. Wenn ich Musik über einen Distributor auf z.B. Spotify lade, dann ist bei der Veröffentlichung nicht nur die Lautstärke angepasst, es klingt nach einem ganz anderen Mastermix (ähnlich einem KI-Masterprogramm z.B.). So klingen meine Songs nun von Streamingdienst zu Streamingdienst unterschiedlich, bei bekannteren Künstlern ist mir dieser Unterschied noch nicht aufgefallen. Liegt dies an der Qualität meiner Produktion oder haben große Label andere Möglichkeiten ihre Musik z.B. direkt hochzuladen? Vielen Dank für deine Antwort 🙏🏻

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Also zu 1. kann ich nur sagen dass definitiv ein weiteres Video dazu kommen wird ;) allerdings darfst du hier die Rolle des Mastering nicht unterschätzen, das hat schon auch die Aufgabe genau dafür zu sorgen. Zu 2.: das scheint mir eher ein psychoakustisches Phänomen zu sein. Loudness-Normalization findet statt, klar. Aber normalerweise kein anderes Processing. Angeblich haben manche Anbieter einen Limiter drin, aber eher für leise Nummern die hochgezogen werden auf die jeweilige LUFS für die sich der Streamingdienst entschieden hat.

[@mr.saxomotion9744]

@@pickyourselfofficial Dann warte ich gespannt auf Weiteres von deinem Kanal. Ich finde deine Videos sehr gut und hoffe, dass noch viele folgen. 👍🏻

[@dani.papaya]

Smooth technique😮

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Thanks! 🙌🏻

[@JohnnyWishoff]

I like your explaining skills, you have a nice setup, keep doing videos. But, when you compare one thing to another, match the loudness, as this will give the best comparison, it's easy to prove any point you would want, if the thing you try to prove is louder, even by a tiny amount. In fact the OTT sounded better I'm the first example because of this.

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Thanks man, I’ll take it seriously! 🙌🏻

[@zakleever1105]

Great idea, sounds great on dance

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Thanks, appreciate it 🤘🏻

[@YANU7]

You're absolutely right,

[@pickyourselfofficial]

💯

[@lucaslutzerler5429]

It's about which and how much energy triggers my compressor. What sticks the sound together like liquid honey? If it sounds like liquid honey... then everything is fine in my book. In the end, what counts is: if it sounds good, then it's good. Thanks for this Video. Best regards from Cologne Lucas

[@bratby]

Just dropping a 👍🏻

[@glyph6757]

I'm not hearing a difference between the ideally compressed and bypassed audio. The difference is so subtle that I wonder if even professional mixing and mastering engineers could tell the difference in a series of double-blind A/B tests that weren't made in context, not on high-end equipment, and outside of professional studio environment (ie. in typical conditions heard by most of the intended audience).

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Hearing subtle compression is hard, it takes a lot of time to develop that skill. In a professional context, it’s often the sum of many light stages of compression and EQ across several channels that make up the REAL A/B difference. And there of course many cases where I use that stuff not subtly at all ;) I hope that clarifies it.

[@ahimsabeatz8895]

💥💥

[@stingylizard]

Tokyo Dawn are excellent plugins

[@JayVucci]

But if you use a quality unit that won’t happen

[@djgstefan]

Nice

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Thanks! 🙌🏻

[@Reggi_Sample]

Isn’t a framework of one good track per month kind of slow? Most algorithms whether for KZbin or beat stars demand a faster output to get the organic growth or so a lot of the videos online say 😂

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Haha, so true! Well, I do my best to meet people where they're at and most electronic music producers are definitely NOT finishing a track a month. That being said, some artists who've implemented this stuff are now effortlessly finishing one track per week (at least). So you can pump it up quite a bit once you're familiar with the concept :)

[@Reggi_Sample]

@@pickyourselfofficial I like this 🙋‍♂️

[@maseratifittipaldi]

I am sure that, apart from attenuating industrial noise, this technique can be employed on music as well.

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Probably ;)

[@feriante777]

This is not industrial noise dude. Noise is for example when an FM radio is not well tuned.

[@mnoway9479]

Except this is faaaar from anything industrial or noise related...

[@nixweldon1618]

I can tell you're insufferable to be around

[@omnione7894]

❤

[@shadowbandz4972]

How about I just pay you to mix my tracks lol

[@pickyourselfofficial]

Feel free to do so, haha: copilco-productions.com

[@deverborgentelefoon4479]

You are bandfiltering like a multiband compressor also, so what's the difference? The only way to get a good sound is "knowing what you are doing" and get rid of all plugins that pretend to be better than all the others. Use your ears!!

[@mehditayshun5595]

" "Use your ears" is BS that causes amateurs frustration and terrible mixes. We need guidance when we're not professionals