Why and How to use Compression in REAPER

[@Illegallycopyrighted]

I seriously hope you make a comfortable living Kenny. The value you give us all with your videos cannot be overstated. Thank you so much for all helpful content, always learn so much.

[@REAPERMania]

Very nice of you to say and yes. I do. All the best. :)

[@nickagervasi]

I second this. You are amazing Kenny. I keep referring people to your channel because of how great and informative your videos are.i literally just referenced you to two people TODAY ALONE.

[@EverythingWaterToday]

Yes, Kenny, your work is extremely useful to all who come across it. Many thanks.

[@pletcherscott]

Agreed

[@LionOfKingston]

WHY DO YOU THINK HE AIN'T?

[@IDDQDSound]

Kenny teaching mixing is literally the best time to be alive!

[@anonagain]

1977 was pretty good too ;-)

[@REAPERMania]

You watching my videos is the best time to be alive. :)

[@ARE_YOU_SICK_OF_YT_CENSORSHIP]

@@REAPERMania watching your exchanges is the best time to be alive lol

[@REAPERMania]

@@ARE_YOU_SICK_OF_YT_CENSORSHIP Having you jump in is the best time to be alive!!!!

[@rutgerwagnermusic972]

No! Your Breathetaking! Seriously Kenny your a life saver! Thank you so much! Your a fountain of knowledge! ⛲️

[@JoseG-pn8vm]

I always knew what a compressor did, the basics. I've seen a few videos and stuff about it... But this is the first time I feel like "ohhh so that's how it is" Man, thanks a lot for these videos. Instant sub

[@megalodon2875]

Excellent explanation of compression. Very easy to follow. Looking forward to adding it to my amateur mixes. Thanks!

[@wecology]

Thanks for demonstrating your listening method -- moving between extremes, hearing it in the mix, bypassing, etc.

[@Gesth1]

I love this section of videos, it's really good to see these tutorials of native tools

[@rayderrich]

Compression used to be a mystery to me for too long. You helped me get one step closer to applying it in the right way.

[@ynabi4363]

The value of REAPER for the 60$ license is already off the roof, and then casually heres Kenny minmaxing the value for us. THANK YOU VERY MUCH KING.

[@RolandDeschain1]

Man, those drums sound massive. Like Bonzo was back there whacking them.

[@marfaxa]

like when he went to Bitburg?

[@twoeyesproductions4353]

...then goes out for a cup of tea

[@TheConcept4]

Exactly what i thought

[@RafaelOliveiraBR]

Your videos has encouraged me to use Reaper's native plugins. I hope the interface of these plug-ins will one day improve.

[@deskypoo]

Great, well explained video. Thanks again. I must get my bandmates to watch these so they know what I'm banging on about!

[@mizfeldy]

Thank you for teaching the basics so clearly. Really helps.

[@JipJonker]

Thanks again Kenny! If find the hard part about compression is the comparing of before and after when the maup gain is not aplied correctly. You should not trick yourself when the 'after' is just louder. You really need to pay attention to the track level (espcecially when you've already created a dry mix) and see whta the compression does at about the same total track level. Then you'll here maybe the transient / attack changed or the tail of 'fattened'. Just my 2 cents.

[@REAPERMania]

Yeah. It's kinda hard to get it perfect on the fly.

[@proglocc46_25]

Kenny thank you for this tutorial series. I have a much better understanding of how to use these effects, especially compression.

[@Wayfaerer100]

I don't usually comment but this video was super helpful! I already knew what a compressor did but would blindly adjust settings until I found the sound I liked. This video helped a lot with me understanding what the individual settings actually do i.e. ratio, attack, release etc. Keep up the great work!

[@rubyjanecastle]

Just hearing your voice has a calming effect on me now, because you've helped me so much and I always know I'm gonna find 'get it'. I watch your videos sometimes just to relax because of this 😅 you're the best

[@ARE_YOU_SICK_OF_YT_CENSORSHIP]

ASMR

[@alanjamesh.zamorano1677]

I'm guilty of using the compression presets within Reaper. Partially because I don't know yet what I'm doing, but I like how it sounds once the compression is applied.

[@DjJazz787]

Watch this series and you will understand: kzbin.info/aero/PLr9cxz51sxbxm9BVD16p-nl5qWF5zh-2X

[@stevethepirate]

everything already sounds amazing. congrats on that natural drum sound!

[@nekisia]

Oh man! Your new video series are priceless.

[@christopherclarke3022]

Thanks, Kenny but not sure I would be wanting to send the drum levels into the red (clipping region) that's a bit hot, by the time you're adding other levels of instruments into the mix it could be problematic for the overall headroom. Unless I have missed something along the way.

[@REAPERMania]

Just lower the faders?

[@christopherclarke3022]

@@REAPERMania Forgive me, I am a little old school analog in my thinking from way back, my understanding is running signal into the red is a little risky with digital as opposed to doing similarly hot with analog multitrack recording to magnetic tapes such as the old Ampex456 to 499 1/2 or 1-inch tape, etc. Not to mention a number of engineers have challenged me when I have ridden some levels in the Digital realm to around -2 or -1db saying no, no, you should use -6 or less for anything digital. I also tended to keep most signals at the master outs around the - 5 or -4 as a rule of thumb on the master output faders and around -3 ~ -2 on the input channels. for Digital recording. Mastering I tend to push around the -2 mark. When I saw the compressed drum signal pushing the red LEDs I thought wow that's a little risky. Or am I going about it the wrong way? Ps thank you for all the effort and trouble you have done over the year with your tutorial clips they have been and are much appreciated. Cheers

[@PASHKULI]

Simple and to the point! That is a great tutorial.

[@tekkau2]

I never thought that Reaper built in Compressor could be that powerful, thanks fro sharing man!

[@anonagain]

Thanks Kenny! How's the weather in the Big Apple?

[@drutgat2]

Good tutorial, Kenny (thanks), but in keeping with the title of the video, can you tell us, for example, why you used the JS 1175 for the Room sound, rather than using Reacomp, and why you do not typically compress the Overheads?

[@Qn_]

Thanks for all your great tutorials, Kenny. One thing that isn't 100% clear is what all the meters represent in the 1175 Compressor plugin: is the left meter the input signal, the bottom meter the gain reduction and the right meter the output signal?

[@burning_KFC]

As always writing a comment to support the channel

[@worldstar4810]

so is it necessary to use compressor when you use reverb to boost the vocals but also use manual editing to level out the vocals,???....

[@monsterftw4481]

Question, what are differences in using compressors AND Limiters since they can also be used as compressions. Also what differences is there with RealComp AND 1175 compressors. Do they have different purposes?

[@KouryKush]

You explained using a compressor so simple, thank you 🙏🏾

[@twoeyesproductions4353]

Really loving this "Why and How" series, Kenny! Is there a 'sweet spot' we're going for between the red compression meter and the green Output mix next to it? I'm thinking I remember something from an older video of yours about trying to get those to 'meet' around the same point/level but maybe this was only circumstantial. Obviously, how it sounds is the ultimate goal, but is there anything particular to observe or look for when comparing those two meters side-by-side? Thanks again....

[@MarionCardamone]

Quick question what does the auto make-up do ? You used it for the drum compression but not for the vocal. And Im wondering why.

[@thedeathestmetal]

So what are the differences between using ReaComp to the 1175 on an instrument like drums? What's a better stock comp to use for strings? Vocals? I'm starting to click with compression but the differences between one to others is still beyond me. Probably because I still only have access to stock comps haha

[@apkeeney]

Why do you use the JS compressor rather than the Rea compressor? Is there a specific reason why you did that or was that just to demonstrate both?

[@daniellewang3409]

Hey Kenny, I noticed once you added compressor on track, the meter turnt yellow. So do you just leave it like that or bring down the fader? (This is a problem that has confused me a long time since I started using compressor lol...

[@uriel-heavensguardian8949]

Awesome!!! Thanks Ken!!!!

[@suchitgangurde3514]

Hey Kenny, nice video. Very informative as usual. I wanted to know if you could make a video on using noise gates in Reaper to get clean high sustain lead metal tones when using high gain amp sims (ex. Nalex Ninja, Emissary amp, Lepou Lecto, etc. I find that high gain amp sims are very noisy. Generally setting the gates very high/tight helps when doing rhythm sections where sustain is not needed. But it seems a little difficult to correctly set them for leads, especially clean leads with high/long sustain (for solos. Think John Petrucci solos with long, bendy notes, for example). They tend to cut the solo notes abruptly than when not using them at all or the sound clips. Or the noise sort of bleeds when the note is fading. It would be great if you could make such a video. Cheers!

[@JesusPiano]

Kenny, should a real acustic piano be compressed too? Thanks in advance 😀

[@REAPERMania]

Hopefully not. But it depends on the type of music. In a dense track it may be needed.

[@JesusPiano]

@@REAPERMania Thanks very much Kenny, keep up the great work mate.

[@erictriplett33]

I have maybe a dumb question ... why did you select the "Auto make-up" box for the drums, but not the vocals?

[@balaamster]

I think that release on vocal compression need to be longer. The second phrase's ending "jumps out" after release.

[@REAPERMania]

Yeah. It's not perfect. Hopefully it inspires you.

[@Igor_Itkin]

Can you apply compression before recording or only after?

[@hahaxolotl]

1:15 more accurately "making the loud parts quieter, and boosting the whole signal afterwards"

[@VeronicaGorositoMusic]

Thank you so much Kenny ♥️🎶

[@ZTEKNO_Loops]

Thank you Kenny!

[@veljkoivanovicvex7356]

Intro with Waves plugins... Is there any Waves\Reaper surprise ❤️

[@segulliford]

Sounds amazing.

[@EmmanuelB]

I'm still a bit struggling with this one. Honestly I just move a bit everything in the comp plugins until it eventually makes something that sounds okay, but I don't fully wrap my head around it.

[@RolandDeschain1]

It still does my head in how to hear compression, and what is good and bad. For me, as strictly a hobby audio engineer, if it's loud and doesn't clip then it's good compression. I guess its just something you have to develop an ear for.

[@RolandDeschain1]

@@bernadettenere I hav that plug-in. It's very good, partly because you can bring up other people's uploaded presets and see how they sound on your mix.

[@lardosian]

@@RolandDeschain1 If you were recording or working with vocals/voice over you might understand it better because you will instantly face the problem with some people's delivery going up and down, then bare in mind you could have 5/6 hour recordings. When I worked on x box games Microsoft invested in a compressor worth around 20k I think at the time, did a great job, it had hot folders so you could access it remotely around the world, you add your wavs and it processed them instantly with all the levelling issues gone, happy days!

[@pvalenti]

@@RolandDeschain1 look up House of KUSH or KUSH after hours. There's a video UBK does all about him geeking on compression. If you have a decent listening environment you'll learn a LOT from that. I would also suggest that you Google "how to hear compression. Between those you should be able to understand how attack, release, knee and RMS (for comps that have it) all affect the tone, they all DO affect the tone, as well as the transients. People always seem to miss the affect on the tone, and it is very important in my opinion. To keep from having pumping it may be helpful (at least until you develop your hearing to a point) to find a utility that helps you figure out the timing of 1/4, 1/8, and 1/16 notes at your song or projects Tempo (BPM). Example- if you are compressing a snare, you want to figure out the shortest note lengths being played. Assuming it's say 1/16 notes, you'll want to figure out the length of a 1/16 note at the BPM and set the release to that or a bit lower. Conversely, if your ears are already developed you may be able to hear the sweet spot. Obviously a slower attack accentuates the transient which is good on drums but only up to a point. To slow of an attack and you can mess up the tone or find that the comp isn't engaging fast enough to help saturate the tone appropriately... Lots to learn here...!

[@DjJazz787]

Watch this and thank me later: kzbin.info/aero/PLr9cxz51sxbxm9BVD16p-nl5qWF5zh-2X

[@uzimatele]

I can't find the auto release, classic attack, and weird knee in Reacomp in my version 7. How can I activate them?

[@dappawap]

Can we use the compressor in real time in this program?

[@meirbarbi]

Hello first of all I would like to thank you for all your video because it makes me more and more happy with reaper I would like to ask you if I can create track markers in reaper thank you

[@allengoyne]

Kenny, did you watch the HBO series Silicon Valley? For some reason I imagine the Reaper (Winamp) team to be like Pied Piper with the file compression genius-ness. Do the founders and coders have any similarities to the show characters that you can tell?

[@alfredo.barbosa]

What about knee size?

[@orlandornr]

Pedir los subtítulos ya sería demasiado, porque en inglés la banco a medias, jejejeje, pero ahí vamo. Gracias!

[@ezequielwalter2991]

podes poner la traducción automatica, que no es perfecta pero ayuda

[@swffgrff6536]

My cousin calls all the Reaper plug-ins re-a-comp or re-a-verb etc. also. I think it’s a play on the word reaper. You don’t say re-a-per so I say recomp, reverb etc. Not bitching though just saying. I need this channel 🤣

[@REAPERMania]

Yeah. I know I say it wrong. Hopefully it will catch on. :)

[@ARE_YOU_SICK_OF_YT_CENSORSHIP]

@@REAPERMania i think any non-native speaker whose language doesn't have specific reading for - ea - combination pronounces it literally

[@swffgrff6536]

@@REAPERMania I been a fan for a while. Keep up the good work.

[@glammer]

Heh, reminds me of a history teacher who used to pronounce parliament as par-lee-a-ment instead of parl-a-ment. When asked why, she said, "So you spell it correctly."

[@BobErnstGuitar]

great video

[@darkcashyz]

This is an art!

[@amineben9349]

You'r the best

[@FX-ri3dn]

Ok. I got confuced. Has been told that compressor is used to reduce volume when mixing metal guitars. Using multiband compressor to reduce palm mute bounces. Hmm...

[@TaufanSiswadi]

thanks Kenny.....

[@jerryclarkc]

Hi Kenny!

[@REAPERMania]

Hi

[@jerryclarkc]

@@REAPERMania Great tutorials as always man! I had just transfer to another daw since i have been using Fl Studio for a very long time and reaper is the one I tried and the tutorials that you made are the one that motivates me to make music with reaper. Thanks man!

[@lmusik2417]

🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@noelduggan72]

Good Stuff Thanks!!! - 👍

[@mikeduckaudio5401]

Thanks Kenny 👍

[@prashantgupta4971]

Kenny are you official member of reaper?

[@REAPERMania]

Sorry. That's a HIPPA violation. :)

[@pvalenti]

@@REAPERMania lmao that's HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996)

[@pvalenti]

Full Disclosure...my day job is working for the Health Department, so I deal with this daily.

[@REAPERMania]

@@pvalenti LOL

[@ARE_YOU_SICK_OF_YT_CENSORSHIP]

the name of the company is Cockos

[@troutman68]

Thanks Kenny!!

[@DThompson55]

Still beyond me al though I can hear some very subtle difference.

[@antonioc-s7753]

👍👍👏👏

[@blackpisces]

You really that guy

[@workrhymes]

It's so dang clear

[@maxcloud9127]

Dude, your output gain is clipping. Is it normal?

[@REAPERMania]

How does it sound?

[@jgonzalez2005]

I had the same concern in a recent ​@REAPER Mania video until someone was kind enough to suggest that I review this other video, which I had already seen but had forgotten the concept. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKe7mnyigKh4nbM I was left with the impression that this question cannot be asked. In short, if one is learning, one should ask questions, as long as one is respectful.

[@REAPERMania]

@@jgonzalez2005 If you lower the master with a limiter, the clipping on the individual tracks doesn't matter.

[@maxcloud9127]

@@REAPERMania It sounds louder. And it also sounds subjectively better. But I heard that if you use compressor you should remain subjective volume the same to make right impression. Is it true?

[@jgonzalez2005]

@@REAPERMania Thank you very much, sir. You should have read this a million times but let me write it again, your videos are really hepful, even for someone whose mother tongue is not English, as is my case.

[@burneraccounthandle]

okay yeah you show what everything does but why dont you ever explain WHY you want to make these changes or any of the motivation behind what youre doing? how is anyone supposed to follow this?

[@shortcakeone]

Cool

[@bukhlz]

SORRY KENNY, AM I LATE?

[@REAPERMania]

LOL