Chris Crompton wrote:
Most importantly, where do you guys learn about all of this great information? from trial and error?
yes.
trial and error is the only way with compression, and trying as many different compressors as you possibly can till you find the one that does what you want it too.
ive got 4 hardware compressors and ive tried lots of software comps, and they all have a different affect even with similar settings.
dont just use the first compressor (eg ableton) that you come across and think that you know the effects of a compressor.
compression is one of the hardest things to get right, its why i do everything to avoid using them if at all possible.
its laughable that an emulation of a Fairchild could even remotely sound like a Fairchild.
i think that its best to steer well clear of emulated vintage analogue compressors, because they arent in the same league, i think theres new software designs that will do a better job imo.
edit; also while i'm a hardware musician and swear by analogue for synths / drum machines / mixers etc. i would say that the same cannot be said of dynamics processors unless you have a lot of money to spend.
most of the budget / project studio hardware compressors imo dont perform any better than software variants. and quite often are inferior.
i have an alesis 3630 which is the compressor that Daft Punk famously use, and to be honest i dont like it at all.
even with no compression on, just putting a signal through it degrades the sound quality, it comes out all dry and flat.
i also have a Focusrite Compounder, which was bigged up by the likes of Sound on Sound magazine and wasnt exactly cheap when it came out, and again i think it also degrades the signal too much.
its hard to believe but i got some of the best results out of an old cheap behringer composer i borrowed in the 1990's.
its a minefield.
