Re: [microsound] usefulness of compressors/mastering in experimental music

[Ian Andrews <i.andrews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Lately I've been mixing a number of sources via a mixing desk to a stereo
compressor/limiter using a really heavy compression ratio. Mixing becomes
completely different from normal (additive) mixing. It becomes non-additive.
As one channel is faded in the others begin to decrease. The slight movement
of one fader has an effect on all the other channels. Add multiple effects
loops and feedback loops to the mix and the mixing becomes like shaping the
sound directly with your hands.

99% of the time, however, I use a hardware compressor when digitising
analogue sound. Here a good peak limiter is important so you can record a
higher level (without clipping) by eliminating excessive transients.

Kassenwrote:

> So far all comments have been on mastering and not on the creative use of
> compression. I found that compressors, particualarly those equiped with side
> chains are extremely usefull in making corrections to volume envelopes of
> synthetic, algorithmic, sounds where normal envelopes are not involved in
> how the sound is generated, particularly for realtime aplications. I fear
> this is a underapreceated aspect of compression but it´s a very valid one.
> Some of the techniques I use include delaying the side chain by some
> relatively short amount of time, heavy eq on the side chain of sounds that
> change pitch or harmonic content over their duration and mixing elements
> into the sidechain that do not apear anywhere else. In modular synthesis I
> think it´s very usefull to keep the (or a) compressor inside of the patch
> itself instead of "over" it.
>
> If there are good articles on these techniques I´m unaware of them. My chief
> recomendation would be to think of compressors in terms of what they do and
> what they can be used for instead of how they are most often used. A very
> interesting exersise is building your own in some software language or
> system so you can take controll of parameters normally not accessible or
> included.
>
> Applogies if this sounded trivial, it´s meant to encourage, not to be the
> final word.
>
> As a side note; the compressor module of the original Nord Modular has a bug
> where it can "click" or "pop" the moment the limiter is turned on or off. If
> you keep your signal floating around this tresshold rather pleasant lowfi
> effects can be created. That does not answer any question here but I
> couldn´t bring myself to neglect mentioning it, seeing as this list is suppo
> sed to be about post-digital aesthetics and techniques.
>
> Yours,
> Kas.
>
>
>
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