Elektron Musical Instruments

> Mati <zurich.enteract@r...> wrote:

> I can tell you that it is all about compression. Those people on the 
> KVR-VST forums are right. It is not about lack of skills - this is how 
> you get huge sounding kick and snare sounds, and pull your drums up in 
> a mix. I would suggest going out an investing in an engineering book to 
> understand some basics of classic recording technique. It may sound 
> corny - but I have seen multi-platinum record producers with these 
> books inhand.

When you tell me it's all about compression, it really sounds like
compression is more important than sound itself. I guess the
compression  matters some, but after the sound is right and the
balance is right. But lets say it's all about compression, then I'm
not going to believe that it is some magical process, that can't be
explained. I'm not talking about how-compressor-works, but what is it
that we are trying to achieve through it. What way should people try
to manipulate dynamics of drums with it. An example, is this what
should be done with compressor to get thick beefy beats:

Let's take the kick and smash it in compressor really hard, but so
that compressor reacts to kick a little late, so that it leaves a hard
attack to kick and lowers dynamics only after that. So the attack is
fairly slow and release is long. 

After this we could route the kick to eq and emphasis the frequency we
want to punch after attack.

So much for the example. What I mean to say, if somebody says is all
about to compression, it needs to be clarified somehow. What people
are exatcly doing with compressors, since they are so important. I've
found that people can't really answer to this, but they can answer
what should be done with eq, verbs and stuff like that. 

I'm not trying to rant here, I just want to hear if someone can offer
some explanation of this compression stuff, like you Mati or anyone
else. And I'm not speaking of ratios, Gain reduction or anything that
releates to compressor knobs.

As for the books, Ive read couple of them like:

Behind the Glass: Top Record Producers Tell How They Craft the Hits
(there are top-hit prodicers that don't use compression on bass or
kick at all.)
The Art of Mixing (Mix Pro Audio Series) 

I've been looking the Waves book, it has example projects (nuendo for
example) with waves-plugs on a cd. Might be usefull to see how they
have crafted the mixes.

Toni.