Recommended Compressor Settings for Different Instruments and Vocals. The ratio is generally pretty high to ensure that weaker syllables don’t get lost in the mix. Compressors are super-useful devices for smoothing out volume spikes while also giving quieter sounds more punch and presence. Keeping them in mind will help you to stay on the right track. Your compressor’s attack time will affect the consonants of a vocal performance. The solution is to dial in a softer knee. It’s also important to get familiar to various styles of music by listening critically to how the vocals sound. Ideal Release time for Vocals – However, there are no set rules for any of the compression parameters for vocals, you can start between 500ms to 600ms and gradually decrease the time to get it … Getting the right compression setting for vocals will go a long way in how well your music will sound. Remember, a compressor typically makes loud sounds quieter and more consistent. Also, it influences the groove or sense of motion to change the mood, to add some excitement and a bite, or on the contrary, to make it relaxed and floating. Ratio Want more of them? This allows you to harness the power of a heavily compressed vocal in a way that isn’t easily noticed. Compression that is added to vocals during recording cannot be undone. You can learn more about mixing rap vocals in general from this helpful article at Pro Audio Files. But they’re far less important, and focusing on them will often distract you from what matters most. For example, 2:1 is considered gentle compression, while 8:1 is considered extreme. This can add articulation and clarity to a performance. However, there are a few key parameters that you can keep in mind when approaching vocal compression. Learn how your comment data is processed. However, compressing is an art and there is no hard and fast rule to apply the same settings on your vocals. For natural and transparent vocal compression, conventional wisdom is to set a medium attack time and a medium to slow release time, so that the compression doesn’t draw attention to itself. So you’ve recorded, edited and mixed some killer vocals and now you’re ready to compress the song to make it sound professional. Vocal Compression Settings Capturing those perfect-pitch performances is a subtle science that involves skillful direction and guidance on behalf of the recording engineer, exceptional performance and musical ability on behalf of the singer, and a good, open line of communication between them both during the recording process. If the vocals sound wrong, the mix will sound wrong. Usually to make it more punchy and louder in the mix. So in this post we’ll go over a few compressor settings to use when you’re recording and mixing vocals in your studio. I understand the threshhold and gain part just trying to find out what settings most people use for their vocal compression. How To Compress Vocals Properly (+ Our Go-To Vocal Compression Settings) Home » Learn Music Production » Compression » Vocals. Add makeup gain as needed so the vocal doesn't drop in volume. Changing the attack will change how quickly the compressor kicks in and begins reducing loudness. In other words: know what you’re working with. Your email address will not be published. Pop/RnB/EDM; Rap/Hip-Hop; Rock; … When you’re searching for the perfect vocal compression settings, there’s one goal worth paying attention to: Yes…color and character matter too. Listen out for any tonalinconsistencies, or moments where the vocal starts to sound muddy,sibilant or thin. This means that if you captured the perfect take, but the compression settings didn’t sound right, you would have to re-record the vocals and start over again. Set the ratio to a modest value (somewhere in the 4:1 ballpark and adjust the threshold so the compressor is triggering a few dB of gain reduction. Generally speaking, the more mainstream the music style, the more compression you can use. This will hopefully save you the headache of ruining a few tracks before you get the hang of this powerful tool. For vocals i really use compression as a safety net for the highest peaks from mic technique mistakes, in a GREAT take. This is where vocal compression comes in the picture. Because music compressors are used and abused so frequently in home recording, it might be helpful for you to have some basic settings for vocals to get you started. It reduces spikes in the mix. All of those knobs on a compressor have different duties. Both attack and release are measured in milliseconds (ms).