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November Birthdays
"Compressor breathing" ?
Joined: Jan 06, 2020 Posts: 42 Los Angeles, CA 
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Posted on May 07 2020 04:35 PM
Reading Phil Dirt's review of The Surf Raiders's "Surfin' Fever" album. For the song "Surf Raider" he states: "This track is notable as much for the incorrectly set compressor breathing as the tune." What does "compressor breathing" mean? I'm not a musician or a studio tech. That's a new term for me. EDIT: Here it is on YouTube FWIW https://youtu.be/A7ZIoPJO39w Last edited: May 07, 2020 16:52:57 |
Joined: Jan 25, 2007 Posts: 1566 Brighton UK 
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Posted on May 07 2020 05:36 PM
Compressor breathing, or pumping, is a consequence of short release times. The release time determines how quickly the compressor stops acting once the signal returns below the threshold (ie the point where the compressor begins to turn down the level of the signal). Very short releases can cause the material to breathe, or pump (essentially jump up and down in a rhythmic fashion). In some genres this can be considered a desirable effect, but, while potentially exciting, it’s not very natural sounding. Consequently, it’s probably not what you want in surf music. — |
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Joined: Jan 06, 2020 Posts: 42 Los Angeles, CA
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Posted on May 12 2020 04:06 PM
Thank you. |
Joined: Nov 27, 2019 Posts: 128 Los Angeles
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Posted on May 13 2020 12:30 AM
Yeah, the volume can have weird jumps. It can be on a single instrument or the whole mix depending on what's being compressed. There's a whole world of compression knowledge in the engineering/production side of things. — |
Joined: Jan 02, 2009 Posts: 1305 The original Plymouth, UK. 
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Posted on May 14 2020 06:59 AM
As said before - it can be used to make the recording 'throb' - if it's in time with the music it's an extra dynamic. If it's out of time with the music then it's pretty distracting. Early Who recordings used compressors with great effect. One technique is to control the compressor with the kick drum. When the kick drum sounds, the recording compresses to allow the drum sound through, then the compressor releases why the time the next kick sounds, making the recording sort of pulse, or breathe in time with the drum. I hope that's right! I think it's very commonly used these days. In the past, compressors were expensive so studios didn't have many. With digital recording you can have them all over the place! — |
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Joined: Jan 02, 2009 Posts: 1305 The original Plymouth, UK.
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Posted on May 15 2020 03:15 AM
This is from Bob Katz "The Secret of the Mastering Engineer", which may help explain compressors: The accent point in this rhythm comes on the backbeat (WOP), often a snare drum hit. If you strongly compress this music piece, it might change to: This completely removes the accent feel from the music, which is probably counterproductive. A light amount of compression might accomplish this...
I recommend getting a copy of Bob Katz book - it's an interesting insight into what goes into a recording to make it sound 'natural'. — |
Joined: Oct 01, 2014 Posts: 519 Streatham, London
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Posted on May 15 2020 09:55 AM
da-ron wrote:
Is it all as well explained as your piece above? |
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Joined: Jan 25, 2007 Posts: 1566 Brighton UK
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Posted on May 15 2020 12:05 PM
Clarry wrote:
It’s very technical. — |
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