Why do some mixers choose to compress the mix bus?

[groover]

Presuming that the project is going to be mastered elsewhere, and that mastering engineer will probably add compression, why do some engineers/producers/mixers go ahead and compress their overall mix?

[chris harris]

Because they think it sounds better with a touch of mix bus compression. That's why I do it when I do it.

Mixing INTO compression can give you entirely different results than simply compressing the stereo mix after the fact.

[Bro Shark]

I don't agree that the ME should add compression "by default." His primary job as far as levels is go to ensure evenness across songs, and achieve a reasonable perceived volume. There are ways to achieve that without compression, and I'd argue an ME worth his salt might receive a "good" mix and often decide it needs no compression in the Mastering stage.

[donny]

if you are compressing the mix buss for creative effect, and you like the way it sounds, then by all means, do it !

i can think of countless reasons why this makes sense, especially if you are working in analog. as mentioned above, you might mix differently depending on how everything sounds together through the compressor. i know i change my levels and EQ (sometimes drastically) after hearing it through a buss compressor. also, if you mix to tape, you will get more even levels going into the tape deck, instead of wild dynamic peaks and valleys (inconsistent tape noise level). in fact, this is probably one of the original reasons compressors were used in the first place!

[MoreSpaceEcho]

I'd argue an ME worth his salt might receive a "good" mix and often decide it needs no compression in the Mastering stage.

yep. happens all the time.

[Waltz Mastering]

Presuming that the project is going to be mastered elsewhere, and that mastering engineer will probably add compression, why do some engineers/producers/mixers go ahead and compress their overall mix?

There's many types and flavors of compressions. A mixer might prefer the sound and action that a particular comp gives the mix to get things were they want it.

For mastering, imo, if more compression is needed the comps used most of the time should be fairly transparent as to not step on the mix.

[groover]

Thanks for all the responses! keep 'em coming!

[Dan Rosato]

I find myself compressing the mix bus more often than not. On our console (Audient ASP 8024), enabling the built in mix bus compressor does something to tighten up the low end and just brings the mix together. I believe it was modeled on the SSL G Series Compressor.

I don't use it all of the time, but usually mixes sound better to me when it's on, even if it's barely compressing the track.

[mwerden]

especially if you are working in analog.

I'd say especially when you're working in digital and you don't have tape to pull things together.

[jnTracks]

i've been liking the sound of the SSL bus compressor (from waves) on my mixes, grabbing lik 2-4db of the kick and snare, for the sound of that unit.

i wouldn't try to reduce dynamic range of the whole mix transparently, i think that's for the mastering phase.

[floid]

kind of OT, but when i first started recording, my monitoring system consisted of a crappy 70s home stereo system with a massive pair of speakers, which i always had turned up way too loud. years later i realized
that setup was basically acting as a really lousy compressor - which was why nothing seemed to translate elsewhere. Main point being, don't mix with compression and then remove it.

[chris harris]

kind of OT, but when i first started recording, my monitoring system consisted of a crappy 70s home stereo system with a massive pair of speakers, which i always had turned up way too loud. years later i realized
that setup was basically acting as a really lousy compressor - which was why nothing seemed to translate elsewhere. Main point being, don't mix with compression and then remove it.

Yeah, it always mystifies me when people say that they mix into a compressor or limiter, but then remove it before printing the mix to send to mastering.... Doesn't that pretty much change everything? At that point, you're sending a mix that you didn't really do.

They'll say that they want to get an idea of how the compression and/or limiting at mastering will affect their mix. NONSENSE. If the mastering compression and/or limiting is having a huge impact on the balance of your mix, then you need to find a new mastering engineer.

Don't try to anticipate what might happen in mastering. Just send them the best sounding mix you possibly can. If they send it back sounding significantly different, then you're working with the wrong mastering engineer.

I don't have racks of fancy tools. And, even I can make your masters as loud as you want them without fucking up the balance of your mix.

[MoreSpaceEcho]

+1 to all that. just please, please, please don't mix into limiters. or at least take those off before you send the mixes to mastering. compression (or not) is fine, great, super, but already-limited files really tie the ME's hands. the limiting really needs to be the last thing that happens.

just sayin'.

[groover]

just please, please, please don't mix into limiters. or at least take those off before you send the mixes to mastering. compression (or not) is fine, great, super, but already-limited files really tie the ME's hands. the limiting really needs to be the last thing that happens.

Being as how the line between compressors and limiters is kind of fuzzy I ask the following: Can you clarify? Are you referring to peak, brickwall limiters like the Waves Ultra-Maximizer?

[vvv]

... but already-limited files really tie the ME's hands. the limiting really needs to be the last thing that happens.

Please explain why limiting is worse than compressing when sending to mastering.

I understand that sending a file run through a compressor might be for the "effect" the compressor has on the track, and so the mastering engineer can master that track as "effected".

Is it that you are looking to avoid really smashed limiting where the file looks like a block? Or is even minimal (say, 2-3dBu) limiting not a good idear?