How to compress vocals. Set the ratio to a moderate setting 31. First of all load up a compressor. If you use hard knee in vocals you can hear the annoying effect of compressor clamp down on a vocal when it hits the threshold.
Have your vocalist sing the same lead line on a second track and compress that heavily while only lightly compressing the main vocals. Adjust the threshold so the compressor is affecting only the loudest peaks. For slower vocals youll want a slower release so that the compression gradually releases the vocals rather than abruptly.
Match the input level and output level. You may want to only bring the double in for certain parts of the song such as the chorus. Generally the soft knee is used to compress the vocals effectively.
Add makeup gain as needed so the vocal doesnt drop in volume. Dial up a medium attack time around 3 10ms set your release time to 20ms and adjust until the. This allows you to clearly hear the compressor working.
Adjust the threshold ratio and makeup gain until you can hear every word of the performance clearly. Start with a medium attack time around 15ms and adjust to taste. Set the knee to hard.
Here are the basic steps for dynamic compression. With your compressor open dial the ratio to 101. If the songs central focus is the lead vocal the goal is to make it sound like youre in the room or hall with the singer and avoid any extreme effects.
Greg talks about what a big fan he is of the 1176 compressor both for tracking and mixing. Too fast and it can sound weird on the decay tails of notes being held in time as they dip below the threshold. While listening to your entire mix do not solo the vocal pull down the threshold until the compressor starts compressing.
Next lower the threshold and raise the ratio to extreme settings. If your compressor has independent control knob on knee parameter then you have to adjust it manually by listening to the vocal. A fast attack 5ms will make your vocals.
Rather than send the same vocal to another track for parallel compression another technique is to use a vocal double.