Snare Compressors!

Again, I'm using BFD. Here is the dry sample:


The particular snare I landed on for this loop was a Ludwig WFL Buddy Rich Snare. Settings were around:

Ratio- 6:1
Attack- 1
Release- .2
About 6db GR

API-2500- Brings out thwack. Does some funny things with the overtones. Certainly punchy, lacks some bottom end, definitely shines on the mids and highs. Hit's the snap of the snare harder than any other comp. Sounds compressed though where the others don't. Also has a slightly harsh sounding area depending on the velocity of the snare.



Sonalksis SV-315MK2- Sounds a little aggressive. Much brighter than the API. Brings out the thwack of the snare too, but not as obnoxiously as the API. Again, this one and the URS sound fairly similar, this one being a little more modern sounding.



RComp- Weird reaction, has a vintage sound too it, more so than the API. I guess what I mean by vintage is it's a little darker. Really brings out the high-mids, more than the others. Not as transparent, can hear the compressor working. Definitely brings out the meat of the snare too though, which I like!



URS 1970- Keeps some of the sizzle I like in the snare. Snare sounds great, untouched, transparent until some fills happen. Probably have to play with the attack times better for that. This one doesn't bring out weird overtones like some of the others. I mean, I know the overtone is from the snare itself, but it's not as bad on this comp.



Softtube FET- Yuck. I'm sure it's a wonderful buss compressor, but on the snare it's not great. Leaves a weird crackling artifact. Yeah, I just don't like this one.



Results!
The URS wins this round. Again, if you're happy with your source, I don't like fucking with it too much. I'd use the API on Pop for sure, like a Maroon 5 type song. The beat I'm using for this sample is a little more on the funky side, which is why I'm picking the URS over the Sonalksis. I'd use the Sonalksis in a more heavier setting. Actually my second pick if the URS wouldn't work would be the RComp. It does do something nice for this style. Would be good for funk/rock.

Kick Drum Compressors!

I used a sampled DW Kick from BFD. Here is the dry sample:


Each were approximately:

Ratio- 6:1
Attack-3
Release-.2
About 10 GR

I'm also getting out of the habit of using exact settings for every plug-in and play with the settings for each, getting them to sound as good as I can.

Here are the audio samples. I recorded them in 88.2/24bit, and had to export them (since it won't play wave files) as mp3's at 44.1k/320kbps.


Waves API-2500- Affects more of the beater side of the sound. Punchy, not very deep sounding. Sounds like it would sound good for fast metal with a lot of double-bass drum. Vintage sounding, what a surprise!



Sonalksis SV-315Mk2- Bigger sounding than the API. Sounds much clearer. Still attacks more of the beater sound, but includes some of the thump and low end. I prefer to not hear a compressor working, but if I were forced to, this is acceptable! However! It seems to be doing it's job a little too well and brings the snare bleed out more than the others. That could be a deal breaker depending on the situation. But can you really fault a compressor for doing too good of a job? In all likelihood, I'd probably end up playing with the settings a little more to fix it if it were a real issue.



Waves RComp- Looowwwwww. Really gets it sounding deep. Pretty well rounded, beater isn't as present, and I think that's what gives kicks their "punch". I'd be a little concerned with all the low energy it seems to be effecting. Either that I'd end up in the mastering process put a HPF on whatever it's hitting, or if I left it in, it would destroy car speakers. Would be awesome for R&B or Rap kicks or something heavier. But then I suppose if I were using it for Hip-Hop, I'd be slamming the mutli-band mastering compressor so this didn't tear apart someones car speakers.



Softtube FET Compressor (Neve 1176 clone)- Very natural sounding, very well rounded. This plug-in is weird and takes a little getting used to. There's no normal "Threshold", but I got a sound I liked out of it. Probably the most transparent of them all. Only seems to enhance what's already there, not necessarily add something new. On this particular drum loop and on a DW kick, I might not be looking for natural though. Will have to see how it sounds in context.



URS 1970 Compressor (From what I am told, Neve 2254 clone)- Bigger. Seems to be the middle ground between the Sonalksis and the RComp. Has a nice blend of the meat and punch. Also very transparent. Actually sounds very similar to the Sonalksis. A little darker sounding.



Results!
After listening again and comparing each one, I liked the Sonalksis the best for this. It seemed to really enhance what was already there, and where it did add something new, it was only an enhancement to the track. Being a DW kick, you're expecting a certain punch to it, so I think this did the best job bringing out those qualities. But this was good, because I liked each one for different styles. If I was doing some light pop or jazz (and it even needed compression!) or country, I'd probably use the Softtube Fet or see how the URS sounded. Heavy metal, R&B, Hip-Hop and such, RComp all the way. Something more vintage sounding, like a Beatles tribute band, I'd turn to the API or URS.

Drum Mic Shoot-Out on Gearslutz

So there is a fantastic drum mic shoot-out, found here:

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/gear-shoot-outs-sound-file-comparisons-audio-tests/273201-drum-mic-madness.html

This guy went ALL out, and it was awesome. I didn't even take notes like I normally do. There's too many choices and soooo many mics I can't afford right now anyways. But hell, I gave the kicks and snares a listen. I wrote down the corresponding numbers I preferred the most and whatever I didn't like, I deleted. Fast forward to the results and I was sooooo happy! I ended up picking out the mics I already own!

You might say I picked them out because that's what I'm used to hearing, but I just very recently started miking drums for recorded sound. For the most part I've used BFD or Addictive Drums for my drumming needs. And besides, I didn't know which mics were which beforehand, I just listened to whatever sounded natural to my ears. I'm absolutely in a phase right now where I go after the most natural sounding technique. A lot of the mics I didn't like, I didn't choose because they sculpted the sound in some way. And that might not be bad in a mix context. You might need to take some of the boom out of the snare to get it to sit right. But that's what my EQ is for. I'd rather capture the source as naturally as possible, and tweak it afterwards if it needs it.

Vocal EQ's

EQ
Waves API550A- Not surprising, it's pretty balanced. It's a little nasally and boxy sounding though, and seems to have a little trouble with the low-mids. Still a definite improvement to the track. Much louder than the other EQ's too for some reason.

Waves API550B- Dammit, more disappointment with this one. Unnatural sounding jump from dry to processed. Handles the highs and mids alright, but really boxy in the lows and low-mids. Does an okay job at handling the vocal when it's being sung strong and using a higher register.

URS A Series (API clone)- A bit harsh sounding in the upper mids, and also seems to have trouble with the low mids. I can't blame all this on the plug-ins though, as I had a feeling that was the case with the new preamp I'm using. Slightly muddy sounding, not as defined in the lows, although it is smoother in transitions between the bands than the others. Has a slight compressed sound to it. Not much of an improvement from the original track.

URS Fulltec (Pultec clone)- Seems to handle the lows much better than the others. Kind of a dark sound overall. Fairly balanced with an exception to more concentration in the lows than anywhere else. Not much of a jump in sound from dry to processed. Very natural sounding. Wish it were a hair brighter.

URS N Series (Neve clone)- Focuses more on the deep lows than any of the others. Not a really desirable thing with vocals. Very discrete sounding, rest of the spectrum almost sounds untouched. Kind of a weird transition from dry though. Also has a sort of compressed sound to it.

Vocal Results
As for the EQ's, they all seemed to have some difficulty with the low end. And like I said, I really shouldn't fault them for it because I know it's the preamp. I really shouldn't even say fault, because I LOVE that preamp. That being said, I definitely preferred the sound of the Fulltec over the others.

Vocal Compression

Vocals Compression
Waves API2500- Very aggressive sounding. Really slams the peaks. Adds a dark color to the sound which I don't like. I bought a bright sounding preamp to contrast the dark sounding mic, I'd rather not add more darkness to the sound.

RComp- Sounds like it's attacking the lows before the highs, because it's very bright. Almost thin sounding. Can't really hear the compressor working, but can tell the track has been compressed. That just sounds backwards. Does that make any sense? You can't hear the pumping or breathing but can tell there's not much dynamic range left in the track. Not an improvement in my opinion to the dry track.

Sonalksis- Super transparent. Has the brightness I like without sounding unbalanced or scooping out too many of the lows. Does a really nice job handling the peaks without degrading any of the other bands or sounding unnatural like the other 2. Didn't add any unwanted color.

Vocal Results
Hey, the Sonalksis finally won one! It was the real clear choice for me once I heard it in action. I did go back and compare it with the other 2, but that just confirmed my hunch.

Electric Guitar EQ's

EQ
Waves API550A- Cleans the track up fairly well. Sounds balanced. A little fatiguing in the upper mids, but nothing really noticeable. "Does no harm" really jumped to mind.

Waves API550B- I can't believe this was my go-to EQ. Sounds unbalanced and unnatural. Sculpted, not very discrete. Handles the high mids okay, but not much of an improvement from the original track.

URS Fulltec (Pultec clone)- Very meaty. Definite improvement to the sound. Very clean sounding, can't really hear that it's an EQ. Took the honk out of the guitar. Great rhythm EQ, though would like to hear more in the highs.

URS N Series (Neve clone)- A weird surprise, in a good way. Has a lot of balls to it. Brought out the character of the guitar, though still harsh sounding. Not sure if it's worth the trade-off.

URS A Series (API clone)- Much cleaner sounding EQ. Has a lot more high end than the others without accenting the harshness of the distortion. Does a nice job with the low mids. Huge improvement to the sound, noticeable difference in a good way. More defined than the 550A, sound like what the 550B should have been.

Guitar Results
The EQ was a toss up between the URS A Series and the Fulltec, but I ended up deciding the A Series really did the most good to the guitar track.

Electric Guitar Compressors

Same comps as before, except for the SSL. It's kind of a waste of time, as it's really not designed to go on individual tracks.

Electric Guitar Compression

Waves API2500- Lots of body, very clean. Big sound overall, handles the transients very well. Brought in a little high end without the added harshness of the distortion.

Waves RComp- Brighter sounding. Emphasizes the harshness unfortunately, got fatiguing fairly quickly. Mids sound pretty good. Touches the meat of the sound, but not as much as the 2500 or Sonalksis. Enhanced the crunch of the distortion. Not sure if it's that much of an improvement to the track or not. Definitely changes the sound.

Sonalksis SV-350MkII- Brought out a lot of grit and meat to the track. Expanded the image in a very pleasing way. A little muffled in the mids, but still natural sounding. Most discrete of the compressors, can't really hear it working.


Guitar Results
The compressor again that did the best job in my opinion was the API2500, though it was another toss up between that and the Sonalksis. After A/Bing the two, I was drawn more toward the sound of the 2500, although I easily could have lived with the Sonalksis.

Bass EQ's

EQ's

The URS and Waves are having a hard time getting along. Nuendo crashed like 7 times if I don't load them in a certain order. It became so much of a hassle, I ended up not even testing the URS Fulltec EQ for this shootout.

URS A Series (API clone)- Damn! Lot of balls. Deep. Has a lot of growl. Really defined high-mids without much click.

URS N Series (Neve clone)- Too much low end, and not in the good spots. Muddies up the sound and distracts from the high end. Clean sounding in that you can't really hear that the EQ is processing the track. I know that sounds weird. It sounds like the bass player just turned up the bass knob and turned down the treble knob.

Waves API550A- Not much low end. Has a lot of grit to it. Highs are definitely more emphasized. Has a sort of natural distortion sound. Brought out a little honk in the bass. Doesn't really improve on the track.

Waves API550B- Woh. Huge low end. Almost the polar opposite of the 550A. Way too much bottom end, lacks brightness. Low end is undefined, not very clear. More muddy really than bassy. Retains some of the grit that the 550A had, but does something weird to the highs. Not a very clean or transparent sounding EQ in this context.

Results

URS A Series for the EQ. Hands down.

Bass Compressors

Bass Compressors

Waves API2500- Very aggressive, meaty. Brought out the thwack in the upper bass region. Also did a wonderful job bringing out the growl in the sound. Not a very transparent compressor, though. Could hear it working.

Sonalksis SV-315MKII- Not much meat in the track. Really brought out the attack and the extreme lows. Handled the transients nicely, couldn't really hear the compressor working. Overall balance was okay, not perfect but nothing really stood out. Did have more lows than highs.

Waves RComp- Nothing jumps out at you. Very smooth. The bottom end is really well-defined. Not a very aggressive sound, doesn't add much character either. Very clean sounding compressor, punchy, but not immediately noticeable.

Waves SSL- Punchy. Attacks a lot more of the lows than the highs. Losses a lot of definition and can hear the compressor working. At the same settings compressed the bass a lot harder than the others.

Results

Well, the clear winner for me was the Waves RComp. I preferred the RComp over the API2500 basically because it really didn't add too many artifacts. The 2500 certainly had a lot of nuts to it, and I liked it. But I suppose I'm in a phase right now where I'm not exactly looking for color. This is the kind of result I was hoping for, as I hadn't ever used either when mixing bass.

Acoustic Guitar EQ's

Edit: I'll be updating this one as well!

I tested out the six EQ's next. This was a little harder to narrow down which was best. They all had something good to offer.

EQ's (all with the same settings)
URS A Series (API clone)- Slightly harsh sounding, not boomy at all, really clean with the acoustic picking. Very defined lows, though it does tend to get muddy in some areas. Cleaned the track up nicely. Livened up the sound, really natural sounding.

URS Fulltech (Pultech clone)-Lots of clear low end. Smooth high-mids. Very full sounding, though it tends to get boomy in some spots. Just big sounding. Would probably be nice on bass or voice overs. Initially this was my favorite, but after a lot of repeat listens, it's not the ideal EQ for an already boomy acoustic track. If it was an acoustic-only song, I'd probably turn to this.

URS N Series (Neve clone)- Not as many lows, but very balanced. Has a slight honk to it. Adds lots of character to the guitar. It's a bit brighter than the other EQ's. Everything seems to be handled very equally, very clean. Slightly thin sounding. Really shines when the guitar plays notes in the higher register, very clear.

Waves API550B- First impression was it's kind of nasally. Generates lots of overtones, which in this scenario is really unwanted. Pretty meaty low end, brings out the acoustic characteristics. Cleans the track up okay, but is a little harsh sounding. This came as kind of a disappointment. This was really my go-to EQ for almost everything. It's not that it sounds bad, it's just not as good as the others I had been neglecting.

Waves API550A- Wow! Bright, REALLY balanced, good defined bottom end. Has a sort of naturally compressed sound. Small honk to it, but handles mids otherwise nicely. Retains the dark sound without sounding dull. Very nice overall balance without one band being too overpowering. This was a real surprise. The difference between this and the 550B is the 550B is a 4 band EQ, while the 550A is a 3 band. I've almost exclusively avoided this EQ just because I liked having the 4th band with the 550B and could be a bit more surgical on tracks that needed it. In this scenario, the 550A is the clear winner to me.

Waves VEQ4 (a Neve clone?)- Disgusting. Harsh. Fatiguing. Muddy, unbalanced, undefined lows. I wouldn't use this if you paid me. I can't believe it's a sought after plug-in, part of Waves Vintage series. It seems any band it touches just falls apart like a Chinese moped.

Acoustic Results
The clear winner was the Waves API550A, with probably the URS A Series in a close second. By the way, it's worth mentioning that the URS A Series is a 4-band EQ. Not sure why it did so much better than the Waves Version. Oh well!

Acoustic Guitar Compressors

Edit: I will be adding to this list and updating it.

What I worked on most of the night was an acoustic guitar track. I tried out 4 different compressors and 6 different EQ's (all using the same settings) and took notes on each. Here's what I came up with:

Compressors
Waves RComp (Renaissance Compressor)- Slightly dull sounding, which was surprising since in another shootout it was one of the brightest sounding comps I had. Really brought out the picking sound in the guitar. Attacked a lot of the highs, which I didn't like. The guitar was a nice sounding Martin, but really dark. I had high hopes for the RComp to balance it out, but when pushed it just sounded even duller.

Waves API2500- Very clean. Compressed, but not squashed. Didn't get the pumping sound some of the other compressors gave with the same settings. Very balanced in what it attacked. Bright sounding. Another surprise, as the API's are typically known for their darker sound. Did a really nice job on the acoustic.

Sonalksis SV-315Mk2- Another weird surprise. On the master buss and on drums this was the brightest sounding compressor I had. Then again I suppose since it's compressing a dark sounding source, I shouldn't be surprised to get an even darker sound. Compressed the acoustic far more than the other two. Very full sounding, but as the acoustic already had a lot of body in it, might not be great in the mix.

Waves SSL Buss Compressor- Kind of a nightmare. I can't really blame it, it is a buss compressor and not exactly intended to be used on individual channels. The only reason I tried it out was because the acoustic track was made up of 3 separate mono channels, which could technically be viewed as a small mix buss. Although it was really punchy, especially in the picking part of the track, it was incredibly squashed. Not much room in the controls for precision compression.

Acoustic Results
In this situation, I ended up using the API2500. Seemed to be the most balanced, and I'm not one who likes to "hear" a compressor hard at work.

Shoot-outs!

So! A few months ago on another blog I don't bother with anymore, I started doing some EQ and Compressor plug-in shootouts while I was sick. So, I'm making this blog basically to keep track of all my shoot-outs and tests and what-have-you's. It's easy to get caught in so many audio traps. What cost the most isn't always the best. What has the best reputation isn't always the best. What's the most popular isn't always the best. I'm guilty of this just as much as the next engineer. If you want to see the Placebo effect in full swing, become an audio engineer! But, since I'm a huge nerd and I love doing things like this, I figured I'd keep track of all my work.

Of course, it's wise to read and learn as much as you can about whatever you're after. But experimenting is the best way to really "get" it. Some of the most popular mic techniques for miking a grand piano sound awful on my grand, in my acoustics, on my mics, etc. In fact one of the least popular techniques sounds best to me. It'll be important for me to describe my tests as objectively as possible, even though they'll come down in some cases to personal taste. Just saying "this is my new go-to compressor" doesn't do me any good if what made it likable isn't desirable in a particular scenario.

I'll also try to post audio examples to backup my findings. Especially if my tastes change, I can always go back and re-evaluate what's good. To start out, I'll post my old shoot-outs and update whenever I can.