eq is easy it's just your highs, mids and lows. i don't even know im here, i just love looking at everyones way of mixing. i have music on my channel that i have mixed if you have questions.
any way you could stop by my channel listen to my song and tell me if my mix sounds good? my song is already on all platforms, and I'm told im an excellent mixer/engineer but I'm such perfectionist. lol
12:12 singer ate "like". You might need to either volume envelope that tiny snip up and see if it can be heard. It's nearly inaudible even after compression. thanks for the vid!!! Very clear and you covered all the parts nicely.
I was mostly always knocking my head against the wall while trying to use a compressor, but this video makes it real clear, can't wait to apply it to my next recordings. Thanks man!
As usual, Graham's gift for crystal-clear explanations shines through. He certainly has a way of clearly explaining topics to both lay-person and expert. I come back to his vids time and again.
Now I understand compression. I just used to add it because I knew I was supposed to to make vocals sound better. I made it sound better just by trial and error not knowing what attack or anything was 😂.
there are so many guides for stuff that just... tell you what something does or is supposed to do. but here, we're being taken around the compressor, understanding what each knob is doing/changing and how it affects the mix. and, in a way, we're being told the order of knobs to be tweaked for compression, so like i gotta start with the threshold first, then ratio, then attack and release, then makeup gain. so many complex things can be simplified by just giving people a checklist of what to do first; i know it's not always that simple but in this case it works very well. perfect explanation thank you so much!
Graham, I've been watching your videos and reading your blogs for several years now and they have been tremendously helpful. And your teaching style and ability to present fairly complex material in a simple and constructive manner has grown tremendously along the way. I've probably watched a hundred videos and read a hundred blogs on the basic concepts of vocal compression... and explained the concept to quite a few others myself. This is probably the best "beginner" video about this topic that I have ever seen. Kudos. You choose a perfect example, did a great job illustrating the problem, never got lost in the minutia, took adequate time to let the viewer listen and digest and gently guided them through the process of figuring out what they should be listening for. The only thing I would add that might have been helpful for the "visual learners" is to at some point print the effect and briefly show a before and after waveform to visually drive home the point of what you are trying to accomplish. Again, fantastic video and thanks for doing what you do.
I've been mixing audio for film and radio/podcasts for years, but being self taught, I never really had a great grasp of compressors. This is by far the best explanation I've ever heard. Thank you!
I've been using compression successfully for years, but I still enjoy watching your videos. Never know when I might run across some little tidbit that I either didn't know or had forgotten about. Thanks, Graham! Joel Glaser Audio Productions
My God This is the best channel I've found yet on helping us beginner studio folks. So many crappy other audio videos to sort through before I landed here. I'm addicted!!! THANK YOU RECORDING REVOLUTION
This is the exact way to teach someone who is very interested in what they are doing. Keep this teaching style and your going to rule the youtube category
One of the best basic compressor explanations I've seen. And I've been recording for over 30 years. Explained and demonstrated so anyone can understand. Great job!
Thank you Graham for an outstanding explanation of compression. As a beginner/amateur I have avoided using compression as when I have tried, all I ever managed to do is make the vocals sound bad, mostly because I really did not understand the relationships between the various adjustments. I feel brave enough now to try introducing compression into my mix, knowing that "gently does it", one adjustment at a time and how to listen more carefully for the effect.
This tutorial is a game changer. This is what I was missing. Absolutely a wonderful job in explaining compression and how it should be used. Thank you, thank you and thank you.
Wouldn't it be kinda cool to see the waveform change as you change the parameters on the plugin > to actually see the loud peaks shrink then universally all raise as you increase the gain.
This is an extraordinary video. Efficient both with optics and verbal explanations without the annoying "HEY GUYS! WHAT''S UP!!!" and over-excited tone so many have (a pet peeves of mine). Thank you! Suscribed.
This is a fantastic video. I've been playing music for years and am just starting to get into the engineering side of things and this broke it down so simply. Cheers man!
Hands down...!!! You deserve an award 🥇 for this presentation and lesson. As a Toastmaster, I salute you and as a student I wanna thank you 🙏.... Simplicity is Bliss
This is just amazing. Clear, concise, and detailed explanations and walkthrough. Not just what to do, but understanding the context of why it's done. I am a fan!
Definitely, one of the best videos to explain compression. Most use far too many technical terms, don't break it down in layman's terms or play enough of the clip. Great job. I look forward to watching more of your super easy tutorials.
Finally, An explanation of such an elusive (...well to me anyway... ) subject done so that now I actually know why those Settings were invented! Thank You
Like some others here I already knew about compression (in great part thanks to your previous videos) but I enjoy anything Graham Cochrane. This video was very clear and made the process easy to understand.
I must say your explanation on understanding how compression works was one of the best vids oz dun checked out. Thanks Im now going to remixs some pre-recorded vocals I've done.
I've always struggled with getting the hang of compression, especially as it pertains to setting the threshold, this helped a lot. Thanks for the video and the checklist was quite helpful as well!
Compression seems simple at first glance but all the different knobs (ratio, attack, etc) make it seem very confusing. Somehow, you made it seem crystal clear in this video, though.
Simply the most helpful video I've seen on mixing out of the (probably) hundreds I've viewed. Everyone else seems to assume we know what those functions do. As an experiment, I open a song I'm working on in Logic and mimicked all the levels used in the video. The difference was dramatic. And now I'm sad I haven't been doing this all along...
We all grew up using the term volume, unfortunately the correct term is level according to Bob Katz in his Mastering Audio books. I use digital & analog hardware compressors usually outside the box, but you did a pretty impressive job getting your point across on limiting the dynamics on vocals and then integrating them back into the mix using make-up gain and not necessarily increasing the fader volume to bring great balance to the mix. Thanks!
Excellent. Best test of any lesson is applying it. I went away and did what you described and it worked. Now I feel equipped with a skill I didn't have before. EQ-uipped, indeed. Thank you.
If you really want to visualise what's happening, route the audio from this track as an input to an empty track and record it, that will show you the new compressed waveform. You'll be able to visibly see how much you're evening things up. If the peaks look squared off, your ratio is probably set too high, sometimes though, that might work for your particular vocal, never say never!
Finally the best explanation I have found for compression. I have been fairly lost when it comes to compression. Thanks for making this video. It was like the light bulb came on :)
Thank you Graham. After all the videos I have seen about compression, this one really explains to me exactly what compression does and why it’s so helpful!
You are legitimately one of my most helpful audio tutorial channels I've stumbled onto so far, thank you so much! I always had trouble when it came to compression and never knowing what to do with it
I’ve watched for a while and your videos have been extremely helpful in the recording process. I think this may be your best yet. When you explained things like compression and eq before and did side by side comparisons, I wasn’t able to grasp the subtle change. This video you showed in detail which words were getting compressed, which words were getting more gain and it was very understandable. Thanks for sharing your talent!
Graham, top notch instruction here. You did a great drop breaking down what you were gonna tell us, told it to us, and then told us what you told us. I also felt you used long enough examples to help illustrate your point without dwelling and dragging out the video. I really enjoyed this simple yet highly informative intro to compression, and feel I'll be able to immediately apply your concepts! Thanks again! A fan, -Devin
I like the way you explain it "all". That's a big help to those who are just starting out. Thanks, can't wait to apply it on some of the projects I am working on.
This is the best intro to compression I've seen on youtube. Easy to follow, not overly technical in language so I novice mixer can actually understand everything you're saying and it's very straight forward and easy to follow. Thank you, I just subscribed and I'm gonna watch your EQ video next. In the mixing process do you recommend EQ before compression?
So glad I came across this video! I would say I’m getting comfortable tracking and leading up to mixing and this video made the concept of compression so easy to try and learn. I appreciate that you explained the plug in buttons and what they do. There wasn’t filler in the video for the sake of pushing time which I appreciate. Thank you!
Thanks. I already knew how compressors worked -- but the -6db gain reduction guideline, 2:1-4:1 ratios for vox, and +4.5 db make up gain starting points really help me think about starting points to work from. Cheers.
Great video, I never really wanted to be on the engineer side but I see how important it is videos like this are great. Thanks for having real content and getting straight to it.
Agreed! So many people don't understand compression. In fact, many just think compression is about taming the loud peaks. I used to say "no, that's just the limiting aspect of compression". Now I just refer them to this video. It should be renamed 'Compression For Dummies'.
I have always liked Graham's videos... they're immensely helpful, what makes This Channel's Content so great is Graham's articulation...he teaches really well, and delivers a very compact and precise concept...I really liked the Song, The vocal Performance is Amazing...I would love to know the whole song, and know who the Singer is... Can't wait for it to be completed and released!!
Wow. You did a great job explaining compression. I’ve tinkered with it and understood what it’s for. I’ve just never understood quite how to get the results I’m looking for. I just randomly mess with the settings to see what happens. But without fully understanding each control knob that’s been a crap shoot. Key word ‘crap’ After watching this I feel like I’ll actually know how to get the desired results without just guessing. Thanks for such a great tutorial!
I know this video was more marketed for 'beginners," but naturally, I still watch because there's no such thing as too much knowledge. But that being said, I usually find that faster release times (> 1ms) tend to work better in situations where the mix is particularly dense. Sometimes you shouldn't be afraid to metaphorically murder a vocals dynamic range (within some degree of reason) for the sake of making sure it's heard! It may sound like overkill in solo, but int the mix it can often work pretty well! You just have to use your ears/judgement.
this by far the best introduction for compressor. I never understood thats like now. please do for equalizer and reverb please
I agrre Imad. This is explained by far the best by Graham in this video, than any other on here. I am a noob but now I understand what it is about.
eq is easy it's just your highs, mids and lows. i don't even know im here, i just love looking at everyones way of mixing. i have music on my channel that i have mixed if you have questions.
any way you could stop by my channel listen to my song and tell me if my mix sounds good? my song is already on all platforms, and I'm told im an excellent mixer/engineer but I'm such perfectionist. lol
Nu5en5e here's the medal you wanted 🎖️
imad Abeidoh I agree. I understood the controls, but his detailed examples pointing out the specific phrases that improved really made it click.
12:12 singer ate "like". You might need to either volume envelope that tiny snip up and see if it can be heard. It's nearly inaudible even after compression. thanks for the vid!!! Very clear and you covered all the parts nicely.
I watched this a few years ago, and am happening to revisit it. This video changed my entire studio.
One of the best people who explain simply and accurately what a compressor is and how it works 👌
I was mostly always knocking my head against the wall while trying to use a compressor, but this video makes it real clear, can't wait to apply it to my next recordings. Thanks man!
As usual, Graham's gift for crystal-clear explanations shines through. He certainly has a way of clearly explaining topics to both lay-person and expert. I come back to his vids time and again.
Now I understand compression. I just used to add it because I knew I was supposed to to make vocals sound better. I made it sound better just by trial and error not knowing what attack or anything was 😂.
there are so many guides for stuff that just... tell you what something does or is supposed to do. but here, we're being taken around the compressor, understanding what each knob is doing/changing and how it affects the mix. and, in a way, we're being told the order of knobs to be tweaked for compression, so like i gotta start with the threshold first, then ratio, then attack and release, then makeup gain. so many complex things can be simplified by just giving people a checklist of what to do first; i know it's not always that simple but in this case it works very well. perfect explanation thank you so much!
This is the best intro to compression that I’ve seen. Thanks to you, I now understand attack, release, ratio and threshold so much better than before.
Graham, I've been watching your videos and reading your blogs for several years now and they have been tremendously helpful. And your teaching style and ability to present fairly complex material in a simple and constructive manner has grown tremendously along the way. I've probably watched a hundred videos and read a hundred blogs on the basic concepts of vocal compression... and explained the concept to quite a few others myself. This is probably the best "beginner" video about this topic that I have ever seen. Kudos. You choose a perfect example, did a great job illustrating the problem, never got lost in the minutia, took adequate time to let the viewer listen and digest and gently guided them through the process of figuring out what they should be listening for. The only thing I would add that might have been helpful for the "visual learners" is to at some point print the effect and briefly show a before and after waveform to visually drive home the point of what you are trying to accomplish. Again, fantastic video and thanks for doing what you do.
I've been mixing audio for film and radio/podcasts for years, but being self taught, I never really had a great grasp of compressors. This is by far the best explanation I've ever heard. Thank you!
Graham you have a gift for teaching. You simplify these processes into nice bite size chunks. This guy is really good.
I've been using compression successfully for years, but I still enjoy watching your videos. Never know when I might run across some little tidbit that I either didn't know or had forgotten about.
Thanks, Graham!
Joel
Glaser Audio Productions
My God
This is the best channel I've found yet on helping us beginner studio folks. So many crappy other audio videos to sort through before I landed here. I'm addicted!!!
THANK YOU RECORDING REVOLUTION
This is the exact way to teach someone who is very interested in what they are doing. Keep this teaching style and your going to rule the youtube category
Graham,
You've answered my question, I've been searching for a long time.
The best explanation, by far!!
Thanks a million
One of the best basic compressor explanations I've seen. And I've been recording for over 30 years. Explained and demonstrated so anyone can understand. Great job!
Thank you Graham for an outstanding explanation of compression. As a beginner/amateur I have avoided using compression as when I have tried, all I ever managed to do is make the vocals sound bad, mostly because I really did not understand the relationships between the various adjustments. I feel brave enough now to try introducing compression into my mix, knowing that "gently does it", one adjustment at a time and how to listen more carefully for the effect.
Graham, you're truly a gifted teacher, man. That is extremely rare in this day and age. Been watching your videos for years. Keep it up!
I’ve been doing audio for 10 years, and have never heard it better explained than in this video. Subscribed!
I never understood compression until now that I've watched this video. THANK YOOOUUUUUU!
I feel Very lucky to have a teacher like Graham. His explanations are so good. Long Live RecordingRevolution!!!
This tutorial is a game changer. This is what I was missing. Absolutely a wonderful job in explaining compression and how it should be used. Thank you, thank you and thank you.
Wouldn't it be kinda cool to see the waveform change as you change the parameters on the plugin > to actually see the loud peaks shrink then universally all raise as you increase the gain.
Ableton is an excellent interface and you can see that stuff..and its free.
Awesome!! Thank you
Thank you Graham.
All those years of stuffing around with compression... Thank you Graham.
Dude, thank you so much for this. I’ve watched maybe 20 videos on compression and this is the first one to actually break it down the way I needed
Brilliantly simple. Now I understand exactly what each part of a compressor is supposed to do
This is an extraordinary video. Efficient both with optics and verbal explanations without the annoying "HEY GUYS! WHAT''S UP!!!" and over-excited tone so many have (a pet peeves of mine). Thank you! Suscribed.
This is a fantastic video. I've been playing music for years and am just starting to get into the engineering side of things and this broke it down so simply. Cheers man!
Hands down...!!! You deserve an award 🥇 for this presentation and lesson. As a Toastmaster, I salute you and as a student I wanna thank you 🙏.... Simplicity is Bliss
WOW, i speak german and i never realy understood what compression means, after this video, everything is clear to me. GREAT JOB!
Love how he explains everything and plays through multiple times please keep showing more
This is just amazing. Clear, concise, and detailed explanations and walkthrough. Not just what to do, but understanding the context of why it's done. I am a fan!
Definitely, one of the best videos to explain compression. Most use far too many technical terms, don't break it down in layman's terms or play enough of the clip. Great job. I look forward to watching more of your super easy tutorials.
This really is the best compression guide on TH-cam
So THATS WHY well-mixed vocals sound like they are consistently above the rest of the track! Awesome! Thank you
Finally, An explanation of such an elusive (...well to me anyway... ) subject done so that now I actually know why those Settings were invented!
Thank You
Like some others here I already knew about compression (in great part thanks to your previous videos) but I enjoy anything Graham Cochrane. This video was very clear and made the process easy to understand.
I think this has to be the most helpful and well explained videos on compression that I've ever seen .Well done that man .
I must say your explanation on understanding how compression works was one of the best vids oz dun checked out.
Thanks Im now going to remixs some pre-recorded vocals I've done.
I've always struggled with getting the hang of compression, especially as it pertains to setting the threshold, this helped a lot. Thanks for the video and the checklist was quite helpful as well!
Compression seems simple at first glance but all the different knobs (ratio, attack, etc) make it seem very confusing. Somehow, you made it seem crystal clear in this video, though.
Simply the most helpful video I've seen on mixing out of the (probably) hundreds I've viewed. Everyone else seems to assume we know what those functions do. As an experiment, I open a song I'm working on in Logic and mimicked all the levels used in the video. The difference was dramatic. And now I'm sad I haven't been doing this all along...
We all grew up using the term volume, unfortunately the correct term is level according to Bob Katz in his Mastering Audio books. I use digital & analog hardware compressors usually outside the box, but you did a pretty impressive job getting your point across on limiting the dynamics on vocals and then integrating them back into the mix using make-up gain and not necessarily increasing the fader volume to bring great balance to the mix. Thanks!
This is the best compression tutorial I've seen. Thank you for this.
Very good. This helped me and I've been singing professionally for 25 years. Nice to be reminded.
The most clear explanation of something often over complicated by other videos...this is game changing!!...thanks for sharing this information!!!!
this is the best compression video i ever seen, really helped me understand the reason for conpression
This is a great explanation of how compression, not just for vocals, but in general.
Awesome - thanks for the clear simple instructions on understanding basic compression for vocals - I subscribed !
The best explanation of compression I've watched. Thanks!!
The best compression explanation I have ever seen
still helpfull 4 years later and not confusing and its very simple
Brilliantly simple. With free pdf. How could anyone dislike? Keep them coming 👍🏼
people who really have singing talent
The pdf didn't materialise for me. Instead I was hit with lots of spam mail that I didnt sign up for
Hands down the best explanation on compression
Excellent. Best test of any lesson is applying it. I went away and did what you described and it worked. Now I feel equipped with a skill I didn't have before. EQ-uipped, indeed. Thank you.
If you really want to visualise what's happening, route the audio from this track as an input to an empty track and record it, that will show you the new compressed waveform. You'll be able to visibly see how much you're evening things up. If the peaks look squared off, your ratio is probably set too high, sometimes though, that might work for your particular vocal, never say never!
Finally the best explanation I have found for compression. I have been fairly lost when it comes to compression. Thanks for making this video. It was like the light bulb came on :)
Thank you Graham. After all the videos I have seen about compression, this one really explains to me exactly what compression does and why it’s so helpful!
You are legitimately one of my most helpful audio tutorial channels I've stumbled onto so far, thank you so much! I always had trouble when it came to compression and never knowing what to do with it
I can't tell you the number of compression vids I've watched. I wish I would've listened to this one first. Would t have needed any others.
I can’t believe I understand this. You’re a good teacher.
I’ve watched for a while and your videos have been extremely helpful in the recording process. I think this may be your best yet. When you explained things like compression and eq before and did side by side comparisons, I wasn’t able to grasp the subtle change. This video you showed in detail which words were getting compressed, which words were getting more gain and it was very understandable. Thanks for sharing your talent!
Graham, top notch instruction here. You did a great drop breaking down what you were gonna tell us, told it to us, and then told us what you told us. I also felt you used long enough examples to help illustrate your point without dwelling and dragging out the video. I really enjoyed this simple yet highly informative intro to compression, and feel I'll be able to immediately apply your concepts! Thanks again! A fan, -Devin
I like the way you explain it "all". That's a big help to those who are just starting out. Thanks, can't wait to apply it on some of the projects I am working on.
This is the best intro to compression I've seen on youtube. Easy to follow, not overly technical in language so I novice mixer can actually understand everything you're saying and it's very straight forward and easy to follow. Thank you, I just subscribed and I'm gonna watch your EQ video next. In the mixing process do you recommend EQ before compression?
So glad I came across this video! I would say I’m getting comfortable tracking and leading up to mixing and this video made the concept of compression so easy to try and learn. I appreciate that you explained the plug in buttons and what they do. There wasn’t filler in the video for the sake of pushing time which I appreciate. Thank you!
Wonderful elucidation: Well-spoken and well-taught with a sensible and comfortable voice. Very clear demonstration with illustrations and comparisons.
Finally I understood what compressor does ... Like I knew what it does... But didn't knew how effective it was lately...
wow this is amazing !!!! i have been using compression for years but now i finally feel like i know what i am doing!!!
thank you so much!! this is the first video that has explained what compression is and how to do it that actually makes sense to me.
I've watched numerous videos on compression and this is the first time I actually understand it! Thanks brother
One of the best vocalists you've had on these tutorial videos!
which software is this pro tools ?? which version
Looks like its PT 12, propably 12.8.3, its the latest version
totally sounds like ed sheeran @5:22
Thanks! I’ve had compression explained to me many times, but it finally clicked on this video!
Thanks. I already knew how compressors worked -- but the -6db gain reduction guideline, 2:1-4:1 ratios for vox, and +4.5 db make up gain starting points really help me think about starting points to work from. Cheers.
Great video, I never really wanted to be on the engineer side but I see how important it is videos like this are great. Thanks for having real content and getting straight to it.
Best videon explaining Compression on TH-cam hands down!!
Agreed! So many people don't understand compression. In fact, many just think compression is about taming the loud peaks. I used to say "no, that's just the limiting aspect of compression". Now I just refer them to this video. It should be renamed 'Compression For Dummies'.
Nice job, Graham. Clear, concise explanation and illustration. I found this really helpful. Thanks, man.
One of the best tutorials on basic compression. Thanks!
I have always liked Graham's videos... they're immensely helpful, what makes This Channel's Content so great is Graham's articulation...he teaches really well, and delivers a very compact and precise concept...I really liked the Song, The vocal Performance is Amazing...I would love to know the whole song, and know who the Singer is... Can't wait for it to be completed and released!!
So, so helpful. Thank you so much for this video! I was manually going through and splitting every section that peaked, this is SO much easier.
By far the best explanation
Thanks! Very clear and simple explanation.
Wow. You did a great job explaining compression. I’ve tinkered with it and understood what it’s for. I’ve just never understood quite how to get the results I’m looking for. I just randomly mess with the settings to see what happens. But without fully understanding each control knob that’s been a crap shoot. Key word ‘crap’ After watching this I feel like I’ll actually know how to get the desired results without just guessing. Thanks for such a great tutorial!
Flawless Video!! Just the right amount of attention to detail and thoroughness.
Thank you!!!! Easiest way to explain compression!!
Was always a bit confused with compression, thanks for this you explained it really well and it's made a massive difference to my tracks.
Agree with many others. BEST INTRO to compressing! Thank you!
dude where have you been ? You just unvailed the confusion i have had for long. thank you
I've watched so many videos on this n you explain n SHOWED how it works
I know this video was more marketed for 'beginners," but naturally, I still watch because there's no such thing as too much knowledge. But that being said, I usually find that faster release times (> 1ms) tend to work better in situations where the mix is particularly dense. Sometimes you shouldn't be afraid to metaphorically murder a vocals dynamic range (within some degree of reason) for the sake of making sure it's heard! It may sound like overkill in solo, but int the mix it can often work pretty well! You just have to use your ears/judgement.
Thank you very much for this! Great Job~!
You explained this perfectly. Thank you for the help my firend.
This is the best compression video I’ve seen. Thanks for this
Thank you!! This is the best compression explanation that I have found. Well done.
let's acknowledge the fact buddy goin crazy on the vocals
Warren Blackwells I knooooooow 🤣🤣🙏🏽😭
F. Respec ++
This the best explanation I've founf on how to use compressor and what for. Thank u soo much!!
This is by far the best explanation I have seen so far!!**
Very simple and good explanation. Similar tutorial for EQ and other elements would be awesome too. waiting!!
This is one of the best intros to vocal compression I have seen. Well done!!