{"id":2568,"date":"2019-12-25T20:30:00","date_gmt":"2019-12-26T01:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/?p=2568"},"modified":"2024-01-18T14:38:53","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T19:38:53","slug":"mastering-101-compression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/mastering-101-compression\/","title":{"rendered":"Mastering 101: Compression"},"content":{"rendered":"

Compression can play many roles in mastering, from adding punch and fullness to increasing the overall loudness of a track.<\/h1>\n

This post is the fourth article in our introductory guide to mastering<\/a>. If you’ve missed an entry, click on any topic below to catch up:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. What is mastering?<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Signal flow & metering<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. EQ<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. Compression<\/li>\n
  5. Limiting<\/a><\/li>\n
  6. Preparation<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    In this entry, let’s take a look at compression.<\/p>\n

    What is compression?<\/h2>\n

    There are plenty of articles out there on compression that discuss what it is and what it isn’t<\/a>. That said, in this article we’re going to specifically focus on compression within the context of mastering and how we can use it to enhance our D.I.Y. masters.<\/p>\n

    \"ozone-9-vintage-compressor\"<\/h6>\n

    What does a compressor do?<\/h2>\n

    A compressor reduces dynamic range. More specifically, it reduces the difference between the loudest and softest parts of your mix, resulting in a track with less dynamics and movement. The trade-off here is that, with a lower dynamic range and tamed peaks, you can push the mix louder than if it were uncompressed.<\/p>\n

    This matters in mastering. Compression can do many things like add punchiness, increase detail, and make things sound fuller, but in mastering a compressor is primarily used to increase loudness.<\/p>\n

    Although mastering engineers use limiters to make mixes louder, solely relying on a limiter to do all of the legwork will produce unwanted effects such as pumping and distortion. Splitting the work between a compressor and limiter yields a more natural result.<\/p>\n

    Does the mix need compression?<\/h2>\n

    About 80% of today’s mixes come in so hot and slammed that a compressor isn’t required. Use your ears when you receive a mix \u2014 if you find that the mix itself is already pretty compressed, adding compression at the mastering stage probably won’t help it much.<\/p>\n

    Using effective metering will help you identify the dynamic range of your master. As mentioned previously<\/a>, PSP’s TripleMeter<\/a> is a great tool for measuring VU, specifically. Ozone 9<\/a>‘s built-in meters are also great for looking at other important units such as LUFS and True Peak.<\/p>\n

    \"mastering-101-ozone-9-metering\"<\/p>\n

    How much compression is enough?<\/h2>\n

    In truth, mastering engineers hardly use any compression. Even if they do, it’s at low ratios and high thresholds. Here are some general guidelines if you want to use compression while mastering:<\/p>\n