When Do You Add Compression In Your Mixes?

[Brian McGaughey]

This weekend warrior is afraid to print tracks with EQ and compression, I'm not sure enough of where I'm going and what I'm aiming for. There's a lesson in there for me, I'm sure. You mention "analog color", John. Can you not get the same "sound" by effecting the track at mixdown? Does it have to be done on the way in during the performance?

I've only added compression EQ at the mixdown stage so as to hear how individual track tweaking affects the whole mix.

[David L. Donald]

Lots of good ideas here.

I sometimes will eq hard into a compressor
then re-eq the output, and then sometimes back into a gentle compressor.

Or compress some into a radical EQ and then re-compress that.
especially for high effects vocal tracks.

And sometimes similarly for acoustic strum guitars in pop mixes.

I have also sent rhythm instruments like a stereo sub-mix of strum guitars,
to side-chain of lead vocals or same with backing vocals,
or just the backing vocal stereo sub-mix.
Then when they come int there is a space made for them automatically.

Longer sounding things like Keys might not be dipped, and so relative groove level is maintained, but over all volume is better balanced.

Stacked backing vocals are best with some compression on the most trouble some, then all into
a global submix with compression and eq.

As John Macy said sometimes gentle compression of a lot of
individual tracks, keeps a production under control,
and yet isn't really audible as compression.