compression values to give that kick a THUD

[tekara]

hey guys,

these are my compression values on Waves C1:

threshold: -15db
ratio: 6.5
attack: 5ms
release: 10ms

out of these 4 values, which one (or how many) should i change, and to what corresponding value if i want to give my kick that EXTRA thud. The Waves plugins has definately helped tremendously but it still feels like that kick is too sharp sound. I need to flatten it out with an extra THUD factor.

any suggestions?

cheers...

[messyfuture]

heres a good read on compression

http://www.computermusic.co.uk/tutorial/effects1/1.asp

[BloodStar]

i think there's no general setting for kick, i think. it should all be set in context of other sounds which appears in the mix,/ check some tuts on how much compressor can help or ruin the track.

[Barely Human]

Different horses for courses mate.

It all deppens on your kick, and you bass. There is no golden rule to this, and its all about learning by ear how it should sound. I use different compressors and maximisers for different effects on the kick and bass. I generally use the fruity compressor to round my kick off, then sidechain the bass to the output of the compressed kick to give it more of a pump. Then i'l compress them together with a suitable compressor for the job. If you look at your compressor values, and know what they do, then you can have a better idea on how to shape the dynamics to taste.

Threshold - At what level the compressor starts working at. (if you want the whloe of the kick to sound squashed, turn this right up)

Ratio - The level of compression when the threshold is hit.

Attack - How soon the comressor starts working, (if you want a snap at the beggining, 15ms will give this, if you want to round the kick off, put this a lot lower)

Release - How soon the compressor stops working after the threshold limit has past. (If you want to attenuate a hard roll of on the kick, then leave this quite high. If your roll off is quite quiet, then shorten the release.)

[danielmarshall]

Exactly the way I do it IQ. Just something to note about this methodology: Compression ratios don't add together - they multiply together. This means that if you compress something at 1:2 at the first stage, then 1:8 at the second, (assuming you have the same settings for everything else) you don't get something that's 1:10, it'll be 1:16.

[loopdon]

you could have a go with the

otiumfx compadre

-beatpuncher- plugin

http://www.otiumfx.com/images/compadre_big.jpg

COMPADRE is the result of more than one year of research, development, and countless hours of listening tests. The final product is a quality compressor that not only delivers a highly optimized sonic behavior, but also drips with character.

COMPADRE is designed specifically for use on beats, drum loops, and
other percussive material, and it does this with attitude and flexibility. Use it for subtle enhancements or heavy duty compression. While COMPADRE has been designed with drums in mind, it’s range of flexibility allows it to deliver good performances on most types of tracks and mixes as well.

http://www.otiumfx.com/compadre.php

or if you wan't to go a different route than compression experiment with a transient shaping tool/plugin such as waves trans-x or
digitalfisphones dominion, which is free.

saturation can work, too.

[tekara]

thanks alot for the link loopdon

i will definately take a closer look at that plugin. any first hand experience of this?

[loopdon]

no problem. there are quite a few presets in the plugin for various
instruments such as kicks, snares etc. just keep in mind not to compress just for the sake of compression. lots of kicks you find/or sample of records will have been compressed before, several times perhaps. compression multiplies as said before.