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Basic compression


taylord

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Hi all,

 

After some advice on basic compression settings for musical theatre please. I have 12 radio mics, all school kids so wanting to try and smooth out as best as possible. I'm running a Soundcraft SI desk with DBX compression.

 

I've read that it can work well to compress the very loud stuff on each channel at 7:1 and then have a more gentle compression on a VCA with all the mics in.

 

Any help/advice appreciated please. Cheers.

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Not all mixing platforms permit compression at VCA level - at aux bus level yes, but a VCA (or DCA) is not a mixed signal as such, more a linked control. So you might need to compress at bus level to get the two levels of compression you are talking about. But I personally mostly don't - just apply a small amount at 2.5:1 on each input. And keep a careful eye on channel faders during performance.
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I'd do the same. Others will know more than I do but I'm interested to find out what's to be gained from the arrangement described. We're doing Joseph soon with 12 radio mics on a Soundcraft Expression 3. There will be very gentle compression on each channel and that's it.
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Group compression is often less useful in these kinds of scenarios, because the one person bawling tunelessly will bring down the level on everyone else. Back in the days of analogue desks and limited outboard it made more sense, but only because compressing each channel individually wasn't an option for most productions.
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I'm also interested in this 'compression' you speak of. ;)

My limited experience is using very harsh compression/limiting to stop the hall PA speakers being blown.....

 

I have an analogue desk with 12+ radio mics used for musical theatre in a school. I've only ever known riding faders. From another thread, it sounds like some use compression to avoid riding faders - virtually "set'n'forget" and just mute/unmute as required.

Is that the case?

 

Is compression that good you can reduce fader riding without affecting sound quality too much?

I guess it'll never prevent the horrible distortion you get when little Johnny screams down the headset overloading just about everything... :** laughs out loud **:

...but at least it'll stop everyone being deafened.

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I have an analogue desk with 12+ radio mics used for musical theatre in a school. I've only ever known riding faders. From another thread, it sounds like some use compression to avoid riding faders - virtually "set'n'forget" and just mute/unmute as required.

Is that the case?

I don't think you can go that far - but it can certainly help with maintaining a nice level when someone suddenly becomes very loud. Your operations on the faders can then become more focused on mixing a nice balanced sound rather than the panicked fader grabbing you tend to end up doing without any compression.

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Don't use make-up-gain live, it'll end in tears! The only thing that'll fix that is a finger on the fader that's attached to a musical pair of ears.

 

Live compression divides lots of people's opinions. Personally I'm not against it when done subtly and on an as-needed, per-channel basis. This week for instance I'm doing Wizard of Oz and I've got a wicked witch whose dynamic range is massive. Huge cackles to very quiet (and scary) bits. A finger on a fader can of course cope with this, but a touch of compression just to flatten out the very worst peaks does help to keep a lid on the whole thing. Don't flatten the thing to death though - theatre needs dynamics!

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There is a simple theory that you cannot boost nothing! Attempts usually find hiss in any system.

...and before we arrive at ringing and howling, there's the breathing and rustling...

 

Where do MDs get the idea that a radio mic stuck to someone can fix anything? :blink:

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There is a simple theory that you cannot boost nothing! Attempts usually find hiss in any system.

...and before we arrive at ringing and howling, there's the breathing and rustling...

 

Where do MDs get the idea that a radio mic stuck to someone can fix anything? :blink:

 

 

The same book that tells them the band is the performance and not "accompanying" the performers......

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