compression

[victorgonzales]

Well, like everything else there are diffrent approaches for using limiter.
some use it in the insert of the master buss when they finish or before they start the mix and they can do whatever they want without gettin clips on the master buss.
could be that this is what they want to achive, but i think they just dont know it messes up the dynmic of the track.
if you start the mix turning the kick down to -8db most likely u wont need to use limiter. need more volume? turn it up from your soundcard.
but lets say you finished the mix and you get to about -4db exept for one small part that gets u a clip. if u try to fix that part u might mess up the whole mix so i would put a limiter in the post fader insert of the master buss. thats what it ment for in a mix, for avoiding pops or occasional clips. but not to gain more volume while mixing, thats my aproach. and again, there are diffrent approaches so some ppl might disagree with mine.

I agree. Thats why so many tracks for sale not sound like crap. They are just too noisy which sounds dull to me. I pay attention to the meter on my soundcard when buying tracks. If the sample Im listening to is hugging the red and I never see it drop lower than negative 3 db I probably wont buy it becaus eit will be limited and overcompressed . It gives tracks a 2 dimensional sound in my opinion. No depth at all.

[bp]

was just wondering if im doing the correct thing here, when i create my drums i put them through a bus on ableton with compression and eq on, shud i also use compression on the kick drum its self? also i send the channels to Sends Only, is this the right thing to do, does anybody else do this? cheers.

depends. If you choose the right wave form/sound and know what sound you're looking for, you might not need compression. I always boost my levels on the kicks and then run a limiter on those kick tracks (yohng's limiter is my fav: http://www.yohng.com/w1limit.html ).

I find that I can layer kicks samples and waveforms in that channel to get the full sound I want, then use the limiter to ensure I'm not maxing out.

I guess it all depends on what you're going for tho.