Two Buss Compressor "Glue"?

[Haolemon]

I am starting to learn about how (and when and if) to use a compressor on the 2 buss. It is said that some compressors (e.g. Manley Vari-Mu) really bring together the individual tracks. Would a much cleaner compressor, such as a GML, have the same effect? And finally, which compressors do the best job of this?

Thanks

[Lee Blaske]

I am starting to learn about how (and when and if) to use a compressor on the 2 buss. It is said that some compressors (e.g. Manley Vari-Mu) really bring together the individual tracks.

It has also been said that music needed to be recorded to analog tape to be effectively "glued" together. Most of the people that once said that are no longer using analog tape, so maybe it wasn't that important after all.

I don't know. People say a lot of things. If you can, see if you can find a way to try that hardware, or software emulations, and see if anything rings your bell. There's a huge amount of subjectivity in the opinions you'll get about these things.

[animix]

It has also been said that music needed to be recorded to analog tape to be effectively "glued" together. Most of the people that once said that are no longer using analog tape, so maybe it wasn't that important after all.

I don't know. People say a lot of things. If you can, see if you can find a way to try that hardware, or software emulations, and see if anything rings your bell. There's a huge amount of subjectivity in the opinions you'll get about these things.

If I use a comp/limiter on the main bus, 99% of the time it's a transparent one. I will use more colored processors on sub busses, but my preference run's to transparency.

I have found Voxengo Elephant to be a good bus comp/limiter on the main.

[samc]

It has also been said that music needed to be recorded to analog tape to be effectively "glued" together. Most of the people that once said that are no longer using analog tape, so maybe it wasn't that important after all.

Every time I've ever heard or read that garbage it was either said or written by someone who either had very little or no experience working with tape...

All the good engineers with lots of real-world experience with tape (that I know) and including myself use(d) tape because it's a good recording medium, not for 'compression' or 'glue' or any other crappy reason...go figure.

[samc]

I am starting to learn about how (and when and if) to use a compressor on the 2 buss. It is said that some compressors (e.g. Manley Vari-Mu) really bring together the individual tracks. Would a much cleaner compressor, such as a GML, have the same effect? And finally, which compressors do the best job of this?

Before the festival begins I'll say this:

Experience, experience, experience; Of course really knowing what a compressor does also helps with these matters...

[QNote]

Back when I was recording to tape, I remember [my reel to reel] having a very harsh saturation limit...sounded worse than slightly clipping my DAW.

[Dave Collins]

Back when I was recording to tape, I remember [my reel to reel] having a very harsh saturation limit...sounded worse than slightly clipping my DAW.

I don't think that opinion is shared by most analog tape users.


DC

[Todd Robbins]

Back when I was recording to tape, I remember [my reel to reel] having a very harsh saturation limit...sounded worse than slightly clipping my DAW.

You had something tragically wrong with your "reel to reel"...

Well recorded analog is the ultimate "glue". Even a DAW mix printed to analog takes on some qualities that are hard to find elsewhere. About 99% of the time it will set the bottom end just right where it needs to be and it will do something magic with the vocal, gluing it into the track and giving that extra "something"...

[emrr]

The effect I like strikes me more as 'framing', than 'glue'. A defining of the edges, or border around the mix, I guess.

[Bob Ross]

All the good engineers with lots of real-world experience with tape (that I know) and including myself use(d) tape because it's a good recording medium, not for 'compression' or 'glue' or any other crappy reason...go figure.

I'd never even heard the expression "glue" ...or, for that matter, heard of anyone using a compressor on the 2-mix output -- until about 5 years after I stopped regularly using analog tape!