Parallel Compression on Drums By: DAWsopenat7 No comments

In this post, I'm going to cover parallel compression on drums and how I use the technique in some of the mixes I do.  

Let's consider that your individual drums are mixed and sounding the way you want them to but they just aren't quite cutting it in the overall mix, something is missing...enter parallel compression. 

The first thing I do is send each track to an auxiliary channel, which is what will have the compression on. I send these pre fader so that any adjustments on the individual tracks (levels or plugins) don't affect the auxiliary channel. Some people like to send everything all at the same level, but personally I like to control the levels before hitting the compressor.  

I usually have the kick send between -10 to -15dB and this because I don't want it to dominate the compressor and cause heavy a heavy pumping effect. I leave the snare and toms a 0bB because these are two major elements of the drums that I want to accentuate with the compressor. I keep the overheads send quite low as well between -8 to -12dB because I don't want overly washy cymbals. Finally, the room mics are sent between -5 to -8dB, just enough for the sound of the snare and toms in the room to be caught by the compressor and minimising some of the cymbal sound. 

I've now achieved the blend of drums that I want the compressor to work on. The compressor plugins I use vary between the Waves CLA-76, API 2500, FabFilter Pro C2 and Slate Digital Buss Compressors however, the principles are the same whichever I choose to use. 

I start with the attack which I set to the fastest setting possible to ensure that all the transients are being squashed consistently. I then move onto the release and apply a fast setting (slightly slower than the attack to avoid distortion) so that the compressor recovers quickly in time for the next transient.  

I usually set a high ratio, anything between 6:1 to 20:1 and then pull down the threshold and listen to the compressor working, usually aiming for -10 to -20dB of gain reduction. Once I've achieved the sound I want, I make sure I've used the make-up gain appropriately to make sure the output level is matched to the level of the input (this is easily checked by bypassing the compressor). I then blend the auxiliary channel in with my main drum tracks to taste.

Something else I like to do on the auxiliary channel before hitting the compressor is add an EQ with a low and high shelf. I usually add about 3-4dB on each end of the spectrum to create more of a HI-FI sound as this is what I want the compressor to react to the most.

Parallel Compression, also know as New York Compression enables you to achieve a greater sustain and character on the drums and ultimately gives them that 'larger than life' sound that helps solidify the foundation that they set for a song. There's no limit to how much parallel compression can you be used in conjunction with your main drum tracks however, I recommend blending the effect in whilst listening to the whole mix so that you know whether you have achieved the best balance. 

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