Parallel Compression for Drums – Tony Maserati’s SSL Tip #1

Oct 03, 2017 | 148,294 Views

How do attack, release and buss send levels interact when parallel compressing drums? Mixing engineer Tony Maserati (Beyoncé) shows how to ‘mix your sends’ for extra drum energy using the SSL G-Master Buss Compressor.

Sometimes, not every drum in the mix needs to go through the parallel buss. For the tracks that do pass through, the exact level at which they’re sent can determine the behavior of the compressor and dictate the overall sound.

In addition, setting attack and release times comes into important consideration when compressing drums. Slower attack times often allow transients to pass through without being softened by the compressor, and carefully setting the release time can allow a decay tail or room sound to be easily heard, which can increase the overall energy of the drums in a mix.

In this video, Tony Maserati shows how these considerations come into play when parallel compressing your drum groups.

This is video #1 in a four-part series:
Part 1: How to set parallel drum compression
Part 2: How to compress hi-hats
Part 3: EQing parallel drums
Part 4: Bass and synth bass mixing

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