Multi-Band Compressors

Dynamic Processors are the glue that holds a mix together, and with the addition of a multi-band compressor, you have more control over certain frequency ranges of your mix. Multi-band Compression allows you to compress the low, mids, and high frequencies separately in a mix, unlike a standard compressor that will compress the entire mix equally. multi-band compression is often used in the Mastering process, but can also be used during the mix stage.

If a mix is too muddy, a multi-band compressor can keep the balance of the original mix, but only focus on the problem areas in the low end when they cross the compression threshold. This allows you to tame any frequency that is a problem, without carving out the bottom end with an EQ. When someone refers to a mix as “tight”, they are usually referring to how the low end is tamed within the rest of the mix, and is usually achieved with the use of a multi-band compressor.

Another common use for a multi-band compressor is to tame the higher frequencies of a mix. Often times, there is a lot of information happening on multiple sources in the higher frequencies, such as guitars, vocals, cymbals, etc. With the use of a multi-band compressor, you can keep the original dynamics and EQ of the mix, but tame the louder parts of the vocal, or crash cymbals if they tend to jump out, “gluing” the entire mix together.

Vintage King offers a variety of multi-band compressors, from analog units such as the Tube Tech SMC-2B, which is used in the world famous Capitol Records Studios, to digital plug-ins such as the Waves C4 or C6. To find the right fit for your studio, contact your Vintage King sales rep.