Preamping or Re-Preamping? Compressing or Re-Compressing?

[Max Ventura]

I have a technical question. I am in the process of totally re-patching my studio, and I'd like to do things in a modulare way this time. I have my cables coming from the live room into an input mixer and then into the patch bay. I have a digital multitracker patched in the bay as well. I have lotsa preamps and compressors and outboards. How possible is it to track some vocals (or other miked performances) plain and flat onto my multitracker (maybe doing some basic preamping from a mixer channel, no fancy stuff and no compression), AND THEN, at the post-production or mixing stage, re-patching those tracks thru another preamp or a compressor? I mean, the electric charge of the track is now fixed, off the top of my head I should think that once a level of gain and compression has been taped from live sound there cannot be further "sucking in", unless you want to suck in only floor noise. But if that's so, how is it that several producers keep compressors in use well into the mixing stage? And, in fact, how could you possibly know how much or what type of compression is best until it's mixing time? Vomit your knowledge right below if you please.

[KenElevenShadows]

You can definitely continue to compress audio during mixdown even if it's been compressed before. I occasionally lightly compress bass and vocals, and will lightly compress it again if necessary during mixdown. It's dependent on whether the song needs it or not. Sometimes, I'll gainride the vocals instead of compressing, but again, it's totally dependent on what the song is asking me to do. Compressing gently twice reduces the artifacts that one may obtain if one is compressing once, but using heavier compression ratios.

[Anderton]

I usually add a "safe" amount of compression or more while recording. It's not so much to add "the compression effect," but to keep my vocals within the proper dynamic range. As long as you can't hear the compression "work," you're okay. Just make sure the voice sounds natural and uncompressed. Then if you really want to push the vocals, do so on mixdown. The other thing to remember is that compressing at this point is the lowest noise floor you're going to have, although granted, a digital mulltitrack going through a mixer is not going to degrade things much.

[KenElevenShadows]

Yes, exactly. I compress vocals, for example, for varying reasons. One would be a dynamic vocal. Another would be protecting things from "overs" (not as much of a concern if you are recording to an analog multi-track). And the noise floor will be at its lowest, another fine reason for a little bit of compression. I also lightly compress overheads or room mics upon occasion.

[pseudonym]

I'm no "pro", but when I lurk over @ gearslutz, they usually would need more info, like, are you're inserts clean on "what kind" of mixer, etc. In my small "home" studio, I mix with a digital mixer and add compression there in the mix, but I also go from a class "A" pre with a compressor(side chained) for vox and bass - quickly into my MHDR, using the converters in my mixer(DA-7), the same one Craig uses? I'm all lightpipe and lots of engineers swear by very expensive clocking systems. I find it fascinating anytime people talk about their set-ups, most of us can't afford the $$$$$ for the latest gizmos out there, but someday! :love:

[KenElevenShadows]

Speaking of clocking, there was this review in Mix (I think) on the Apogee Big Ben Word Clock. Apparently it made everything warmer, clearer, better, even when using halfway decent converters (Apogee Rosetta was one of them). I was gonna start a thread on that, which is what I might do...riight....now....

[Anderton]

<> Yes, I still use the converters in my DA7 for most things.

[pseudonym]

Cool "Daddy" Craig, you got some Neve and API's up-front of that? :eek:

[Max Ventura]

Thanks, however, even in another forum I posted the same, I could not get a specific answer to this question: CAN YOU ACTUALLY RE-PREAMP, AND EVEN RE-COMPRESS, A TAPED TRACK? DOES IT MAKE ANY REAL DIFFERENCE? I always print a preamped and slightly compressed track, that goes without saying. My question was more technical than that: Is it possible to tape first, then re-preamp and re-compress later? The technicality in it would be, once there is no more "live" electrical connection between preamp and microphone, does it make any sense re-preamping? Can the preamp re-assess the gain and the drive of the miked performance? And what about re-compressing? Can the compressor, for instance, "suck in" more of the room ambience if that ambience is already on tape? That I need to know.

[KenElevenShadows]

"And what about re-compressing? Can the compressor, for instance, "suck in" more of the room ambience if that ambience is already on tape? That I need to know." Yes, absolutely, but don't forget that you do bring up the noise floor that's on the tape as well. In most rock music, though, I have not found this to be a problem at all. If you already have drums and guitar amps buzzing away, a little tape hiss is not really gonna be a problem.

[strat0124]

Well if the Beatles are any indication, heavy compression, to me, works. So natural aside, I guess it matters what you're goin for.

[jpmiii]

You wouldn't actually take the signal from your storage medium and send it back into your preamp, though you can. You would take that signal and return into your a line level on your board or preamp. Though your signal should be hot enough a level already to drive your compressor.