How to compress bass, drums and keyboards

Drums

Compression Objectives:

• Control the dynamics of individual elements (bass drum, snare, cymbals).
• Add punch and cohesion.
• Enhance the presence and clarity of the drums in the mix.

Techniques:

1. Bass drum:
   1. Release: Fast (20-40 ms) to maintain punch.
   2. Attack: Fast (5-10 ms) to capture the initial punch.
   3. Threshold: -10 dB to -6 dB.
   4. Ratio: 4:1 to 6:1.
2. Box:
   1. Release: Medium-fast (30-50 ms) to hold the body.
   2. Attack: Fast (5-10 ms) to capture transients.
   3. Threshold: -12 dB to -8 dB.
   4. Ratio: 4:1 to 8:1.
3. Overheads/Pillars:
   1. Release: Medium (40-60 ms) to maintain naturalness and avoid pumping.
   2. Attack: Moderate (10-20 ms) to preserve natural transients.
   3. Threshold: -15 dB to -10 dB.
   4. Ratio: 2:1 to 4:1.

Bass

Compression Objectives:

• Maintain a consistent and stable level.
• Add sustain and body.
• Avoid peaks that protrude into the mix.

Techniques:

1. Ratio: 4:1 to 6:1 for tight compression.
2. Threshold: -12 dB to -8 dB, depending on the dynamics of the recording.
3. Attack: Fast (5-15 ms) to capture initial transients.
4. Release: Medium (40-60 ms) to maintain sustain without releasing too fast.
5. Makeup Gain: Adjusts to keep the bass present and consistent in the mix.

Become an expert in compression with the recommended book “ Compression in Music Production” (click on the image to go to the link):

Keyboards

Compression Targets:

• Control dynamics and maintain a consistent level.
• Add body and presence without losing note articulation.
• Prevent keyboards from sticking out or getting lost in the mix.

Techniques:

1. Ratio: 2:1 to 4:1 for moderate compression.
2. Threshold: -15 dB to -10 dB to capture the most pronounced peaks.
3. Attack: Moderate (10-20 ms) to preserve natural transients.
4. Release: Medium (40-60 ms) to maintain the naturalness of the performance.
5. Makeup Gain: Adjusts to ensure that keyboards maintain their presence in the mix.