Live Sound Vocal Compression

This tc helicon t1 vocal compression unit is perfect for any singer looking for a singular functioning effects pedal.

Live sound vocal compression. But the truth is it s not that easy. Compression should be used sparingly. The processor is ideal for use in practices and live performances. By bypassing and applying the compressor get the input gain same as without the compressor.

Many bloggers will tell you what the perfect vocal compression settings are. The lead vocals should be the center of your attention. And i don t want to mislead you. Sure it s fun to roll off some of the top end on your hall reverb but don t let that distract you from the things that actually need attention.

I wish i could do that too. Lead vocals some recording engineers think compression is a must for vocals. We would recommend this to a hobbyist singer songwriter musician. It evens out the often erratic levels that a singer can produce and tames transients that can cause digital distortion.

There is no one size fits all formula to vocal compression. This is a fine way to start with a comp on vocals and will let you actually hear much of whats happening as you dial it in and hear the way the compressor works with the voice. There are no magic settings that work 100 of the time. You can set the attack release to auto or go to 12 o clock on either one.

When used incorrectly compression can quickly ruin a good vocal recording and make your music sound amateur and over processed. Heck it d certainly save me a few keystrokes. For a vocal starting point set your threshold to 0db or 2db and a ratio of either 1 5 1 or 2 1. Compression your best friend and your worst enemy.

Live sound is largely correcting problems with subtractive eq. Now without soloing the vocal slowly turn down the threshold knob to adjust the amount of compression on the vocal. You can use compression on vocals to just even out the performance and to create an effect.