The Bus Compression Framework

Book excerpt: What if there was a simple way to give your mixes a professional sound before doing any real mixing. What if you could add instruments to a session and have them automatically sound like they belong. In The Bus Compression Framework you''re going to learn a big secret that mastering engineers keep to themselves. We''ve all had the experience of mixes sounding dull, lifeless and flat. For me this hadn''t been a problem for years, but I never really gave a second thought to how I solved it. That''s because after setting up this system I never really had to mess with it again. It wasn''t until I showed a student how to do this that I realized how powerful this system really is. I remember trying to help my student who was going through the phase of overly clean mixes. As it goes with overly clean mixes, his mixes were so clean, they were lifeless and sterile. I showed the student my bus compression setup--the exact numerical values, everything that I explain in this book. A couple days later he sent me an email with the before and after versions of his track. The difference between them was night and day. I was convinced he had gone through and remixed the entire track, but when he told me "No, all I did was use the formula you gave me, and oh ya, I cut a little from the pads," I was blown away. Now this student''s mix had been so clean that it had a glaringly digital feel to it. If the prescription wasn''t more cowbell then it was certainly going to be more additive EQ. Yet here he was following my 5-Bus setup and getting divine results and STILL feeling the need to EQ cut more from his mix. That was pretty much the moment I realized I had a pretty cool technique to share with you. By using the set and forget techniques inside the Bus Compression Framework you''ll achieve the kind of rich and vibrant analog sound we typically associate with expensive mastering. Not only will your mixes sound richer and more vibrant, but the 5-bus setup I''m going to show you will literally multiply the space and magnitude of your mixes. The Bus Compression Framework does this by using a combination of restrictive and open compression settings to create more contrast within your mixes. As you increase the amount of contrast in your mixes you get increasing levels of perceived depth. But like anything, if you utilize too much contrast you''ll end up with a poorly balanced mix that sounds all over the place. What''s awesome about this technique is that it''s a step by step formula for guaranteeing your mix has a professional sound. Now not all mixing is formulaic, but my students have said that the formulaic techniques in this book coupled with The 3-Space Reverb Framework literally upgraded the sound of their mixes by leaps and bounds. Not only will your mixes become more expansive but instruments will play together like they were meant to. Now when I say this technique gives your mixes a perfectly analog sound I mean all the benefits of analog. That means you get the organically pleasing sound of analog while avoiding the pitfalls of emulating analog within a DAW. It''s easy to tell when people fail at emulating analog. Their mixes are too colored, overly murky and they lack detail because they''ve used too much saturation. If you keep adding harmonics everywhere then they''ll eventually clog up your mix. As you read this book, I''ll be showing you how to infuse your mixes with analog richness while also maintaining the type of clarity expected from modern recordings. By using The Bus Compression Framework your mixes will naturally come together. Mixing will feel much more organic and you''ll actually have fun mixing instead of feeling like you''re solving problem after problem. Now if you want an immediately professional, radio ready sound, then pick up your copy of The Bus Compression Framework.