How to compress? Bass or 808? With Maximus?

By compression, we mean you are to initiate a higher level of the lower frequencies to the maximum limit of the compression level you are using.

So here, perhaps you see compression of the 808 tweaked to around -6dB, thus even using this procedure by gaining the envelope’s limit by PRE handle.

As perhaps you see, we reduced the ATT level to the lowest possible to ensure that the bass is already at first encounter measured at once it hits as something that needs the compression. You might see the GREEN envelope on the left upper corner, which is a curve that makes analogue compression. The green envelope ensures that the bass isn’t any way at all distorted, but again it’s being limited to around -6dB. This envelope ensures that the bass or the 808 is guaranteed a level below -6dB.

We don’t need a higher level than around -6dB since we play with all frequency bands in the Master channel. The good thing is to remove to assign the COMP OFF and that this makes all the grouped bands unaware that there might be some levels beyond 0dB that we need to compress. As well as ensure that bands aren’t mixing the sound, thus giving an individual sound level of the bass. We thoroughly do not recommend using LOW CUT on any bass or kick in this procedure as it makes wrong cuttings of the bass levels and ensures a clean method of the sound.

By another progressive way, we turned the levels to around -9dB. This procedure isn’t always the most promising since the mid-frequency creates a higher level than -9dB, but your bass then gets to be underneath then again -9dB. Because your wave has limits to the height of what your wave is actually. So having a -6dB limit will most often create -9dB low frequencies. That is because the maximum you can play is by the three different bands. And having a sound that is limited towards the specific range, all bands become lower level. In total, they play -6dB but are at a much lower value.

We recommend your bass never stay ahead of your low band in the whole track at the master channel at higher than -9db and have a dominant kick to around -6dB. These levels ensure a better dynamic level; if you do not know how to make a more dynamic track, then check our previous tutorial about that:

How mixing and mastering would be done by professionals? It’s all about Dynamics!

Tip: You can use this compression method on anything that needs compression; it is lovely for vocals to use since you are with the green envelope editing it to become a curve. This curve will most likely turn your vocals or your sound into a more compressed sound without any distortion that comes with several types of compression. The compression ensures a high level but is well stable towards not being compressed to distortion.

Tip: Always put distortion after compression; you never know how much de-distorted your sound becomes with compression.