recipe for each family member as needed.
Rather than upsetting the low-end when we
really only wanted to compress the middle
frequency range, we can simply have different
compression settings for each of the separate
bands (slices) as needed. Or perhaps we are
looking to do a bit of subtle de-essing at the
very top end of a vocal track and tame the
low-end on the same track without messing
up the middle frequency range. In short, we
can apply compression to a wide frequency
spectrum on a track but have the particulars of
the compression vary by frequency.
Let’s listen to a few examples of multiband
compression at work:
Example 1: Allen & Heath MultiBD3 Multiband
Compressor, designed with mix program and
mastering compression applications in mind.
Also great for taming out of control bass or
acoustic guitar when necessary.
Example 2: For slightly more refined frequency
selection, bump up to more bands. Here we
have an example on a drum mix with the
MultiBD4 Multiband Compressor, bringing a bit
of ‘sonic glue’ to things.
Summary: It is perhaps best to think of
a multiband compressor in comparison
to a standard compressor. In a standard
compressor, whatever frequency is loudest
is going to trigger the compressor across
the entire frequency range. In multiband
compression, you have three or four separate
compressors together in one unit and each
sub-compressor has its own set ‘trigger’ per
frequency range.
DR. DYNAMIC EQ. SURGICAL AUDIO OPERATIONS.
As we saw (and hopefully listened to) in
the section above around how multiband
compression works and when and how
you might use it in your mix, the ‘slices’ are
usually quite wide and a bit more subtle in
their application. While they function differently
under the hood (a topic for another deeper
dive article), we can use the same sort of pizza
analogy here for dynamic EQ. This time around
we aren’t just looking to design a full slice of
the audio spectrum just as we want it to taste,
but perhaps we are trying to remove a piece
of super spicy pepper that accidentally got
onto our slice. Dynamic EQ allows for very fine
narrow frequency selection and can pick out
that pesky pepper properly without taking off
the cheese and the perfectly balanced tomato
sauce around it. If you hear a very particular
resonant frequency on your toms or some
wackiness with acoustic guitar ‘booming’ here
and there, dynamic EQ may be the perfect
solution to grab from your audio pantry.
Check out this quick overview of the popular
Waves F6 Dynamic EQ plugin:
Waves F6 Dynamic EQ plugin
Summary: It is probably best to look at a
dynamic EQ in comparison to a parametric
EQ. Dynamic EQ allows you to make frequency
boosts or cuts that are threshold dependent.
The frequency will only be boosted or cut
based on that frequency’s energy, whereas with
The MultiBD3 Multiband Compressor within the Allen & Heath SQ Series mixers. Apply the right ‘toppings’ to each ‘slice’ of the audio pizza.
July 2020
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