daisy chaining eq/compression

I googled this question, but I wanted you guys' opinions, instead. i trust yall more

Are there any pros or cons to having compression or EQ come first in a daisy chain? I guess I could just reverse them if i it didnt work to my liking the first time, but are there any tips/tricks to daisy chaining EQ and Compression together?

My friend is quitting beats and I may pick up his 1000. I was thinking of running 4 sounds to eq and compress (Drums, Snares, Hats and Bass)

I would run them all MONO, so apparently i need 2 of the same compressor and 2 of the same EQ, right? Im upgrading to a Mackie 1204 (which has 4 channel inserts), then running all of it out to my cassette deck as a master.

To be honest I'm no expert but I've always EQ'd into a compressor, otherwise you're boosting all the other frequencies you don't want aswell, which sort of makes the EQ less effective if that makes sense?

DPM wrote:...then running all of it out to my cassette deck as a master.

I was rolling with you until you said this! What tape are you using?

scoobylol wrote:To be honest I'm no expert but I've always EQ'd into a compressor, otherwise you're boosting all the other frequencies you don't want aswell, which sort of makes the EQ less effective if that makes sense?

Exactly what he said. I was actually reading an article the other day about this. I can't find it right now, but one thing that stuck in my head was the use of HPF's on everything that doesn't need low end. That low end rumble that is picked up off of everything that we record produces a lot of energy and even though it may not be loud to us, the compressor still sees that energy and will kick in before we plan for it to. Cutting all unwanted frequencies first give us more control over what the compressor is actually turning up and down.

cozy wrote:

scoobylol wrote:To be honest I'm no expert but I've always EQ'd into a compressor, otherwise you're boosting all the other frequencies you don't want aswell, which sort of makes the EQ less effective if that makes sense?

Exactly what he said. I was actually reading an article the other day about this. I can't find it right now, but one thing that stuck in my head was the use of HPF's on everything that doesn't need low end. That low end rumble that is picked up off of everything that we record produces a lot of energy and even though it may not be loud to us, the compressor still sees that energy and will kick in before we plan for it to. Cutting all unwanted frequencies first give us more control over what the compressor is actually turning up and down.

yeah i was going to say this too, if youre using the EQ for cutting out stuff, place it before the compression (unless you want the compressor to react to frequencies you dont want to actually hear that much.. im thinking if your eq-ing out kickdrum frequencies (post compression), you will still hear the pumping of the compressor, but without the kick)

now, when youre boosting frequencies... it depends. if you want your boosted frequencies also compressed, place the compressor afterward. if not, id put the compressor before the eq. try it out.

you've guys have some solid points, thank you for the details. i havent got the equipment yet to test out, but i've been reading up on all this for days, just so i'll have a better understanding of it all. (will favorite this page for further reference)

Coz wrote:

DPM wrote:...then running all of it out to my cassette deck as a master.

I was rolling with you until you said this! What tape are you using?

did my statement fail?

im using an old 70s Hitachi cassette recorder with RCA Ins and RCA outs. I was just going to record everything in the end to this cassette deck.

Its what i've been doing so far. I get the final mix and have it as one big .wav file on my MPC500, then i just run the mpc into the deck..

Check out the compression articles on compression here

http://www.homestudiocorner.com/

This guy breaks it down pretty well. He has some good stuff on eq too.

DPM wrote:did my statement fail?

No, but your intention of mastering to cassette does.

I know you're looking for advice on compression, but the first thing you should do is focus on a serious recording medium.

http://www.illmuzik.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27854

useful thread on compression

I assume this thread is only for MPOC to EQ to Compression?

I was curious about vocals? I wonder if it makes a difference which goes first? I'll have to check...

KappNeffect wrote:I assume this thread is only for MPOC to EQ to Compression?

I was curious about vocals? I wonder if it makes a difference which goes first? I'll have to check...

Its the same principle with anything that you are eqing/compressing. I always eq first, even if its just a hi pass filter on hi hats, then send to compression. When you are mixing a track, think of the vocals as just another instrument in the track. Sending a vocal track through a compression without at least cutting the lows, the compressor will be trying to process the unwanted/unnecessary frequencies, and not really so what you are trying to get it to do. I hope this makes sense...

Why not try it both ways? You might discover something you like. Forget the rules! Let your ears be your guide sometimes!!

krush777 wrote:Why not try it both ways? You might discover something you like. Forget the rules! Let your ears be your guide sometimes!!

Honestly, because your mix will suffer. I guess I don't look at eq and compression as fx. I look at them as tools to make my overall mix sound better. Unless the sample doesn't have frequencies that you don't want, which I'm not sure I have found personally, then eq before compression will make your mix sound better.

Clashing frequencies = muddy mixes. Compressing a muddy mix doesn't help. I am not blasting you Krush, just speaking from experience.

cozy wrote:

krush777 wrote:Why not try it both ways? You might discover something you like. Forget the rules! Let your ears be your guide sometimes!!

Honestly, because your mix will suffer. I guess I don't look at eq and compression as fx. I look at them as tools to make my overall mix sound better. Unless the sample doesn't have frequencies that you don't want, which I'm not sure I have found personally, then eq before compression will make your mix sound better.

Clashing frequencies = muddy mixes. Compressing a muddy mix doesn't help. I am not blasting you Krush, just speaking from experience.

its like cooking food in a pan thats dirty. unless you want the dirt to be part of the food you're cookin because you think it adds flavor, clean the **** pan..........maybe not the best analogy.....

also, arent you suppose to generally chuck a hipass on every track anyways to remove those in audible lowend garbage that eats up your track?

It makes sense to clean up your tracks with eq/filter first as much as possible, then start worrying about compression, but i could see it happeneing the other way too depending what you are trying to do.

there is also a differance with using compression to shape the sound too. like if you are compressing a single hit - like a kick, and trying to manipulate the envelope or whatever, maybe you want to compress first, then eq, to get a specific result you want........

I do it this way, but only becasue I have tried it the other way too! That is how I learned things in the days before you could just "google" it. But I agree that the HPF does greatly improve a mix when used properly as described.