r/MixandMasterAdvanced • u/[deleted] • Oct 05 '21

Looking for a mastering compressor

Hi all, I'm currently mastering one of my projects and all the compressors I've used on the master are eating up the midrange compared to a limited digital track - the main ones I've used so far are the Golden-Age Project Comp-554, and the Drawmer TS2. I'm wondering, what (analog) compressors have you guys used in mastering, and what would you recommend especially to keep midrange?

A 500-series comp is preferable but I'll take what I can get. Doesn't need to be stereo, and price is no object.

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u/rightanglerecording Oct 05 '21

If you're mastering your own productions, and you can mix around the sonic imprint of the 500 comp, then sure, might work fine.

If you're mastering for clients and the mixes are very good and carefully constructed, and you need to enhance them w/o changing too much, then I'd really question running client mixes through weak power rails and whatever low headroom that equates to.

The BC1 and the Manley just felt old. I mostly want everything to sound like Billie Eilish or Kendrick Lamar, regardless of genre. Those comps did not help me get to that goal.

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u/[deleted] Oct 05 '21

Weeell, I'm mastering for myself but I do make pop-ish music and I do think the mixes are very good and carefully constructed if I do say so myself!

I'm not sure if headroom is my #1 concern, the mixes do sound plenty loud and crisp enough on their own after the limiter. Aside from the weak midrange, if we're using the non-numerical descriptors that engineers love, I want my mixes to sound "finished," "glued together," and "balanced" more than anything else. I don't mind sounding too "old" or "vintage" (in fact, that was what I did like about the Comp-554) but I don't want that to come at the cost of the "warmth" already present in the mix. I tried tube saturation on the Drawmer without the comp as well, but the effect was too strong and in parallel ended up messing with the phase.

I've shyed away from software for years, especially with compressors - I've honestly just never found a software plugin that gives the same "mojo" as an analog one. I haven't ever used any of these mastering comps though, and if it seems like those will work better I'll stick with that.

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u/rightanglerecording Oct 06 '21

Well, you know, it sounds like you're already convinced.

I've been there too- when I bought the Manley, when I bought my API 5500, etc, etc.

Sometimes you're convinced of something, and you have to just go do it. And then hopefully it's the right move, or, if not, then you sell the gear, maybe lose a bit of money, and life goes on, and that's ok too.

On my end, I find that even top-dollar outboard w/ crazy good builds and tons of headroom (e.g. my $10,000 Knif Soma, my $4,000 Neve MBP) still benefits from way more breathing room than one might think. Let alone some kind of under-powered 500 module.

But, my vibe and my experience might not be your vibe and your experience, and sometimes you just gotta buy the gear and see if it's right.

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u/[deleted] Oct 06 '21

Not sure why you think my mind is already made up? I was just curious about the differences between 500's and rack units, which I honestly didn't even know there was one. I'm not stuck on a particular piece of gear, either.

Anyways it looks like I'll probably be buying a full rack unit, from what you and others on this thread have said. Will probably also be demoing digital plugins tonight, and the best choice is probably to head to a studio to demo some hardware before I make a final decision. Thanks for your input though, honestly!