Using compressors on leads and screeches

[erol]

Hi,

Do you guys use a VST/AU compressor (software, UAD or maybe hardware) on Hardstyle leads and screeches? Which compressor do you prefer? Do you put the compressor on the first insert before the distortion and reverb or after?
Which settings do you prefer for leads and/or screeches?
Thank you.

[SCH]

Classic Series Compressor for leads, although it's at very soft settings since you don't want to squeeze it powerless and and dull, you just want to control the highest peaks of the synth.

Edit: Compressing is the second last thing I add to leads, the last being a visualizer monitoring the stereo width.

[Cardioid]

Classic Series Compressor for leads, although it's at very soft settings since you don't want to squeeze it powerless and and dull, you just want to control the highest peaks of the synth.

Edit: Compressing is the second last thing I add to leads, the last being a visualizer monitoring the stereo width.

This.. Plus i don't always compress my reverbs and delays.. Depends on how i feel about it, but i usually don't..

[SCH]

I usually do if it's a melody jumping a lot up and down, thus rendering me with another half decibel of headroom .

[ljk32]

Why does a lead have to have distortion on it? Maybe you didn't mean that, but the way you worded it makes it look like distortion is a given on every lead. And what if someone used the reverb on a send rather than on an insert? We can't answer these questions - where you put it and the settings you would use all depends on what you're going for. Do you want to tame the peaks on your lead, do you want to give it a really clicky attack, maybe you want to eq before compressing, maybe after? Experiment with it. If we tell you a setting that works for us, it won't help you with knowing how to compress, since a lead and screech will vary in every track(well at least I hope so), and therefore the settings for one track may not work for another.

[erol]

And what about layered leads? Do you send all layers to a bus and use a compressor on the bus?

[Cardioid]

I usually do if it's a melody jumping a lot up and down, thus rendering me with another half decibel of headroom .

Well, yes, then you should. But i've got often long melody lines, so not really jumping up and down, and if you clearly hear the reverb, it doesn't sound good imo. But if i'm not compressing my reverb, i always EQ the reverb afterwards...

[KFKiller]

In theory you should have EQ and Compressors on every channel, whether you want to or not is your own decision. Experiment with all of this stuff music is not 1+1=2, there is no one equation for it. What works for me may not for you, what works on one sound may not work on another.

[Desertoz]

Man why do u want to use compressors,they ruin everything use cowbells instead