REAPER KB

16.13 Multiband Compression with ReaXComp

user_guide/user-guide-16-13-multiband-compression-with-reaxcomp · kind=reference

16.13 Multiband Compression with ReaXComp

Applied to the Master, Multiband Compression can be a useful tool for adding body, warmth and volume to your final mix.

Kind: concept (user-guide-section) Chapter: 16 REAPER Plug-ins in Action Source: REAPER User Guide v7.70

Applied to the Master, Multiband Compression can be a useful tool for adding body, warmth and volume to your final mix. It is outside the scope of this guide to suggest just how heavily or lightly you should apply your Multiband Compressor. Many audio engineers believe quite strongly that the contemporary trend being currently pursued by the major record companies takes multiband compression too far. Be that as it may, a multiband compressor works by applying different rates of compression to different frequency bands. This lets you shape the sound much more precisely than is possible with a simple compressor. The ReaXComp default settings include 4 bands. These are 0 to 200 Hz, 200 Hz to 1,000 Hz, 1,000 Hz to 5,000 Hz and above 5,000 Hz. However you can add extra bands or delete superfluous ones. You can also change the band frequencies as you wish. For example, if you increase the top frequency of Band 1 to, say, 250 Hz, then that automatically becomes also the starting frequency for Band 2.

If you have not used a Multiband Compressor before, then you are advised to start cautiously and become more adventurous as you gain in knowledge and confidence. You can experiment on any of the sample All Through The Night project files that you have used elsewhere in this User Guide.

Metering: As with ReaComp and several other Cockos plug-ins, ReaXComp allows you to choose which channel information is used for the visual display. This can be all channels (the default), all channels (with no FFT) or any selected channel. Channel analysis is explained earlier in this chapter where ReaEQ is discussed. Channel Modes: Multi-mono and multi-stereo channel modes are also supported, as well as the default stereo mode. Channel modes are explained in the section where ReaComp is discussed.

Other sections in this document