what is the built in EQ on a compressor used for?

[Esperado]

ok so I was looking at the compressor i use the other day and i noticed that i never used the EQ on it, and was curious what it is used for. heres a picture.

While i know what the eq section does in theory, im not sure what use it has in the context of a compressor. Is the eq section used to only compress a specific frequency range, like say the low end of a bassline while leaving the higher frequencies intact? If not that, in what scenario would you use the eq section of this compressor?

also, im sure there are better compressors out there, than the built in ableton one. if anyone knows of a better compressor, i wouldnt mind suggestions

[theshaggyfreak]

If the filter is before the compressor itself, you're then mostly likely only compressing those frequencies. The rest are left alone. I don't use Live, though. So, I can't be 100% for sure.

[timaeus222]

The EQ defines what frequencies are targeted in the compression (Q is the band token filtering width, by the way; high Q = thinner than low Q). I've never used Live's compressor, so I don't know how good it is, but I highly recommend Cytomic's The Glue. Never stopped using it since I got it over a year ago.

The Glue Example:

Dry Drums

Compressed Drums (there's a parallel compression send, and individual tightness compression on the kick and snare)

Compressed Drums (High Pass at 2000Hz on the built-in compressor EQ; small difference but it's there. Try focusing on the snare, which seems to have gotten a bit tighter)

Basically they should feel stronger overall, but also a little bit more cohesive.

Edited July 3, 2014 by timaeus222

[Esperado]

ok so if you want the higher frequency content to be crispier without touching the low end, youd use the high pass filter at whatever frequency best fits the content?

so then youre basically EQing the compressed content to your desired effect

[timaeus222]

ok so if you want the higher frequency content to be crispier without touching the low end, youd use the high pass filter at whatever frequency best fits the content?

so then youre basically EQing the compressed content to your desired effect

Yep, you're telling the compressor "only affect this frequency range when you modify this sound". So if there's a band pass covering 200-2000Hz, then only that range would be compressed.

Just to be clear, if you were to put an EQ plugin doing a high pass at 2000Hz and then a separate compressor next in the chain (no built-in EQ used), and compare the effect of that to a compressor doing a high pass at 2000Hz with its built-in EQ, it's not the same thing.

Edited July 3, 2014 by timaeus222

[Nase]

Multi band compressors can be cool as well; i'm using the one by gvst atm, it's free and quite simple.

http://www.gvst.co.uk/gmulti.htm

What this does is give you 3 bands with individual compression settings. There's also a stereo enhancer built in, and the loadup preset is quite useful already in that it tightens the bass to mono while adding some stereo space to mids and highs.

I've started putting it on the master a lot...it helps with my lazy mixing approach. Needs some adjustment for each song, but a little bit of compression and stereo almost always ends up being a good thing for the stuff i'm doing.

Of course you can also multi band compress single tracks. I'm just not enough of a sound guy to care about that.

Though it's probably very useful when you're compressing a drumkit and don't feel like processing each sound individually.

Edited July 3, 2014 by Nase

[Garrett Williamson]

I've never used a compressor with an EQ on it, unless we're referring to what Nase just brought up, Multipressors. I use those actually quite a bit. It's a really great tool.

[timaeus222]

I've never used a compressor with an EQ on it, unless we're referring to what Nase just brought up, Multipressors. I use those actually quite a bit. It's a really great tool.

Bottom left.

[Esperado]

I've heard of multipressors before, but never tried them. I'll check that out ! I found out the function of this particular eq though. It effects what frequencies are being effected by the side chain compressor but not the regular old compressor

[timaeus222]

I've heard of multipressors before, but never tried them. I'll check that out ! I found out the function of this particular eq though. It effects what frequencies are being effected by the side chain compressor but not the regular old compressor

Ah, but isn't there a button to turn the side chain on and off on the far left?

[Esperado]

Ah, but isn't there a button to turn the side chain on and off on the far left?

yes there is, but i dont think that the eq works on the compressor without the sidechain. of course i could be mistaken.

[timaeus222]

yes there is, but i dont think that the eq works on the compressor without the sidechain. of course i could be mistaken.

Maybe if you wanted to test it, you could try using a spectroscope (like smexoscope) and looking at what happens when you do the compression with the built-in EQ turned on, on a pure sine wave or a pure square wave with the Sustain all the way up on the ADSR envelope. That way, you're testing it on a completely flat sound. If it looks a little different after applying the EQ, then it works without the side chain feature.

[Esperado]

Maybe if you wanted to test it, you could try using a spectroscope (like smexoscope) and looking at what happens when you do the compression with the built-in EQ turned on, on a pure sine wave or a pure square wave with the Sustain all the way up on the ADSR envelope. That way, you're testing it on a completely flat sound. If it looks a little different after applying the EQ, then it works without the side chain feature.

genius. not sure why i didnt think to do that before. thanks as always ! it would seem that it is indeed a general eq for the whole compressor