STRANJAHS’s AMEN

Compression Cheat Sheet

Compressing a drum track allows us to change the
dynamics and subsequently the vibe and energy of
the groove. You can make your breaks sound pumped
or tight depending on the settings. Here are my top
settings for compressing amens and other breakbeats.
The values are ballpark values as every break has
different requirements. Adjust to taste.

It is recommended you apply the compression

stage after the EQ stage (Grab the Amen
EQ Cheat Sheet here).

Threshold settings
 he signal above a threshold is what
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gets compressed. Setting an appropriate
threshold value is critical to the end result.
As you change other parameters you may
have to tweak the threshold value up or
down to accommodate for nuances in the
resultant audio.

 enerally, I set the threshold around the

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RMS level of the audio. For example, if the
RMS of your break is around -12dB, then
a threshold between -12dB to -30dB would
be a great place to explore (this depends
on how extreme you want to compress
your signal, -30dB being more extreme). If
your compressor has a waveform visualizer,
I typically bring the threshold down until
it reaches the main body of the break.
Compression Settings
Use these settings to get your breakbeat/amen to the desired result. The threshold value is based
on an amen break with RMS  -12dB. These settings should be universal for most compressors
however I recognize some compressors may not have certain parameters such as the Knee. Just
follow as closely as you can. (I used Ableton’s stock Compressor for these settings.)

 he Gain Reduction mentioned is not

T  he amen break and presets can also
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a parameter, but an indicator of how be downloaded here.
much signal is being reduced.

Tight and Snappy  ettings:

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Threshold: -16dB
 or a tight and snappy amen, a threshold of -16dB
F Attack: 50ms
would be a great level to start. Set the attack to 50ms Release: 50ms
to preserve the snare transients, and a 50ms release. Ratio: 4:1
The ratio should be around 4:1 with a 3db knee. Knee: 3db
Gain Reduction: 3-4dB

Phat and Full  ettings:

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Threshold -24
 -24dB threshold works great for a full sounding amen.
A Attack 0.01ms
Set the attack to 0.01ms to  squash the transients, Release 70 ms
followed by a 70ms release. A 8:1 or even higher ratio Ratio: 8:1
is suggested with a softer 6db knee to smooth out the Knee 6dB
compression and prevent it from sounding unnatural. Gain Reduction: 12dB

Phat and Tight  ettings:

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Threshold -27
 or phat as well as tight amens, a -27dB threshold
F Attack 35ms
with 35ms attack and 1ms release, works well. The ratio Release 1ms
tends to be inf:1 with around 18db knee. Ratio: Inf:1
Knee 18
Gain Reduction: 15dB

Tip
 he compressor tends to cause the very first transient
T Video User Guide
to peak. To counter this, resample (render to audio)
the processed audio and  take  the best bar. Boom,
now you have a brand new break in your library.