From the course: Audio Foundations: Compression and Dynamic Processing

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Recording with compression: Why or why not?

Recording with compression: Why or why not?

From the course: Audio Foundations: Compression and Dynamic Processing

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Recording with compression: Why or why not?

One of the most common questions I get asked in any mixing course I teach is, should I record with compression? And my usual answer to that is, if you're asking me that question, the answer is no, you shouldn't. Why not? Well, if you mess up this signal with a botched compression setting, like if you overcompress the signal or unwittingly add unwanted distortion while compressing, that bad compression sound will be recorded and it's really hard, if not impossible, to undo. Instead, record the signal with no compression and add compression later in the mixing process. Just to be clear, by recording with compression, I mean using a hardware or software compressor before your signal is recorded to hard drive or tape. This is not the same as inserting a real-time plug-in on the track you are recording to. If a compressor plug-in is inserted on the actual audio track you're according to, the compression is added after the signal has been recorded, allowing you to affect the track in a…

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