Multiband compression is a tool that gives you more control over what gets compressed when you’re, well, using a compressor (see our article What is Multiband Compression for more details). Usually the action of the compressor is universal in terms of the frequencies affected. You give the effect some parameters so that it knows where to kick in (that’s the threshold of signal level that triggers the action), and then you tell it how much to reduce the signal level (turn it down) for each decibel (that’s called the ratio – 1:1 means nothing gets turned down). Then the compression gets applied to any and every frequency that happens to cross the threshold.
But with multiband compression, you can apply different settings for different frequencies.
Here is an article that will show you some ways you can use multiband compression.
http://www.prosoundweb.com/article/in_the_studio_how_to_use_multiband_compression_includes_audio/
Thanks for sharing the article. I am learning multiband compression but finding it really hard to recognize the freq which needs tightening.
Sure Dilpreet. Understanding just regular single-band compression can be hard enough. Multiband compression is even more complex. My advice is to try lots of different settings and experiment. Use your ears to guide you. In the end, that is the best way to know whether your effect is helping you or not. It also helps to understand where certain types of sounds are located on the frequency spectrum – like knowing that voices, guitars, and keyboards are usually in the mids, bass guitar and kick drum are in the lows, cymbals and tambourines are in the highs, etc. It’s more specific than that (voices are usually strongest between 1-3 KHz, for example). But it’s a great place to start. This post will help:
Cheers!
Ken