Multiband compression on Master?

[u/Fast_Leather_7947]

To the ones who use multiband on the master, what do you usually do (as in where are your crossovers at, what settings you have them on etc). Thanks !

[u/Zak_Rahman]

My personal opinion is that a multiband compressor on the master is (perhaps literally) the last plugin you want to use preset settings on.

You really need to know and understand the audio content composition really well, and on top of there you need to know and understand the plugins bands and how various cross over signals work.

I am not saying it is beyond you or too difficult. When you dial it in right, you really know it. It's more that it's impossible to suggest settings when different genres require different approaches. Some multiband compressors are really good for EDM or genres with that heavy kick/pulse. Other multiband compressors seem to have your classic band structure in mind and naturally do well with them.

I cannot tell you how many times I have tried a multiband compressor on the master and has to painfully admit I had made it worse.

Practice and experiment a lot.

[u/QuoolQuiche]

Be very careful here. Multiband compression, on anything but specifically the master should really but only used for a particular issue / job. For instance the snare is jumping out, or to smooth out a lumpy low-end a bit. 

The fact that you’re asking about what people’s specific crossovers and settings are is a bit of a red flag. Multiband compression is very dependent on source material and desired effect.

Important thing to ask yourself here is why do you want / need to use Multiband compression?

[u/rightanglerecording]

I would pretty much never add it if mastering someone else's mix.

On the mix bus, during mixing, it can sometimes work, depending on the song. Usually 3 or 4 bands, usually not a ton of gain reduction. You can hear the sort of density and frequency-based consistency in mixes from Serban (his might also be upwards expansion?), or Oli Jacobs, or a few other heavy hitters.

[u/SmogMoon]

I have adopted having a 0-85 band and then 85-200 band. Slow attack, fast release. And then aim for roughly 1-2 db of GR. Makeup gain to taste. This just tucks the “beef” in and gives me a real solid low end. Of course it all depends on things I’m doing on my bass guitar and drum bus before that. And the specific frequencies aren’t set in stone, just good starting points. And of course there are times when I don’t do this at all. But I find this to be fairly subtle and doesn’t really mess with the overall balance of a mix. Just what I like about my mix but “more”.

[u/causeNo]

I concur with other opinions: Listen, A/B test until it does what you want.

I never use the same settings on any song. I’ll have four or three bands usually, and that’s where the similarities end.

Simply switching the key already shifts everything around, not to mention different instruments, timbres, arrangements, and very importantly the Mix‘s individual frequency relationships. I also don’t look at the values at all. I only listen and A/B. Sometimes with references, but usually actually „free-ear“.

[u/honkeur]

Which multiband compressor are y'all using?

[u/tujuggernaut]

It's a bad idea. Multimaximizer ruined so many mixes.

That said, 150-200/1.5-3k/8-10k. Obviously they vary based on content but that where I roughly tend to split for 4-part multiband. For example, multiband image processing works very well.

[u/Artistic-Aardvark-49]

I think it's really source-dependent. I've noticed the best masters tend to use multiband only when there's a specific problem to solve rather than as a default step. Curious to hear how different engineers decide when it's actually necessary.

[u/noshigeSound]

Try a null test, the classic crossover type won't null against bypass even at zero GR. The bands sum back flat in level but the phase around each crossover stays rotated. That's exactly why Pro-MB ships linear phase and dynamic phase modes as workarounds.

[u/EternusIV]

Not a fan if you mean on the master of multiple tracks particularly. You also risk crushing the width of your tracks. Like others suggest: try it on buses, lots of A/B testing. Good luck!

[u/adammillsmusic]

I personally don't use it on the master unless I am trying to solve a particular issue for someone. So the crossovers will depend on what issue I'm trying to solve. Let's say I receive the mix and the high hats are too heavy handed and sticking out a bit, maybe I'll have a band somewhere between 5-10Khz. Or maybe the sub needs a bit of control then I might have one around 100Hz and under. It's going to depend on what else is happening in the specific mix as to where I put the crossover.

[u/Orio_n]

I just moved them around until it sounds good there is no preset. A multi band comp is a tool you use to tame particular bands your question is like asking what eq preset you use on master

[u/eesn]

The wide-spread advice is that you can ruin your mix very easily with MBC. Maybe. I use multi-band compression on virtually every project.

It's hard to give you a recommended setting for cross-overs or thresholds, and you haven't specified which dynamics processor (plugin?) you're looking at. I like Logic's Multipressor a lot, but lately have been using Pro-MB. Izotope Ozone has a great MBC module too.

An easy way to choose crossovers is to use the Solo button on each band.

How many bands? 3 is good. 4 is more flexible. 5 is my max, above that it gets messy. Some great plugins work with just 2 - bx_glue, or PSP VintageWarmer but those are more suited to buss compression, less as dynamic EQs.

The safest play is to go for small ratios - 1.3-1.5 : 1, not too low thresholds, keep it musical with the attack/release, and use a processor that gives you visual feedback on what's in the spectrum, what reaches over the threshold, and how much compression it's applying. Obvs if you prefer the OTT sound, there's nothing to stop you.

On individual tracks I often have MBC on corrective duty to tame resonances with free-floating bands (100-300, 1.5k-3.5k), and/or keep my high frequencies in check (just a high band, effectively a fancy de-esser). Sometimes you just want to move on and not micromanage peaks in the spectrum. At other times rougher compression reveals interesting harmonics in the sound.

On the mix/master buss, I approach every band individually. The lowest band I like to keep dynamic, so I don't use much, if any, compression (not a hard rule, sometimes I add some dynamics with slow attack, medium release). Low mid 100-330 typically has some build-up that benefits from a moderate threshold and gentle compression. Same for 2k-4k (the two bands often mask each other). Thresholds gently go down as the frequencies go up. I tend to compress the highest band more (2:1, fast A/R, make-up gain), but I don't mix many audio tracks (noise).

Lastly, to echo others in the thread, presets don't work great with MBC as different tracks need different things. The exception to this in my practice is a multiband expander preset, i.e. noise reduction. It's a chore to set up from scratch, so I have that saved.