Hi,
This is an interesting discussion. One example of compression on a vocal is the Beatles' "Lady Madonna". While it sounds neat on this song, this much compression wouldn't be desireable on most songs. At least, I think this is compression; maybe someone will chime in and let me know what this really is.

In my recent recordings, my tendency is to use little/no effects including compression. My aim is to produce a nice, clear recording where the vocals are easily heard. The backing instrumentations' overall volume decreases when the vocal is present. I'm also anal about keeping my overall volume just below the clipping/distortion level. I'd rather have my recordings nice and loud and oh so slightly distorted than have potential fans have to turn up the volume on their audio systems when playing my tunes after playing other folks' tunes.

Having digital recording software enables greater control = equivalent playback levels as commercially recorded music. This has been my experience. My humble opinion,

Steve Vasil

Steve Vasil
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