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[Mike Karseboom]

If you're running monitors from FOH, then you don't want to compress the individual channels at all.

If you're running monitors from FOH, then you don't want to compress the individual channels at all.

I am probably missing something here but if monitors sends are "pre" everything, as they often are, then why does compression on a channel have anything to do with monitors regardless of whether they are being run from FOH or not?


Or are we talking about a mixing board that has limitations that prevent the monitor mix from being independent from FOH compression on individual channels?

[Steve M Smith]

Compressing groups is just not good for almost any reason.

Good that you put almost in there: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMMmR1u0CFk

output of the vocal subgroup was being compressed, but the return for the vocal effects was not.

Which is why the return should go back to the sub group.  See above!
 
Steve.

[Alec Spence]

If you're running monitors from FOH, then you don't want to compress the individual channels at all.

Unless your mixer lets you take aux sends pre-dynamics - which the X32 now does!

[Jason Raboin]

There's nothing wrong with compressing groups.  I sometimes like the sound I get when I bring up a channel for a solo into a group with a compressor and then get a more compressed sound for the solo.  That wouldn't be useful for vocals necessarily, but there are certainly uses for group compression.  If I were in your shoes, I would use a compressor on each of the lead vocal channels and make a stereo group for the backing vocals.  I would also return my vocal reverb to the backing vocal group.

[Bob Leonard]

Good that you put almost in there: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMMmR1u0CFk

Which is why the return should go back to the sub group.  See above!
 
Steve.

The discussion is about vocals, hence my statement.

[Alex Rigodanzo]

If I were in your shoes, I would use a compressor on each of the lead vocal channels and make a stereo group for the backing vocals.  I would also return my vocal reverb to the backing vocal group.

That's a combination I hadn't considered.  I think I'll try that at our next gig.

[Jeremy Young]

If I only had one compressor, I would put it on the lead vocalist.  With two, the second one would go on the electric bass guitar, if DI'd.  I mention the DI part, since I once had a drummer that really couldn't keep a steady kick beat and i only had a dbx 266xs, and i decided to compress/gate the kick, and mic the bass player's cabinet and take advantage of the compression in his tube head to do the work for me. 

on a slight aside this reminds me of a tale: the biggest gig my band ever got to play was opening for a national touring act (who shall remain nameless).  he was my guitar tone idol, but as it turns out, he was a complete baby backstage and spent our allotted sound check time throwing shoes at his guitar tech's while they tried to get the "hum" to go away from his guitar rig with TC Electronics on the phone.

Needless to say, we hit the stage 45 minutes late, to play a 20-minute set with no monitors, no sound check, in an 800 person theatre.  we were left with 5 channels on the board, two comps and a reverb.  my late pal Randy Bergner was running sound, (we were a three piece rock band plus vocals), and he simply threw a mic on my guitar, DI'd and comp'd the bass, comp on the lead vocals, and used an SM58 as an overhead and an SM58 as a kick mic, and we sounded better than any other of the hundreds of bar shows and festivals we played. 

sometimes, less is more.

[David Morison]

I am probably missing something here but if monitors sends are "pre" everything, as they often are, then why does compression on a channel have anything to do with monitors regardless of whether they are being run from FOH or not?

Or are we talking about a mixing board that has limitations that prevent the monitor mix from being independent from FOH compression on individual channels?[/size][/font]

Not sure what the point of the 2 pixel text was but having deciphered it....

It's not uncommon for the Insert point in the channel architecture to be before the aux's etc, so even if the aux's are set "pre EQ" and "pre Fade", the compression would still affect them.
(Especially on low-mid level analogue boards, I'm not so up-to-date on higher end and digital offerings I'm afraid.)

If free channels are available, Y'ing each vocal into two channels and compressing one for FOH and leaving one uncompressed for monitors is an option. (I imagine Digital should allow this via soft-patching, so not even needing extra cabling.)

HTH,
David.

[Steve M Smith]

I imagine Digital should allow this via soft-patching, so not even needing extra cabling.

It does.  I did exactly this recently.


Steve.

[Nick Enright]

Not sure what the point of the 2 pixel text was but having deciphered it....

It's not uncommon for the Insert point in the channel architecture to be before the aux's etc, so even if the aux's are set "pre EQ" and "pre Fade", the compression would still affect them.
(Especially on low-mid level analogue boards, I'm not so up-to-date on higher end and digital offerings I'm afraid.)

If free channels are available, Y'ing each vocal into two channels and compressing one for FOH and leaving one uncompressed for monitors is an option. (I imagine Digital should allow this via soft-patching, so not even needing extra cabling.)

HTH,
David.

One mid level analog desk where the pre-fader Auxes are pre insert and pre eq is the GL2400. (for reference.) This is kinda a pain when you need to tweak a channels tone in the wedges, but your comps and channel eq don't screw your monitor chain, so overall it's way better than the alternative.

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