Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The best way to set up parallel compression on your drum bus, and why the send method wins.
There are two ways to do parallel compression on drums. Directly on the channel, or via a bus send. Most people don't know the difference actually matters.
Via a send, you push 100% of the drums to the send and control the amount of compression with the threshold. The fader then becomes your wet and dry knob, so you blend the crushed copy in underneath the dry drums. The big advantage is you can add processing after the compressor, like saturation or a phaser, on the parallel only, without affecting the dry drum channel at all.
On the channel, you use the compressor's built-in wet and dry knob. It gives you a thick sound, but you're committing that processing to the channel itself. The send method gives you more control and flexibility.
Send or straight on the channel? Drop it in the comments.
#mixing #parallelcompression #drumbus #mixingtips #musicproduction
The best way to set up parallel compression on your drum bus, and why the send method wins.
There are two ways to do parallel compression on drums. Directly on the channel, or via a bus send. Most people don't know the difference actually matters.
Via a send, you push 100% of the drums to the send and control the amount of compression with the threshold. The fader then becomes your wet and dry knob, so you blend the crushed copy in underneath the dry drums. The big advantage is you can add processing after the compressor, like saturation or a phaser, on the parallel only, without affecting the dry drum channel at all.
On the channel, you use the compressor's built-in wet and dry knob. It gives you a thick sound, but you're committing that processing to the channel itself. The send method gives you more control and flexibility.
Send or straight on the channel? Drop it in the comments.
#mixing #parallelcompression #drumbus #mixingtips #musicproduction
