Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Why your mix bus compressor is making everything sound flat, and the right way to use it.
When you put a bus compressor across the mix and it instantly sounds flat, the issue usually isn't the compressor. It's the timing. You're compressing too early.
If the mix isn't balanced yet, the compressor reacts to whatever element is loudest and drags the whole mix down with it. You end up squashing problems instead of gelling a finished mix.
Get the balance right first. Every level sitting where it should before any bus compression goes on. Then add the bus compressor last, and only pull one or two dB of gain reduction just to glue it together. Any more than that and you flatten a mix that's already done all the work.
How much bus compression do you use? Drop it in the comments.
#mixing #buscompression #mixbus #mixingtips #musicproduction
Why your mix bus compressor is making everything sound flat, and the right way to use it.
When you put a bus compressor across the mix and it instantly sounds flat, the issue usually isn't the compressor. It's the timing. You're compressing too early.
If the mix isn't balanced yet, the compressor reacts to whatever element is loudest and drags the whole mix down with it. You end up squashing problems instead of gelling a finished mix.
Get the balance right first. Every level sitting where it should before any bus compression goes on. Then add the bus compressor last, and only pull one or two dB of gain reduction just to glue it together. Any more than that and you flatten a mix that's already done all the work.
How much bus compression do you use? Drop it in the comments.
#mixing #buscompression #mixbus #mixingtips #musicproduction
