How to Fix Over-Compressed Mixes: A Lesson from Vlado Meller
Vlado Meller
On the mastering forums and Reddit, one of the most common questions is how to deal with over-compressed and saturated mixes. People often suggest baffling answers such as transient enhancers, "upward expansion," and other wizardry. In my experience, solutions like these not only overcomplicate things but make them worse. When dealing with a mix that's already over-compressed and saturated, a gentler approach is often more effective. "Less is more" is the guiding principle in mastering, particularly with over-compressed mixes.
A few years ago, when I was studying with Vlado Meller, we worked on a track that had this issue. The mix itself wasn't excessively loud, but the transients were flattened, and there wasn't much dynamic range left after the production team's mix-bus processing. Our approach to this problem was much simpler than the methods often suggested in forums.
Vlado auditioned three different limiters, chose the one that sounded best on the vocals and drums, then added a bit of low-end boost. That was it. No transient designer. No upward expansion. The master sounded punchier than anything I could have achieved with complicated processing.
Here's the approach:
1. Remove any compressors you have; you won't need them. You'll need a limiter to bring the level up and protect against digital overs, but any additional compression will worsen the situation.
2. Choose your limiter carefully. As I've mentioned before, choosing the right limiter for each track is crucial. This is especially true for over-compressed tracks, where the differences between limiters are more pronounced than in typical scenarios. Listen to various limiters and select the one that offers the most punch and clarity. Focus on both the punchiness of the drums and the clarity of the vocals.
3. Try boosting the low end. In over-compressed mixes, the kick drum and bass often suffer the most. This is because bass frequencies, which have lots of energy, hit the compressors and saturation devices first and get stomped on. Enhancing the bottom end can often reintroduce some movement into the track. There's no need for complex techniques—basic EQ will suffice.
4. If needed, bring out the snare. Often, the combination of the right limiter and some low-end boosts will be all you need. However, if you feel like the snare isn't popping enough, try boosting the high frequencies around 5-8kHz. Be careful though—this is also the range where the harmonics from saturation can get harsh.
That's it. It really is that simple.
Since that session with Vlado, I've applied this approach dozens of times. Every time I'm tempted to reach for something more complex, I remember how straightforward his solution was. Focused, simple processing beats over-engineering every time.
It requires discipline to do less, but the payoff is a better-sounding master.
