How many times have you mixed vocals and as soon as you apply compression you say, “dude! why is the singer so breathy!?”… Well, for starters, you’re probably using too much compression… However, sometimes you want that compressed sound, but without the annoying byproducts, like “Breathiness.”

Compression can be a beautiful thing, and I use it a lot!… like, on everything… I mean, compression is like Franks Red Hot, I put that shit on everything!

Using compression isn’t just a processor to control dynamics, it’s also an FX processor. You can use compressors to bring out subtle nuances in a performance that would otherwise be unheard.

“Using compression isn’t just a processor to control dynamics, it’s also an FX processor.”

In this video tutorial, I show you how to control, or even completely remove, those overly loud and unnatural sounding breaths caused by compression. You’ll see how I use volume automation to achieve these results, as apposed to using other less reliable processors such as gates.

I use Pro Tools in this video, however these techniques can be be applied to most other major DAWs. If you have any comments or questions, please post them in the comments section here or on the YouTube video’s page. And, as always, feel free to like and share this with all your friends!

Until next time, happy mixing!