A Day To Remember: Andrew Wade’s Master Bus Compression Approach

Ever crank an A Day To Remember track and wonder how they get that massive, cohesive sound where everything just hits right? While killer songwriting, performances, and individual track mixing are huge, there’s often a subtle art applied across the entire mix that glues it all together. We’re talking about master bus compression, and legendary producer Andrew Wade (who’s worked with ADTR, Wage War, Neck Deep) has some serious wisdom to drop on how to use it effectively – and how not to screw up your mix with it.

This isn’t about just slapping a plugin on and calling it a day. It’s about making your mix breathe and ensuring your vision translates all the way to the final master. Let’s dive into some tips Andrew shared, which you can explore in-depth on Nail The Mix.

The Big No-No: Why Andrew Wade Avoids Mixing Into a Limiter

First things first, Andrew lays down a crucial ground rule: try to never mix into a limiter on your master bus. Seriously. He admits it can feel like a “guilty pleasure” because it instantly makes things sound louder and more “finished,” but it’s a trap that can lead you down a dark path.

The “Guilty Pleasure” Trap

When you mix with a limiter engaged from the get-go, or even pop one on halfway through to “see how it’s sounding,” your perception gets skewed. You start making mixing decisions – level balances, EQ tweaks, even automation – based on how the limited signal sounds.

Keeping Your Mix Decisions Honest

Andrew notes that when he’s fallen into this trap and then removed the limiter, the mix often sounds “crazy” and unbalanced. All those little adjustments made while the limiter was doing its thing suddenly don’t make sense. The dynamics are off, and instruments might be fighting each other in ways you didn’t notice before. The takeaway? Mix without it. Get your balance and dynamics right fundamentally. The only exception he mentions is if you’re actually mastering your own material, but for the mixing stage, keep it clean.

Why Master Bus Compression? Andrew Wade’s “Final Icing”

So, if not a limiter, then what? Andrew often uses a touch of master bus compression as the “final icing on the cake.” This isn’t about damage control or fixing a bad mix; it’s a creative choice to enhance what’s already there.

It’s About the Vibe, Man

For Andrew, this subtle compression is what “finishes” the mix and “tightens it all together,” making it breathe in the specific way he envisions. It’s part of the sonic signature. He feels that if he sends a mix off to mastering and that specific type of compression isn’t added (or if the mastering engineer does something drastically different), he just won’t like the final result as much.

Pre-Mastering Polish: Taking Control

By adding this delicate compression himself, Andrew ensures the core movement and cohesive energy he’s aiming for are baked into the mix before it even leaves his studio. It helps emphasize all the little punchy elements he’s worked hard to create on individual tracks.

Andrew Wade’s SSL-Style Master Bus Compression Settings

Alright, let’s get to the good stuff. Andrew often reaches for an SSL G-Series style bus compressor on his master. In a clip from a Nail The Mix session (where he was mixing Neck Deep – a band sonically in the same ballpark as A Day To Remember), he demonstrated his typical approach.

The Tool: SSL G-Series Style Compressor

The SSL Bus Compressor is legendary for a reason. It has a way of gluing tracks together and adding a certain punch and excitement that’s become a staple in rock and metal. Many plugin companies make excellent emulations of this hardware. The key is its relatively simple controls and characteristic sound.

Key Settings for That “Breathing” Mix:

Andrew stresses that these settings worked for the specific tempo and style of that track, but they are a fantastic starting point.

• Attack: Set to “3” – Finding the Punch
  • On many SSL-style compressors, “3” might correspond to a specific millisecond value (e.g., 1ms or 3ms) or simply a dial position. The goal here is to let the initial transients of your drums and other percussive elements poke through before the compression kicks in, preserving punch. Too fast, and you’ll squash those transients.
• Release: Set to “0.3” – Grooving with the Tempo
  • This is often a 0.3-second release time. Andrew dialed this in so the compressor “breathes” in time with the music. The release should be musical – pumping too obviously can be distracting, but a well-timed release adds to the groove and energy. He specifically mentioned it was “releasing right when I wanted it to release.” For more on how release times interact with your music, check out these metal compression secrets.
• Ratio: 4:1 – Controlled Squeeze
  • A 4:1 ratio is a moderate setting that provides good control without being overly aggressive. It means for every 4dB the signal goes over the threshold, the output will only increase by 1dB.
• Gain Reduction: The Magic 2-3dB (Don’t You Dare Go Over 4dB!)
  • This is CRITICAL. Andrew is adamant: you should only be seeing about 2 to 3 dB of gain reduction on the meter. He warns, “If you go over that, I’m telling you, you don’t realize it, but you are ruining stuff.” Four dB is the absolute maximum he’d ever consider.

What You’re Listening For: The “Good Pumping” Effect

With these settings, Andrew describes hearing a “little bit of pumping, but to me, it’s a good pumping.” It’s a subtle movement that adds life and excitement, making the mix feel tighter and more cohesive. It embellishes the punch, rather than killing it. Because the type of compressor he was using here compresses all frequencies across the board (without a sidechain high-pass filter or a mix knob in his setup), it’s very easy to overdo it and make things sound muddy or lose low-end punch.

Critical Warning: Don’t Murder Your Mix with Over-Compression

This can’t be stressed enough: it is incredibly easy to overdo master bus compression.

The “Louder is Better” Illusion

A heavily compressed mix will sound louder, and our brains are wired to think louder is better. But more compression on the master bus quickly leads to a less punchy, less dynamic, and ultimately flatter, more lifeless mix. Those 2-3dB of gentle gain reduction are key.

What Mastering Can’t Undo

If you send a squashed, over-compressed mix to a mastering engineer, there’s very little they can do to bring back the lost dynamics and punch. Andrew states, “you can’t undo that in mastering.” You’ve essentially painted yourself into a corner. Keep it subtle, keep it musical.

Want More Gold from Andrew Wade & Other Metal Mixing Titans?

Hearing Andrew Wade break down his master bus compression philosophy is just a taste of what you can learn from the pros. Imagine getting your hands on the raw multitracks from bands like A Day To Remember, Periphery, or Gojira, and then watching the original producer mix the song from scratch, explaining every plugin choice, every fader move, every creative decision for hours on end.

That’s exactly what Nail The Mix offers every month. You don’t just get theory; you get practical, actionable techniques you can apply to your own mixes right away. If you’re serious about elevating your rock and metal productions, and ready to start mixing modern metal beyond presets, this is where you see how it’s truly done. Dive into the full A Day To Remember session and many more like it at Nail the Mix, and learn from the best in the business.