Bus & Multiband Compression in Cubase

Mastering compression can feel like black magic sometimes, right? Especially when you’re trying to get that pro-level punch and polish in your heavy metal mixes. Joey Sturgis, a name synonymous with modern metal production, recently dropped some serious knowledge bombs on bus and multiband compression within Cubase during a Nail The Mix preview. If you’re looking to elevate your mixes from demo-sounding to release-ready, these insights are pure gold. Let’s break down Joey’s workflow and how you can apply these techniques in your own Cubase projects.

Taming the Mix: The Art of Bus Compression in Cubase

First up on Joey’s master bus chain? A bus compressor. He usually tackles this right at the start, and for good reason. The goal here isn’t to slam your mix into oblivion, but to achieve that elusive "glue" – making all the individual elements feel cohesive, like they’re part of one solid performance.

Setting Up Your Cubase Bus Compressor (VintageCompressor mkII)

In the video, Joey loads up Cubase's own VintageCompressor mkII, a versatile tool for this exact job. Here’s how he approaches it:

Dialing in the Threshold & Gain Reduction

Forget aggressive settings. Joey starts with the threshold all the way up and then slowly brings it down. He’s watching that gain reduction needle carefully, aiming for it to just hover between 0 and -4dB. The sweet spot? Around 2dB of gain reduction. That’s often all you need to make things sound glued together without sacrificing dynamics.

Attack & Release: The Punch vs. Glue Balance

This is where the magic really happens, balancing transient punch with overall cohesion.

• Release: Joey opts for a very short release. This helps the compressor recover quickly, creating that smooth, glued-together sound almost instantaneously after a peak.
• Attack: His go-to attack setting is 30ms. Why? This allows the initial impact of your kick and snare drums to punch through before the compressor clamps down. It keeps the mix energetic and punchy while still benefiting from the compression.

He contrasts this with a faster attack, say around 10ms. While a 10ms attack will squash the mix more and can make it sound louder or more "saturated," it tends to push those crucial kick and snare transients back, making the mix feel less punchy and more like a "brick wall." For Joey, keeping it a bit looser on the bus compressor with a 30ms attack is key – enough glue, but with plenty of room for punch.

Want to dive deeper into how compressors shape your sound? Check out our Metal Compression Secrets: Beyond Just Making It Loud guide for more killer techniques.

Fine-Tuning Frequencies: Multiband Compression Power

After the main bus compressor, Joey often turns to a multiband compressor. In the demonstration, he pulls up Cubase’s stock MultibandCompressor. This isn’t about broad-stroke gluing; it’s about surgical dynamic control over specific frequency ranges.

Why Use Multiband on the Master?

The primary goal of using a multiband compressor at this stage is to better balance the levels of individual frequency ranges within your mix. Think of it as an intelligent, dynamic EQ. It’s perfect for taming those moments when, for example, a blast of low-end information suddenly jumps out in one section of a song. Instead of painstakingly automating EQs on multiple bass tracks or synth pads, a multiband compressor can catch and control these “wild” moments smoothly.

Setting Up Your Multiband Compressor in Cubase

Here’s how Joey approaches multiband compression to keep things tidy:

The "Less is More" Philosophy

This is crucial: don't go overboard. Joey warns that it's incredibly easy to make your mix sound weird or over-processed with just a couple of aggressive clicks on a multiband compressor (hello, "smiley face" EQ curve!). The aim is gentle control, not drastic reshaping.

Adjusting Thresholds per Band

The power of multiband compression lies in its ability to treat different frequency bands independently. You do this by lowering the threshold for each specific frequency band you want to control. If the low-mids are getting a bit unruly during heavy palm-mutes, you can set the threshold for that band to gently compress only when those frequencies exceed a certain level, leaving the highs and super-lows untouched. This gives you much finer control over the final tonal balance and dynamics of your mix.

This kind of frequency-specific control ties in closely with good EQ practices. For more on shaping your frequencies, explore our Carve Your Core: EQ Strategies for Mixing Modern Metal hub.

Bonus Tip: The Low-End Mono Question

During the session, a viewer asked about putting the low-end of a mix in mono. Joey’s take? It’s generally a good thing to do, especially if you’re aiming for your tracks to translate well on various playback systems, including radio. Keeping your sub-bass and low-bass frequencies centered and in mono can prevent phase issues and ensure a more consistent and powerful low-end across different speakers.

Bringing It All Together (And Learning More!)

So, what have we learned from Joey Sturgis' Cubase compression masterclass preview?

• Bus Compression First: Use something like Cubase's VintageCompressor mkII with a slow attack (around 30ms), fast release, and aim for just 2-4dB of gain reduction to glue your mix while retaining punch.
• Multiband for Control: Employ Cubase's MultibandCompressor to gently tame specific frequency ranges that might jump out, adjusting thresholds per band. Less is more!
• Mono Lows: Consider summing your low-end to mono for better translation.

These are fantastic, actionable techniques you can implement in Cubase right now to get more professional-sounding metal mixes. But imagine seeing Joey, or other world-class producers like Will Putney, Jens Bogren, or Nolly Getgood, apply these concepts from scratch on real songs from bands like Periphery, Gojira, or Spiritbox.

That’s exactly what Nail The Mix offers. Every month, you get the raw multitracks from a killer song and watch the original producer mix it live, explaining every plugin choice, every fader move, and every creative decision. It’s an unparalleled chance to Unlock Your Sound: Mixing Modern Metal Beyond Presets.

Plus, with access to a massive vault of past sessions, exclusive plugins, and a supportive community of fellow metalheads, Nail The Mix is your ultimate resource for taking your production skills to the next level. Stop guessing and start learning from the best in the business.