Mixing And Compression Options

[jebbels]

I'm attempting to mix several songs I recorded for my band on Cubase sx. I have all sorts of filters that boost and compress but it seems that whatever I do puts the track into the red zone on the mixer. So I'm wondering if it's ok to have an individual track in the red as long as the master mixer isn't clipping. I've tried mixing the songs quieter over all, but some tracks like the base drum seem too quiet unless I crank them up. I don't really understand how to use the Dynamics VST, is there a way to boost tracks like this without having them go into the red. Should I be living in constant fear of the red zone? I got the impression that when the meter was in the red, it would cause crackling. Can some one point me to a good tutorial or explane the basic of compresion and how to avoid clipping but still get your mix at a decent volume? The Cubase manual doesn't have any practical examples for compression settings. All of my mixdowns are significantly quieter than commercial mixes on my cd player. Thanks for the help.

[bjkiwi]

there's some good tutorials here http://www.artistpro.com/ . I think your problem may be the output levels of the compressor. Once you have processed the signal to your liking you need to adjust the output level so it doesn't clip the track when it 'returns' to the channel signal path (when u 'insert' a plugin the signal is going from the channel into the plugin and back to the channel again). Maintaining a good gain structure i.e. strong, healthy levels just below clipping is vital to a clean punchy sound.
As nate d says some distortion in analog equipment is real nice but NOT in digital. However I have found that the channels in Cubase are far more forgiving than the sub-groups or masters. I have pushed the channels sometimes into the red with no noticeable distortion but I can hear the subs/masters straight away when they clip.
Getting your final mix up to the level of a commercial mix is another ball game. This is why people spend a lot of money in good mastering houses. Mastering is an art to itself (getting it LOUD but still open, clean and dynamic is not as easy as it may seem). Still, fairly good results can be had by bringing your final stereo mix back into cubase (or as nate d said, a program like peak or spark), normalising it and then inserting a limiter across it. The limiter puts a 'brick wall' upper level on the signal so you can push the overall level up without clipping (sorta like a compressor but with a preset maximum output level). Be careful doing this as it can sound cool at first but then you realise you've squashed the living daylights out of the track! Waves L1 plugin is great for this.

hope this helps...have fun

bjkiwi