question Attack and Release Times for Mastering Hip Hop/Rap Music?

[Numero Uno]

I have been wondering how you should set attack and release times in mastering? Is there some sort of particular guideline on how to dial in master bus compressor settings when mastering Hip Hop/Rap music?

 

[Scorpio]

An audio compressor controls the dynamics of sound. So when you are tweaking the compressor's attack and release settings, the goal is to tame the dynamics of the music in order to achieve your desired sound.

The rule of thumb for master bus compressor settings is very simple in the sense that if you want the track to be punchy and have those snappy drums then your best bet is to try medium to fairly long attack times e.g from 30 ms to 100 ms.

You need to be aware that some VST/AU/AAX mastering compressors don't have the option for more than 30 ms in attack time e.g Waves Audio SSL Compressor, Cytomic The Glue and so much more.

Fast attack times e.g 1 ms, 3 ms, 10 ms, and 15 ms have the downside of softening the transients of the music. Sometimes they are capable of producing the sound you want. This is why you should always use your ears when dialing mastering compression settings.

And when it comes to the release time, the idea is to always avoid compression pumping effects unless that's the sound you are happy with or the sound that a client has requested from you. Usually the starting point for release settings in mastering Rap music you probably want to begin somewhere around 200 ms.

If you hear any pumping effects then you must either increase the release time of the master bus compressor or slightly increase the level of the master bus compressor's threshold level including the attack time. That way the compressor will not be triggered too soon and might give you a much more smooth or gentle sound.

If the pumping effects still persist then you can increase the release time of the compressor say from 200 ms to about 300 ms. Some master bus compressors have an auto release setting and you can utilize that compression feature in the event that you encounter a problem in regards to finding the sweet spot for your mastering compressor release time.