When is using Multiband Dynamics useful?

[KillerAmp]

Just a question, preferably from an ableton user's point of view.
Wondering when using Multiband Dynamics in a track would be useful

[AgonistAgent]

Multiband compression?

Well for one, it allows you to avoid pumping - if a drum's gain is being boosted, the vocals and piano won't undergo a suspicious boost. Though per-instrument compression works nice for this too. It's also somewhat more specific than normal compression.

EDIT: never write analogies on sleeping pills

[colortwelve]

Multiband compression is very useful if you can use it well enough; I use it on my drum channel so that I can get an acceptable amount of punch out of every part of my kit without making the kick's sub hit too hard.

[bartekko]

mastering

[KillerAmp]

alright, thanks all, thats what i thought about it, ive been using it on some basslines to raise/lower bass/highs and on drums to raise mids. i guess im doing it right lol.

[the4thImpulse]

Don't forget dynamics shape sound rather control it (mixing) so multiband dynamics can give you some really interesting results when you screw around with it enough. I rarely use it over the common compressor and when I do its often to intentionally distort or strongly modify the sound in ways distortion/single-band dynamic plugins don't.

Think of the packing analogy - if your high frequencies are already large enough, but you want bass to be louder, if you raise both the high might be too compressed.

Basically, mastering and mixing.

Please don't mix with a dynamics plugin, use the more appropriate EQs and gain controls for mixing and let use dynamics to shape the sound in something more manageable to be mixed. Yes, multiband dynamics, in a way, bridges into mixing but that's not its natural use and learning to mix with a compressor rather and EQ is a step in the wrong direction.

[Warbalist]

It's extremely useful on vocals and any instrument that is excessively loud in one frequency spectrum and quiet in another.

[AgonistAgent]

Don't forget dynamics shape sound rather control it (mixing) so multiband dynamics can give you some really interesting results when you screw around with it enough. I rarely use it over the common compressor and when I do its often to intentionally distort or strongly modify the sound in ways distortion/single-band dynamic plugins don't.

Think of the packing analogy - if your high frequencies are already large enough, but you want bass to be louder, if you raise both the high might be too compressed.

Basically, mastering and mixing.

Please don't mix with a dynamics plugin, use the more appropriate EQs and gain controls for mixing and let use dynamics to shape the sound in something more manageable to be mixed. Yes, multiband dynamics, in a way, bridges into mixing but that's not its natural use and learning to mix with a compressor rather and EQ is a step in the wrong direction.

Yea, kinda messed up on the analogy there - I'll edit it.

[Magnitude Zero]

It's extremely useful on vocals and any instrument that is excessively loud in one frequency spectrum and quiet in another.

Definitely on vocals. Higher notes can be pretty ear-rapey, but won't be louder dB-wise, so regular compression won't work. Maybe one of these days I'll figure out how to use a multiband compressor so I won't have to automate EQ in these situations.