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Globular got Magnitudes of order 2x180g up at https://globular.bandcamp.com/album/magnitudes-of-order

Ok let's go there others can follow and maybe learn something. With compression you need a goal. You also have to know what a compressor can do and what it can resolve. In short I do not personally use a compressor on every channel and I do not use one on the master bus either. I use a compressor when I hear there is a need to make a dynamic adjustment. So one potential use if I have a sound that is being filtered and it sound like it is escaping the mix a little and becoming to loud in some section. I will play over that section, then set the compressor up to reduce the peaks by something like 3-4dB this will hold that section in place. Sometimes you may need to automate a fader of course as part of routine mixing. Compression can perform multiple tasks, it can keep levels in check, it can change a sound character a little by making it more punchy (when set up extremely cautiously) it can smooth a sound out and it can change tone over time. It can also make the average volume of a sound more consistent .i.e increasing and lower level sections in an otherwise changing volume musical phrase or part. So we don't add compressors without a reason. They are not a tool that instantly makes things sound better. They need setting up and tweaking for a pre determined goal. I am not sure about psy trance producers at the top levels but my gut feeling is they probably do not use a master output compressor. Master bus compression can react to new sounds in a mix unpredictably, that is not something that relates to psy trance as typically it is a genre of control. It might sound free when you hear the track completed but the work that goes into it is about as controlled as modern music production gets. It is super produced and takes great care of details. Arguably in Goa trance compression was used VERY sparingly, in part because a studio at the time may only have had 2-3 stereo compressors available, in some cases no compressors would have been used. This may account for some Goa/Psy Trance mixing differences. Goa is allowed to rip a little more..it is less refined at least in the old days, neo goa probably has taken a more modern approach and there are greater dynamic and tonal controls to keep things smoother. If you listen to original 95-99 Goa trance you will hear a very wide range of mix styles as they were not pinned into position with 100's of dynamic and tonal processes, many automated, which comprise a modern psy trance mix. So you will hear harshness from time to time and splashy effects and a rather unrestrained tonal and dynamic movement. I will leave you with an extremely important point. Always ensure you match the make up gain by ear once there is gain reduction so you can hear the effect of the compressor on the audio rather than just a drop in volume. Avoid automatic make up gain and do it by ear using the bypass button. Compressors can make things sound worse as well as better ! So whether you are using one for control (ultimately reducing the volume of a loud section) or compressing for punch, smoothness or character, always match up before and after volume otherwise you don't know if it is better or worse. Then once you know it is better you can set the make up gain to the correct mix balance level for the sound you are working on, if it is to be used to control. (and hold for example the peak crescendo of a lead sound at a specific optimal volume) It can take a long time to understand compression fully, it's a long path of repetition and reinforcement of good habits to learn it well. Some compressors, classic retro compressors with valves and specific electronic design have a secondary function which we will not consider now (some have a tonal characteristic which can change the tone whether they are compressing or not) If you want to progress seriously you need to do a few things. Discern what good references are, have exceptionally good monitoring and acoustics and be willing make each track you make with a view to active learning. Otherwise you will making it close to impossible to improve in a reasonable time frame. Accurately level match everything by ear that you are making reference comparisons with.

Reddit, Facebook, Discord, etc. are no great substitute for forums, but forums are often poorly moderated, full of weirdos (see above), and pretty much ghost towns, so...mostly I just enjoy music in isolation, and dedicate myself to mixcraft, exploring new music, and refining my collection (updating metadata, completing discographies, etc.). I've been very busy producing high-quality mixes these years, and will be ending 2022 with another 36 hours of content published. All of that can be found on my homepage and the usual places (Mixcloud for HQ audio, SoundCloud for the more social experience). I also got into edits and production these years so I'm constantly churning out new versions of classic tracks for my own use and enjoyment. Not sure what I'll be doing with any of these dozens of projects except including them in some old school mixes when I get around to them. I have another three or four commissioned mixes to complete before I get to that though. As for reviews, I seldom get the sense that many people read them, and I tend to prefer investing my time in making recommendations on my Facebook page rather than writing reviews these days. I also got out of the habit of listening to new releases since I'm already drowning in music. I'll pick up new releases by artists I like but they end up in the listening backlog after being filed, and it sometimes takes years to get to them. Another issue is that albums are slowly becoming a thing of the past... so much of the new music I grow to love are released as singles, or as hidden gems on otherwise bland compilations, which is partly a consequence of being more dance music-oriented. Even so, a bunch of releases from 2022 already caught my ear one way or another: - Beyond Expectation compiled by my friend DJ Solitare - Club Unity, if you don't mind going further afield than just standard psytrance stuff - Filteria - Live With The Lag, but that's an easy one since I'm such a Filteria fan - Techgnosis Vol. 6, but I'm biased (as label co-founder) - Indoor - Reworks, very close to the originals but brought up to modern standards - Chaim - In Trance We Trust, for obvious reasons (I love classic Goa trance + modern progressive house and nu-disco) - Dark Elf - True Darkness, one of the very best pure darkpsy releases I've heard in quite some time My eclectic tastes are showing, ah? Anyway, it was another good year for music, and I'm looking forward to what 2023 brings us!

Let this ugly topic serve as an example of why there aren't so many women participating in making psytrance (or even talking about it here on Psynews). The fact remains that you cannot open a thread about a female producer or DJ without a bunch of boys commenting on the attractiveness of the specimen, posting photos to help assess the matter, or even making lewd comments about what they'd really like to do with her. It's disgraceful, and no wonder there are fewer women participating in online communities such as this one... you would also get tired if your gender was a source of endless fascination/revulsion and always a matter for comment (as it has been in this very thread). The main problem I have with this thread was simply that one conclusion made earlier, that women are naturally less creative than men. I don't think anyone would be right to insist on gender equality; different selective pressures have acted on the different genders throughout our evolutionary history, and the genders possess different common traits. It isn't equality I would insist on but equity (fairness), and generalizing women as incapable in the creative arts is not in any way fair. Perhaps women are not as motivated to compete in the field? There are many explanations for the observed phenomenon such that callous judgements about natural capabilities simply aren't very valid.