I'm into saturation and compression. I compress, therefore I am! Compression makes the drums and bass sit easier in the mix and makes the whole mix punchy. Saturation is great, because it smoothes the transients and brings out the texture of the sound. Everything seems to be warmer and richer due to the added harmonics to the signal. However, you need to be careful - using too much saturation and compression will ruin the mix beyond salvation. You need to find the sweet spot for the song you are mixing. If in doubt, use less.

It is important to add the saturation and compression processing to the master bus before you start mixing, not after you have finished the mix. Why is that? If you add this processing to a finished mix, it will not sound the same. You want to mix through them, because it will affect every mix decision you make (EQ, compression, reverb, automation or whatever). If you have been mixing without a compressor on the master bus, it will take some time to learn it. You might not love it at first but give it some time. With each mix it will become easier!

Santeri Salmi
Drop Hammer Studios