# Parallel Blend

> Parallel (New York) compression ear training: blend a crushed copy under the dry drums by ear until it matches the reference. Five levels, the first two free.

Page: https://mixchops.com/compression/parallel

The exercise runs at [https://mixchops.com/compression/parallel](https://mixchops.com/compression/parallel) in any modern browser, with headphones or decent speakers.

## New York compression, *by ear.*

Parallel compression keeps the dry part as it is and blends a heavily crushed copy in under it: the dry keeps the punch, the crushed copy brings up the density and the sustain. Bring its fader up until yours sits like the reference.

### How it works

1. Play the reference, then switch to Yours (keys 1 and 2, or B to flip).
2. Bring the crushed copy up from off, compare again, and check when they sound the same. From level 4, set how hard it’s crushed too.
3. After a check, open Help me hear it: your attempt, the difference doubled, and the correction.

### What to listen for

Listen under the hits, not to them. The more of the crushed copy, the thicker and denser the part gets while the dry keeps the crack. A little goes a long way. Push it too far and the whole part sounds smashed.

### How it’s scored

Your first check scores out of 100. The blend is scored by how much of it is the crushed copy, in points out of 100, so a move sounds the same size anywhere on the fader. On levels 4 and 5, where the crush and the blend trade off, it scores how close yours sounds: the measured difference from the reference. An average of 80 over five songs passes.

### Levels

Levels 1 to 3 set the crushed copy’s fader, within 30, 23 and 18 points of its share of the blend, with the copy crushed by 20 dB. Levels 4 and 5 set how hard it’s crushed as well, and pass when the difference from the reference sits 22, then 23.5 dB under it. The copy runs at 20:1 with a 0.3 ms attack and an 80 ms release. It’s part of [Mix Chops Pro](https://mixchops.com/pro), every level.

Use headphones or good speakers. Every setting plays at the same loudness, so louder is never the difference.

[Compressed or Dry](https://mixchops.com/compression/dry) · [How Much](https://mixchops.com/compression/amount) · [Attack](https://mixchops.com/compression/attack) · [Ratio](https://mixchops.com/compression/ratio) · [Match the Compressor](https://mixchops.com/compression/match) · [Shape the Hit](https://mixchops.com/compression/shape) · [Parallel Blend](https://mixchops.com/compression/parallel) · [All compression exercises](https://mixchops.com/compression) · [Learn: What does a compressor do?](https://mixchops.com/learn/what-does-a-compressor-do)