If you "kinda" hear the difference between the two tracks you need to work on how properly listen to a song. It's all on your ears man. If you can't hear whats going on nothing else can help you. I dont care if you have a trillion dollar lab with gazillion dollar speaks with a properly tuned room. If you can't hear whats going on and dont know what to listen for you're doomed before you start.
my main question is, what exactly is compression
I advise you is to listen to both tracks one more time. Does the
after track have kick drums all over the place? what about the bass? is it all over the place? what about the overall level of the song? is it all over the place? No. Why? Proper use of compression on the individual tracks and master buss. Compression in a nutshell allows you to raise the level of the material (make it louder), evens out the material (like a vocal track being consistent in volume and energy) and keeps transients from creating distortion (something your track did in the vocal recording process).
i've read a few places about using compressions during recording, but don't know exactly what it is...
If you've read it in a few places why don't you get it yet? Once again compression in a nutshell allows you to raise the level of the material (make it louder), evens out the material (like a vocal track being consistent in volume and energy) and keeps transients from creating distortion (something your track did in the vocal recording process).
NOW that we know this you have to ask yourself,
HOW do you use compression? :classic:
My last bit of advice is to start listening to music from a pure TECHNICAL standpoint. Anita baker RAPTURE (the entire album). You can start with that.
