#433991 - 11/22/03 09:20 PM
Sophmoric Dynamic Compression Question
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mark4man
Senior Member
Registered: 11/30/02
Posts: 107
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People,
In reading up on the theory behind dynamic compression, I came across this paragraph:
"If you've achieved 6dB of gain reduction, you're able to boost your overall level to tape by 6 dB over what it would have been without compression. With the entire track now boosted, we can hear the nuances and softer passages more clearly. As an additional bonus, the complete track (including the quieter passages) will be 6dB further away from the tape noise floor than they were before compression."
I'm not understanding why this would happen (the "additional bonus" part.) Dynamic compression compresses the peaks by compressing the signal's dynamic range, correct? If you then make up the lost peaks by raising the overall level, making the quieter passages louder, doesn't that also raise the noise floor, as well?
Thanks,
mark4man
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#433992 - 11/22/03 11:13 PM
Re: Sophmoric Dynamic Compression Question
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halljams
MP Hall of Fame Member
Registered: 05/26/01
Posts: 2689
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Originally posted by mark4man:
People,
In reading up on the theory behind dynamic compression, I came across this paragraph:
"If you've achieved 6dB of gain reduction, you're able to boost your overall level to tape by 6 dB over what it would have been without compression. With the entire track now boosted, we can hear the nuances and softer passages more clearly. As an additional bonus, the complete track (including the quieter passages) will be 6dB further away from the tape noise floor than they were before compression."
I'm not understanding why this would happen (the "additional bonus" part.) Dynamic compression compresses the peaks by compressing the signal's dynamic range, correct? If you then make up the lost peaks by raising the overall level, making the quieter passages louder, doesn't that also raise the noise floor, as well?
Thanks,
mark4man
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#433993 - 11/23/03 01:03 PM
Re: Sophmoric Dynamic Compression Question
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mark4man
Senior Member
Registered: 11/30/02
Posts: 107
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halljams,
Thanks.
Having covered that aspect (driving a pre-compressed signal to tape), how about dynamic compression in the digital domain?
For digital recording in general, doesn't the noise floor get raised during the "make up gain" function, after compression?
It seems to me that, since dynamic compression only compresses the signal above the threshold, thereby effectively lowering the overall gain by bringing the peaks down in level (& closer) to the quieter passages (& also not affecting those quieter passages) . . . when the overall gain is raised at the end of the process, the noise floor associated w/ the quieter passages is also raised.
Thanks again,
mark4man
BTW - This entire inquiry for me was a result of being told I was using the wrong approach for comping a vocal track. I had 3 or 4 adjacent tracks with various overlapping clips of lyrics & passages, some of which were just too soft. Just as an experiment, I was going to "normalize" all the clips; & then adjust the gain accordingly for each one to achieve a balanced, full-scale vocal line.
The anti-normalization forces went ballistic, claiming I shouldn't bother, even on an experimental level. . . because, well . . . normalization is "real bad." When I asked why (& I knew why, anyway), the reply was that it was because normalization brings the noise floor up along with the gain increase. I was told to use compression, instead.
So, I guess my basic question is: If the gain make up associated with compression also brings up the noise floor . . . what's the difference?
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