the stranger Posted November 25, 2000 Share Posted November 25, 2000 Here's the scoop... I've got this song/wav file that is in need of volume. I usually can import a wav file and just give it a db increase. But this track is different... I have a file that has peaks in the -3 range. The body of the wav is in the -9 neighborhood. See my problem? Well, I'm a compression retard. I fooled around and was getting some results; but this was with many undo/redos. What settings would I use for: Threshold? (I'm shooting for -3 as the top already) Ratio? (Huh?) (2 years of MIX and Recording magazine and Comp is still hard to understand) Attack? Release? Info: The song is a slow instrumental. It has a Sabbath type doom beat (Think "Lord Of This World"). The rhythm guitars are heavy distorted stuff (panned hard left and right). The lead is a boston sounding double tracked thing, panned at 3 and 9oclock. I don't know if all this matters, but I figured I'd add it since dynamics is usually an issue when compressing. I figured EQ would probably help, but I got the track mixed the way I want it and I just need it to be at a certain volume level to match the other tracks on the current project. Lesson? Never let dr destructo master your shit! http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif ------------------ destructive workshops ------------- Want to hear some of my stuff? [This message has been edited by dr destructo (edited 11-25-2000).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 25, 2000 Share Posted November 25, 2000 This is something a lot of us don't quite understand, including people I know who have been into recording for quite some time. PLEASE help all of us get a better understanding of how to use the various elements of compression. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
not Cereal Posted November 25, 2000 Share Posted November 25, 2000 www.t-racks.com you won't be sorry $300 for a kick-ass mastering suite. 24bit in the new version! download the demo for mac or pc. you wont be sorry i just mastered an 11 track album with it. VERY loud, yet smooth and pleasant. client said "this sounds real finally" www.mp3.com/xtac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderton Posted November 26, 2000 Share Posted November 26, 2000 >>This is something a lot of us don't quite understand, including people I know who have been into recording for quite some time. PLEASE help all of us get a better understanding of how to use the various elements of compression.<< I've written quite a few articles on the subject, I should revise a composite of them and post it... Anyway, much depends upon the peak/body relationship. That -9 average -- is that the average level at which the peaks hit, but there are just a few transients that hit at -3? Then normalize the transients to -9, then boost the whole track by up to 9 dB. Another option is to apply very tight compression. Here's how the parameters relate: Threshold: Below this level, the signal is unaffected. Any compression comes into play above this level. Ratio: The ratio of the change in output level to the change in input level. For example, if you increase the input by 3 dB and the output goes up by 3 dB, the ratio is 1:1. If the input goes up 3 dB but the output is compressed so it only increases by 1 dB, then you have 3:1 compression. "Limiting" a signal is like having a very high compression ratio, where no matter how much you increase the input level, the output doesn't go up very much. Output level: When you compress, you're lowering the peaks. Use this control to bring the level back up (be careful to avoid distortion). Attack: 0 clamps even the fastest transients, but takes life out of sound. 5 to 10 ms of attack lets a little bit of transient through before the compression kicks in. Decay: Set it to about 250 ms. In your case, try 5:1 compression starting at -6. That should raise the overall level quite a bit, which I assume is what you want. Also look into products like the T-Racks, and plug-ins from Waves, Steinberg, TC Electronic, etc. Many of them offer loudness optimization more or less at the push of a button. Just be real careful not to overdo it. Craig Anderton Educational site: http://www.craiganderton.org Music: http://www.youtube.com/thecraiganderton Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/craig_anderton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the stranger Posted November 26, 2000 Author Share Posted November 26, 2000 Thanks!!! I'll probably be back. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the stranger Posted November 26, 2000 Author Share Posted November 26, 2000 Craig!! Thanks a million. 5:1, etc.. worked great. I'm trying to comprehend what actually went on. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif If you post the revision/composite, that would be great. I'm sure I've read them before, but another read would be good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwohlinter.net.il Posted November 26, 2000 Share Posted November 26, 2000 If I may humbly suggest you read an article I wrote on compression with audio examples. www.geocities.com/Shailat2000 I hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderton Posted November 26, 2000 Share Posted November 26, 2000 Regarding the attack control, there are instances where I've set a fair amount of attack, like 10 ms, to let the transients "speak." With analog tape, if the transients got through, they would get absorbed by the tape. But with digital, the transients could hit 0 and cause clipping. Now, 10 ms of clipping isn't all that serious -- it happens so fast, then it's over. For a lot of contemporary music that's distorted anyway, a little more distortion isn't going to make much of a difference. BUT if you do this to a final track and go to create CDs, the pressing plant might reject the CD as having too many "overs." A way to get around this is after you've finished creating your final, mastered track, normalize it to -0.1 dB. This guarantees that nothing hits 0, so the pressing plant won't reject it. Standard disclaimer: use too much compression, and the sound sucks. Craig Anderton Educational site: http://www.craiganderton.org Music: http://www.youtube.com/thecraiganderton Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/craig_anderton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 27, 2000 Share Posted November 27, 2000 Thanks Craig, that quick explination helps. I understand a little better that I did before. You da MAN!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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