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DynamicRangeProcessing:compressors,limiters,expanders,bandcompression,distortion|DigitalAudio

DigitalAudio
DigitalAudioWorkshopblogUniversitatdeVic

DynamicRangeProcessing:compressors,limiters,expanders,band
compression,distortion
Postedon29October2014byaron707
Inthisarticle,IwillexplainwhatisDynamicRangeProcessing.DynamicRangeisoneoftheimportantpartofaudiotheoryand
umfamiliarthingforwhodoesntknowaudiotheorywell.SoIwillshowandexplainyoumorespecicallyaboutcompressors,limiters,
expanders,bandcompression,distortion.Also,Iwillpostsomevideosandpicturesthatshowthiselementishowtooperateandwhywe
usethistool.

DynamicRange
Thedynamicrangesisthedierencebetweenthissoftestandtheloudestsignaladevicecanhandle.Anditsalsothedierencebetween
theloudestandthesoftestlevelofanaudiosignal.Thedynamicrangeofdigitalaudio16bitsis96decibel.Theaveragedynamicrangeof
magnetictapeisaround60upto70dB.Ifweregoingtolookatradio.AnAMsignalhasaround40dBofdynamicrange.Afmsignalhas
around70dBofdynamicrange.

(hps://uvicaudio.les.wordpress.com/2014/10/41.jpg)
DynamicRange
Letstalkaboutthedynamicrangeofmusic.Classicalmusicisknownforitsbigdynamicrange.Becausethedierencebetweenthesoft
partsandloudpartsisbig.Ifweregoingtolookatmoremoderntypeofmusic.Weseethatweheavilycompressthismusic.thereforeit
hasasmalldynamicrange

(hps://uvicaudio.les.wordpress.com/2014/10/61.jpg)

(hps://uvicaudio.les.wordpress.com/2014/10/51.jpg)

Whatisacompressor?

https://uvicaudio.wordpress.com/2014/10/29/dynamicrangeprocessingcompressorslimitersexpandersbandcompressiondistortion/
Anaudiocompressorisbeingusedonrecordingstocontrolthedynamiccontentofthatchannel.Thebasicfunctionofacompressoris

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DynamicRangeProcessing:compressors,limiters,expanders,bandcompression,distortion|DigitalAudio

Anaudiocompressorisbeingusedonrecordingstocontrolthedynamiccontentofthatchannel.Thebasicfunctionofacompressoris
thatwhenthelevel,orsignal,getstooloud,thecompressorwillautomaticallyreducethevolume.Inotherwords,audiocompressionisa

Audio Theory - Compressor

methodofreducingthedynamicrangeofasignal.
Compressorsaregenerallyusedasaninserteectduringmixing.Thatmeansitwillbeinsertedintoonechannelandaectthedynamic
contentofthatchannelthatitsbeinginsertedon.Becauseyouwanttodynamicallycontrolthekickdrumdierentlythanyouwantto
controlthevocal.Compressorscanalsobeusedonwholemixes,wheretheyrebeingusedformasteringpurposes.

*Bandcompresssion
Multibandcompressionisoneofthemostpowerfulprocessingtechniquesavailabletotherecordingengineer.Inessence,amultiband
compressorcomprisesasetoflters(similartoaPAsystemsactivecrossover)thatsplitstheaudiosignalintotwoormorefrequency
bands.Threeorfourbandcompressorsareperhapsthebestcompromisebetweenversatilityandeaseofseingup.Afterpassingthrough
thelters,eachfrequencybandisfedintoitsowncompressor,afterwhichthesignalsarerecombined.Themainadvantageofmultiband
compressionisthataloudeventinonefrequencybandwonttriggergainreductionintheotherbands,sowhenthatloudkickdrum
comesalong,insteadofpullingthewholemixdownwithit,onlythelowfrequencysounds(kickandbassinstrument)willbe
compressed,leavingthemidrangeandhighfrequenciesuntroubled.Similarly,aloudeventinthemidrangewontaecttheextreme
highorlowfrequenciesforthesamereason.ThisisavideousingMultibandcompression

Whatisalimiter?
Limitingisatypeofdynamicrangecompression.Alimiterisakindofcompressordesignedforaspecicpurposetolimitthelevelofa
signaltoacertainthreshold.Whereasacompressorwillbeginsmoothlyreducingthegainabovethethreshold,alimiterwillalmost
completelypreventanyadditionalgainabovethethreshold.Alimiterislikeacompressorsettoaveryhighcompressionratio(atleast

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DynamicRangeProcessing:compressors,limiters,expanders,bandcompression,distortion|DigitalAudio

Compressor vs Limiter - Differences

10:1,morecommonly20:1ormore).

Whatisanexpander?
Audioexpansionmeanstoexpandthedynamicrangeofasignal.Itisbasicallytheoppositeofaudiocompression.Itmakesthedynamic
rangeofthesignallargerbymakingsoftsoundsevensofterandthereforeincreasingthedynamicrange.Likecompressorsandlimiters,an
audioexpanderhasanadjustablethresholdandratio.Whereascompressionandlimitingtakeeectwheneverthesignalgoesabovethe
threshold,expansioneectssignallevelsbelowthethreshold.anexpanderworkswitharatio.Thisisavideowhichexplainhow
expandersdoworkswitharatio.

Audio Theory - Expander

Whatisdistortion?
Thespeakersendthesoundwithair.SoItcouldbemoredistortedthanotheraudiotools.Sowhenthesoundisdistorted,thegraphwill
changelikethispicture.ManycompaniesdivisealotwaysInordertominimizethisdistortion.

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(hps://uvicaudio.les.wordpress.com/2014/10/15.png)

Inconclusion,Therearesometechnicprocessesamongdynamicrange.Theseprocessesmaketheaudiomoreactive,lively.Inorderto
makegoodsoundsmatchingavideowell,wedbeerusingthistechnicsandknowinghowtooperatesometoolsnaturally.Thetheoryof
thispartissohardtounderstandforthersttime.However,whenwegetusedtousethisskill,wecangrowoureditingaudioability.

AudioAron(https://uvicaudio.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/audioaron.pptx)Thisismy
presentationdocument

Webgraphy
hp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Search&limit=20&oset=20&prole=default&search=band+compression
(hp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Search&limit=20&oset=20&prole=default&search=band+compression)
hp://www.soundonsound.com/sos/aug02/articles/multiband.asp(hp://www.soundonsound.com/sos/aug02/articles/multiband.asp)
hp://blog.naver.com/dejc2000/10046994523(hp://blog.naver.com/dejc2000/10046994523)(Koreawebsite)
hp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limiting(hp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limiting)
hp://cafe.naver.com/easternsound/278(hp://cafe.naver.com/easternsound/278)(Koreawebsite)
Abouttheseads(https://wordpress.com/abouttheseads/)

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