3 ms·

> density It’s reduced dynamic range, this is done using audio compression which, roughly, has the effect of making the quiet parts louder and and loud parts q

by louthy 1y ago

> density It’s reduced dynamic range, this is done using audio compression which, roughly, has the effect of making the quiet parts louder and and loud parts quieter, then the volume level can be increased. The overall effect is to keep the decibel levels the same, but the every sound within the range is now shouting at you.

themafia 1y ago
> has the effect of making the quiet parts louder and and loud parts quieter Not quite. The ceiling of the signal is the same. The quiet parts have gain added but the louder parts (over the threshold/above the knee) receive no modification at all. Once compression is complete you might even do a normalization pass to ensure that the loudest impulse in your audio achieves 0dBFS. Put the two together and you have a "wall of noise" effect.
- louthy 1y ago
  I wrote “roughly” on purpose, but I think your description is wrong. A compressor triggers when the signal goes above a threshold, this applies a compression factor to the loud signal, which reduces the overall gain of the loud sounds (they become quieter). That is what reduces the overall dynamic range. Making the loud sounds quieter. Most compressors then have a ‘make up’ gain control to recover the lost volume. That process makes the quieter sounds louder. Your description sounds like an expander.
laughing_man 1y ago
I think what they meant by "density" was that the entire commercial was near the max volume, whereas the show you were watching was mostly at a lower volume with occasional peaks.
- louthy 1y ago
  You're literally describing dynamic range. The volume is the same in the show and the advert, but the perception of loudness is completely different. You perceive the adverts as louder because of the reduced dynamic range, even though they're not actually louder at all. This reduction in dynamic range is done by pre-processing the audio [in the advert] with a compressor. It lifts the quieter sounds (reducing the dynamic range), which creates more of a 'wall of sound' but the overall decibel levels are the same. https://www.uaudio.com/blogs/ua/audio-compression-basics https://www.uaudio.com/blogs/ua/audio-compression-basics

by louthy 1y ago

themafia 1y ago

> has the effect of making the quiet parts louder and and loud parts quieter Not quite. The ceiling of the signal is the same. The quiet parts have gain added but the louder parts (over the threshold/above the knee) receive no modification at all. Once compression is complete you might even do a normalization pass to ensure that the loudest impulse in your audio achieves 0dBFS. Put the two together and you have a "wall of noise" effect.

louthy 1y ago
I wrote “roughly” on purpose, but I think your description is wrong. A compressor triggers when the signal goes above a threshold, this applies a compression factor to the loud signal, which reduces the overall gain of the loud sounds (they become quieter). That is what reduces the overall dynamic range. Making the loud sounds quieter. Most compressors then have a ‘make up’ gain control to recover the lost volume. That process makes the quieter sounds louder. Your description sounds like an expander.

laughing_man 1y ago

I think what they meant by "density" was that the entire commercial was near the max volume, whereas the show you were watching was mostly at a lower volume with occasional peaks.

louthy 1y ago
You're literally describing dynamic range. The volume is the same in the show and the advert, but the perception of loudness is completely different. You perceive the adverts as louder because of the reduced dynamic range, even though they're not actually louder at all. This reduction in dynamic range is done by pre-processing the audio [in the advert] with a compressor. It lifts the quieter sounds (reducing the dynamic range), which creates more of a 'wall of sound' but the overall decibel levels are the same. https://www.uaudio.com/blogs/ua/audio-compression-basics https://www.uaudio.com/blogs/ua/audio-compression-basics