Subject:About Compression

Posted by: number6

Date:3/24/2000 3:43:00 PM

I'm experimenting with audio compression in the Effects |
Dynamics | Graphic dialog. For now, since I'm a rank
neophyte, I'm using the presets, and I'm just not getting
what I'm after. I have a recording (badly miked) of a
question-and-answer session where I'd like the questions
from the audience to be a lot louder than they are
normally, and when the answerer speaks, to have the volume
drop down, and come up again automatically for the next
questioner. I get the first questioner nice and loud, then
the answerer begins, the volume drops, and when the next
questioner comes up, the volume stays virtually the same.
What do I have to do to get this pumping effect? I have a
similar musical app where a low passage at the beginning is
made loud as I desire it to be, then when it repeats in the
middle, the volume has been pushed down by the preceding
loud passage, and I want that middle soft part
automatically pumped back up. You know, almost like a bad
radio-station sound we all hate. It does have its
applicatiions, though! :-) Any thoughts?

Subject:Re: About Compression

Reply by: SonicOtherTed

Date:3/24/2000 4:08:00 PM

You might want to try RMS normalization as the solution to both of
the problems. It can be found under Process|Normalize. Hope this
helps.

Thump

Steven Matzura wrote:
>>I'm experimenting with audio compression in the Effects |
>>Dynamics | Graphic dialog. For now, since I'm a rank
>>neophyte, I'm using the presets, and I'm just not getting
>>what I'm after. I have a recording (badly miked) of a
>>question-and-answer session where I'd like the questions
>>from the audience to be a lot louder than they are
>>normally, and when the answerer speaks, to have the volume
>>drop down, and come up again automatically for the next
>>questioner. I get the first questioner nice and loud, then
>>the answerer begins, the volume drops, and when the next
>>questioner comes up, the volume stays virtually the same.
>>What do I have to do to get this pumping effect? I have a
>>similar musical app where a low passage at the beginning is
>>made loud as I desire it to be, then when it repeats in the
>>middle, the volume has been pushed down by the preceding
>>loud passage, and I want that middle soft part
>>automatically pumped back up. You know, almost like a bad
>>radio-station sound we all hate. It does have its
>>applicatiions, though! :-) Any thoughts?

Subject:Re: About Compression

Reply by: number6

Date:3/25/2000 9:00:00 AM

The_Thump wrote:
>>You might want to try RMS normalization as the solution to both of
>>the problems. It can be found under Process|Normalize. Hope this
>>helps.
>>
>>Thump
>>
>>Steven Matzura wrote:
>>>>I'm experimenting with audio compression in the Effects |
>>>>Dynamics | Graphic dialog. For now, since I'm a rank
>>>>neophyte, I'm using the presets, and I'm just not getting
>>>>what I'm after. I have a recording (badly miked) of a
>>>>question-and-answer session where I'd like the questions
>>>>from the audience to be a lot louder than they are
>>>>normally, and when the answerer speaks, to have the volume
>>>>drop down, and come up again automatically for the next
>>>>questioner. I get the first questioner nice and loud, then
>>>>the answerer begins, the volume drops, and when the next
>>>>questioner comes up, the volume stays virtually the same.
>>>>What do I have to do to get this pumping effect? I have a
>>>>similar musical app where a low passage at the beginning is
>>>>made loud as I desire it to be, then when it repeats in the
>>>>middle, the volume has been pushed down by the preceding
>>>>loud passage, and I want that middle soft part
>>>>automatically pumped back up. You know, almost like a bad
>>>>radio-station sound we all hate. It does have its
>>>>applicatiions, though! :-) Any thoughts?Well, it helped
somewhat, but I got really close to the sound I wanted by going back
to Effects | Dynamics | Graphic, choosing the hard limiter preset,
and knocking the hell out of the threshold value. I moved it from -
6dB to -18dB, bringing the low-level floor up dramatically. I just
have to poke around with the attack and release values so the sound
level doesn't quiver up and down as little noises in the audio
stream, like paper rustling or other such incidentals, come along and
force the levels down and then bounce right back up again after half
a second. Otherwise, it's really great.

Subject:Re: About Compression

Reply by: O_G_Killa

Date:4/9/2000 5:48:00 PM

I would either try making the release time of the compressor shorter,
or try using the RMS Normalizer and set the "If clipping Occurs" to
Dynamic Compression.

The reason why the second question is still quiet is because the
compressor hasn't released it's compressing effect from the previous
answer. by lowering the release time as soon as the loud noise stops
the compression can turn off and let the quiet sections be louder.

Try putting the release time as low as possible (to something like
1.0 or 0.1) and then increase that number little by little until you
get what you're after.



Steven Matzura wrote:
>>I'm experimenting with audio compression in the Effects |
>>Dynamics | Graphic dialog. For now, since I'm a rank
>>neophyte, I'm using the presets, and I'm just not getting
>>what I'm after. I have a recording (badly miked) of a
>>question-and-answer session where I'd like the questions
>>from the audience to be a lot louder than they are
>>normally, and when the answerer speaks, to have the volume
>>drop down, and come up again automatically for the next
>>questioner. I get the first questioner nice and loud, then
>>the answerer begins, the volume drops, and when the next
>>questioner comes up, the volume stays virtually the same.
>>What do I have to do to get this pumping effect? I have a
>>similar musical app where a low passage at the beginning is
>>made loud as I desire it to be, then when it repeats in the
>>middle, the volume has been pushed down by the preceding
>>loud passage, and I want that middle soft part
>>automatically pumped back up. You know, almost like a bad
>>radio-station sound we all hate. It does have its
>>applicatiions, though! :-) Any thoughts?