Music Over-compression

[boputnam]

This just showed-up over on ProSoundWeb. Insightful explanation - with graphics - of just what compression does to dynamic range. Share it with your earless friends...

Music Over-compression

.

[Fred Sanford]

I was listening to music on FM the other day, for the first time probably in years. The lack of dynamics really irritated me.

Ti Dome might recognize this quote: "Everything louder than everything else"

Thanks for the link, I'll check that out.

je

[Titanium Dome]

Thanks for the link.

All you Mac users on the Forum who are running OS X 10.4 should get the recommended AudioLeak. I use it repeatedly to help me decide which dance/club/dj/electronic/trance mixes I'll buy and which ones I won't.

[Titanium Dome]

I was listening to music on FM the other day, for the first time probably in years. The lack of dynamics really irritated me.

Ti Dome might recognize this quote: "Everything louder than everything else"

Thanks for the link, I'll check that out.

je

Meatloaf "Bat out of Hell II" song

and

Motorhead live album

and

my boy, Ian Gillan, "Made in Japan"

[DavidF]

This just showed-up over on ProSoundWeb. Insightful explanation - with graphics - of just what compression does to dynamic range. Share it with your earless friends...

Music Over-compression

.

Good bookmark, Bo. Helps me understand the process...not having the experience to clue me to how compression is used, or over misused. Is compression used in live sound, vocals perhaps?
DavidF

[boputnam]

Good bookmark, Bo. Helps me understand the process...not having the experience to clue me to how compression is used, or over misused. Is compression used in live sound, vocals perhaps?
DavidF

Actually, it depends.

These are devices which reduce the dynamic range. Used properly, they maintain a pleasant gain structure so that soft passages are heard, and loud passages do not hurt. But, their power, if abused, squashes the dynamic range into a narrow few dB's, often too loud, and nothing sounds natural.

Typically, these are used to corral an instrument - say lead guitar, or keyboard. In the former, gain can rise dramatically during a lead so the C/L collars the response and keeps the gain maybe only +3dB above a background passage (even while the artist may boost their lead many dB more, but that would be too loud and maybe even painful for the audience). Conversely, on keys, many passages drop to levels almost lost in the mix, so the engineer might adjust the C/L for minimal firing during low passages (soft knee, low ratio and long release), but add some "make-up gain" to keep it layered in. Then, when the keys take a lead, if set properly, the C/L will allow the gain to increase rationally, so that the lead is above the mix, but constraining it from rising too far. The settings are very adjustable, and their use benefits greatly from experience.

In effect, these devices relieve the FOH engineer from "riding the faders" to keep solos prominent and not lose back-up parts by being too soft. Riding the faders is a role fraught with error of missing cues, and also forgetting to un-do what they did for the lead(s) and re-establishing the base gain structure. This ends up in shows getting louder and louder...

Similar application can be on vocals, although when mixing wedges from FOH their use on the vocal channel can impact the monitor (stage wedge) mix which can be distracting to the artist. Just when they are really "leaning in" to a vocal riff, the C/L will begin clamping down - so, just when they need to hear the most, the compression begins reducing their dynamic range. It can be maddening for the artist. Careful settings can allow their use in vocal channels, but often the engineer uses these across the VOX Group buss, which impacts the house, but not the artist's mix.

Lastly, for now (I gotta get some shut-eye...), soft C/L across the mix buss can be a powerful tool to keep the mains from getting too loud when the band is really driving. That is, the engineer has a good gain structure working, the SPL is about right (95-100dB) but the band get's wound-up and starts really pushing toward "11" on their heads, and the drummer is suddenly doing the watoozy on his thrown. Heck - we had a good thing going now it's just too loud (>110dB). A subtle, often tube, compressor across the mix buss will corral those extra peaks and keep things sane. Since employing one on a routine basis, I've had NO complaints of either "Turn it Up!" or "It's too Loud!!".

But again, moderation is the key with these. All of them are different. The engineer must study when they fire, how the fire, and the character of their gain reduction. Too often, too much is used and the show, well, sucks.

[Fred Sanford]

Meatloaf "Bat out of Hell II" song

and

Motorhead live album

and

my boy, Ian Gillan, "Made in Japan"

Yep, I was thinking about yer boy...plus I haven't heard "BOOH II", but could certainly imagine Lemmy using the phrase.

The song that irritated me on the radio was Black Crowes, Hard to Handle. Squashed like you wouldn't believe. Picture a Polar Bear- this is the Black Crowes. Picture a bear-skin rug- this is the Black Crowes on FM.

je

[Art J.]

Here is another link from years ago.
I still rant about this.
Horns often get blamed for harshness when its really the compression.

http://georgegraham.com/compress.html

[WTPRO]

Nice presentations. I also contend that the tonal balance is also up for interpretation during the mix down, and as such the stated goal of a 'flat' overall response by many audio enthusiasts becomes a 'qualified' statement. That is, I contend that when the entire mike-> record-> cd-> playback-> speaker chain of events is looked at, the final result is often a crap shoot. If you have zero tolerance for tonal adjustment (I dont), you will find less and less program material that actually sound right. All you can do is initially shoot for a nominally flat responding playback system and then go from there.

Commercials are also getting louder with respect to the program. The 'old FCC' used to put a limit on just how much dynamic compression you could apply. I can only wish for those days to return.

Best regards,
WT-Pro
www.woofertester.com

[JBL 4645]

Compression is a very common thing on Radio not to mention TV broadcasts and some of the ole VHS tapes DVD lacks it by a small margin. Isn’t there a device called a (dynamic range expander) I seen to remember a music pa show loaning me such a device in the early 1990’s.

[Ken Pachkowsky]

Actually, it depends.

Thanks for the explanation Bo. For those that don't know how it is used, it's the best I have read.

Ken

[MJ Bing]

Bo

Thanks for the link.

Michael

[kpippen]

In a live mix...compression serves no purpose unless you have a bunch of screamers...

[kpippen]

Isn’t there a device called a (dynamic range expander) I seen to remember a music pa show loaning me such a device in the early 1990’s.

Yep,...MXR and DBX used to make good ones... I don't think they are manufactured any more since everything went digital... You can still find them and I would highly recommend if your into vinyl and recording to tape...

[Hofmannhp]

Compression is a very common thing on Radio

Hi all,

in the german broadcasting stations we mostly use this part:
http://www.orban.com/pdf/2129-RW-Optimod8500.pdf

it's a 14,000 $ box used in the last signalmeters (feet) to the transmitters.

Each broadcaster is forced to send parts of a dB more then the others for the success of their commercials.
Maybe it's the same, when all bypass it.

HP