radio compression

[FALKEN]

my local radio station compresses the living snot out of everything...my best guess would be somewhere between 4 and 20:1 at -30 threshold. would it be a good idea to set something up that simulates this abuse to see if my mix holds up?

[Middleman]

Yes, at the end of your mix. I would not advise trying to actively mix through that compression window however. Just remember, the radio sounds you are hearing are either 2x or 3x compressed.

Once, if you have used buss compression on the final mix. Twice, after the mastering engineer was finished. Third, radio compressors.

[ecktronic]

Might be. Listen to your mix in Mono to see if it holds up then as some radio stations might broadcast in mono.

[matt rascal]

Keep in mind also that radio stations use a really low bit-rate.

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Originally Posted by matt rascal

Keep in mind also that radio stations use a really low bit-rate.

This one is TOO easy. Who wants it?

G.

[EddieRay]

Originally Posted by SouthSIDE Glen

This one is TOO easy. Who wants it?

G.

I'll bite. At what bit rate do radio stations broadcast? Just a rough ballpark estimate will suffice.

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Originally Posted by EddieRay

I'll bite. At what bit rate do radio stations broadcast? Just a rough ballpark estimate will suffice.

You want a serious answer?

How about *virtually infinite*.

G.

[EddieRay]

Originally Posted by SouthSIDE Glen

You want a serious answer?

How about *virtually infinite*.

G.

My, that IS low.

[matt rascal]

Okay, okay guys. Sorry, I guess I'm wrong. The program i use to convert .wavs to mp3s has the different bit-rates listed and the lowest one says 'radio quality'. My bad. :-(

[FALKEN]

uhh no; where I live they play crappy mp3s all the time. coupled with the horrid compression, you really can't tell what was recorded in a million dollar studio and what was recorded in some guy's bathroom.

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Originally Posted by FALKEN

uhh no; where I live they play crappy mp3s all the time. coupled with the horrid compression, you really can't tell what was recorded in a million dollar studio and what was recorded in some guy's bathroom.

While that last part may be true, I have to wonder about that first part. I'm not calling you on it Falken, but I have to wonder about the station using MP3s at all. I'd think there'd be ASCAP/BMI licensing issues about a radio station broadcasting homebrew MP3s of commercial material. And why would they make/use ones at crappy bit rates? There's no need for a radio station to do that, there's no advantage to them.

But that's not even the question here; the question was what bitrates radio stations broadcast at. The answer is they don't - not in the sense we know. Not counting satellite radio (which they weren't talking about), radio is analog broadcasting.

G.

[FALKEN]

why would they do it??? laziness. hell, I've even heard the windows "chime" go off in the middle of a song. for a good 2 months they had a bad cable somewhere in the system and it would crackle. apparently they never herad it in the studio. ridiculous.

and, the question is, what settings should I use to emulate this, and is it even worthwhile, and does anybody else do this?

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Originally Posted by FALKEN

and, the question is, what settings should I use to emulate this, and is it even worthwhile, and does anybody else do this?

If you really plan on your songs getting regular radio play as part of a regular rotation, then you might be interested in "competing for volume" with the over-compressed drek that is popular radio these days. Then again, if that were the case, you'd probably be best off investing in a pro mastering job.

But if you're really not shooting for radio play, but expecting mostly CD play, then stick with good sound instead of loud sound. When on your own CD and you don't have to follow some square wave of a recording like Joan Osborne's "Our Love Is Alive", people will be much more impressed by clean sound and solid dynamics than they will be with in-your-face-used-car-sales-commercial loudness.

G.

[JazzMang]

Just poop on the mix and see how it sounds.


Congratulations! You have successfully emulated radio!

[7string]

Some stations even add some verb. Especially oldies stations, but it's become popular again in the last few years.

[Beck]

In retrospect a vinyl record skipping now and then doesn't seem so terrible.