justa a quick question, perhaps it is best asked in newbie section, but here it goes. I have been reading this entire site and especially in this forum i see many threads talk about how compressing gives you a little more volume. The problem i have with that is that i have heard over and over how the more you compress the more volume is decreased, i even have a LED level on my compressor that shows the decreas in db. help!
compression?
- Thread starter 1manband
- Start date
Tukkis
New member
It's true that the lower you put the threshold on the compressor the more it compresses meaning less dynamics. That's why you have an Output Gain control on the compressor. It's there so after you have set the correct amount of compression, you can put up the output gain to make the track louder without clipping.
EG. Say you had a track with lots of peaks and dips in volume. If you wanted to make it louder and you just boosted the level than all the peaks would distort and the valleys would also get louder but would stay the same distance volume wise from the peaks.
What you really want is to make the level of the track even and then make it louder. That's what compression is for. By doing this you won't be distorting or clipping the peaks and will still be able to make the whole track louder and even volume wise.
How even the track is, is dependent on how much you compress it (threshold and ratio). This varies greatly on the style of music. For instance Heavy Metal has no dynamics whatsoever. The softest part is the same level as the loudest part. On the other end look at Classical Music. It has lots of dynamics. From the whispering soft notes to the full band at loud volume.
Tukkis
EG. Say you had a track with lots of peaks and dips in volume. If you wanted to make it louder and you just boosted the level than all the peaks would distort and the valleys would also get louder but would stay the same distance volume wise from the peaks.
What you really want is to make the level of the track even and then make it louder. That's what compression is for. By doing this you won't be distorting or clipping the peaks and will still be able to make the whole track louder and even volume wise.
How even the track is, is dependent on how much you compress it (threshold and ratio). This varies greatly on the style of music. For instance Heavy Metal has no dynamics whatsoever. The softest part is the same level as the loudest part. On the other end look at Classical Music. It has lots of dynamics. From the whispering soft notes to the full band at loud volume.
Tukkis
13th_Omen
New member
Tukkis,
I have to say that I agree with you a majority of the time, and really appreciate your help and opinions but I gotta say that you are way off base when you say:
I would like to invit you to listen to some Tool albums to prove otherwise. Tool is a very dynamically intense band. I do know why you would say that but you can't just drag all Heavy Metal bands to a common stereotype.
Sorry for interrupting.. carry on!
I have to say that I agree with you a majority of the time, and really appreciate your help and opinions but I gotta say that you are way off base when you say:
I would like to invit you to listen to some Tool albums to prove otherwise. Tool is a very dynamically intense band. I do know why you would say that but you can't just drag all Heavy Metal bands to a common stereotype.
Sorry for interrupting.. carry on!
Tukkis
New member
Yep sorry 13th_Omen.
I didn't mean it like that. I was trying to show 1manband the difference between classical and heavy metal. I think I went a bit overboard. Just showing why heavy metal is 'generally' more compressed then classical music.
To clarify, 1manband, dont think that heavy metal has no dynamics. It geneally just has less when compared to classical.
Tukkis
bsanfordnyc
New member
FIGHT! FIGHT!!!!
fight...
oh well..
fight...
oh well..