Date: Tue, 9 Jun 2020 06:08:07 +0200
From: Per Bausager <per.bausager@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Audio Compression and Words
Wow 😮
lør. d. 6. jun. 2020 12.30 skrev Robin Setty :
> Audio compression is a vital tool (probably the most vital after
> equalisation) in gluing a mix together. Without it, sounds such as
> vocals, will either get smothered by the rest of the mix or will
> appear to be on top of the mix (like karaoke), not part of it.
>
> It's been around since the forties. It works by reducing the level by
> a specified ratio when a certain threshold volume is reached. By
> doing this, you can raise overall level of a track without distortion.
> It's absolutely not a substitute for good microphone technique. One
> of the parameters of a compressor is the "Attack" spped, which
> determines how quickly it starts working when the threshold is hit.
> (You typically want to wait a few milliseconds so you don't lose the
> impact of transient at the start of the sound). Whilst a vocalist
> will know to pull away from microphone as they sing louder, even a
> boxer couldn't do that with the speed of a compressor, especially with
> with level of pick-up from a good condenser microphone, which could
> hear the proverbial pin dropping at the back of the booth!
>
> Different compressors create different sounds and tones. For
> example, how gradually they come in when the threshold is reached (the
> knee), and what kind of distortion gets applied. Compression is
> usually something to be applied subtly. Nowadays, a vocal track, for
> example, will have two or three compressors in series each taking off
> only a little bit at a time, rather than a single big sweep, which
> will destroy the dynamics. It's also only done AFTER the general
> levels of each phrase have been smoothed out manually.
>
> I struggled over the concept of compression for years, wondering why
> it's necessary when, say, you can hear an opera singer live without
> any need for it. The reason is that there's a limit to how much sound
> is available within a recorded mix, so you need to maximise what you
> can, whilst keeping the dynamic expression. Sadly nowadays because
> many people listen to music with a lot of ambient noise around them
> (e.g. in their cars) recordings are highly compressed at the mastering
> stage (the final stereo pair) which results a complete lack of
> dynamics. And don't get me started on what they do on hip hop to
> vocals :-(
>
> Barry clearly uses compression a lot in his vocals. It's what allows
> us to hear that beautiful whispery sound without it being drowned out.
> Please don't think of it as a fix or a cheat. It's a creative tool to
> maximise what a vocalist can do. It's not in the same category as
> pitch control!
>
> In Words, there's also a lot of compression on the piano. That's
> quite unusual because although you would compress most instruments,
> piano is one where you really do it very lightly. (1 to 2 DBs at the
> peak at very most, compared with a bass, where you'd often exceed
> 10DBs). I think it's a sign of the times. Late sixties had a lot of
> experimentation with studio techniques (think Abbey Road!). To me,
> it's part of the charm of the song. There's also a tonne of other
> stuff going on with the piano there, particularly the level of reverb.
>
> Hope I haven't board you all!
>
>
> "Words & Music", Fans Of The Brothers Gibb ( Bee Gees )
> http://www.brothersgibb.com
>
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>
>
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End Words@brothersgibb.com message digest 06/09/2020 03:01 (#2020-1332)