Here's an interesting article in Rolling Stone on the over-use of compression in modern music recording. Lots of interesting stuff there. This YouTube video illustrates the problem pretty well, too -
So how does all this apply to you and your own productions? Well, compression is a very useful, powerful tool, but as we all know, with great power comes great responsibility.
Simply put, compression is making the dynamic range of your audio smaller, placing it within a compressed space. The louds get softer, the softs get louder, but it's all supposed to happen in a very elastic, dynamic way. Everything adjusts in proportion.
It's a great way to make an interview punch out over background music, or even just to smooth out the dynamic rage of amateur talent, making their speech more clear and easy to hear. In Final Cut Pro I usually use a setting between 2:1 and 3:1, and have even gone up to 4:1 on a few occasions. You need to be careful, because over-use of compression can quickly make your audio sound flat and over processed. I assigned a 2:1 compression preset to a keyboard shortcut as a favorite effect, making it quick and easy to apply to selected audio clips. It's a good starting point for tuning up audio that needs a little more presence. An appropriate amount of compression can make a world of difference. Experiment, and see what works best for you.
(A bit off-topic, here - Why are there virtually no female audiophiles? I've met a handful of women who are audio engineers, but the world of high-end audio, home HiFi enthusiasts, seems to be exclusively male. Women don't seem to obsess over which speakers to buy, or the oxygen content of their audio cables. This is one of the many reasons, as my wife often reminds me, that they are the superior species.)
Friday, January 11, 2008
Sounding Squeezed
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One issue that I've run into a number of times with broadcast is that there is so much gain control at the headend of the cable or broadcast company that I've had spots slammed down volume wise so that they fit within broadcast spec and hence are WAY quieter than the surrounding ads. It's forced me to take part in this squeezing war and it makes me mad!
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