[microsound] Re: usefulness of compressors/mastering in experimentalmusic

[Ben Swire <btswire@xxxxxxxxx>]

> Compression and limiting are, alongside
> equalization,
> the most useful techniques in mastering, as well as
> the most frequently abused.  In addition to sucking
> life out of the dynamic range, heavy compression and
> limiting introduce distortion.  For some reason, in
> almost every genre, the trend has become to make
> releases as loud as possible at the expense of audio
> fidelity.  I am a fan of the Waves C4 multiband
> compressor and the L1+ limiter (which also has
> dithering algorithms) in moderation.  I generally
compress
> material
> no more than 3-4 db in the compression stage, paying
> close attention not to squash any band of
> frequencies.
>  I then follow the compressor with the L1.  The L1
> also offers makeup gain compensation.  This means
> that
> when audio hits or exceeds the threshold point, this
> becomes the loudest signal possible without digital
> clipping.  I set the output stage to -3/10 db just
> to
> be safe.  I also avoid more than 3 db of limiting,
> as
> any more than this (which is very common) will
> almost
> always be detrimental to the quality of the
> recording.

-Ben
www.foundrysite.com/benswire


		
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