Re: PLing and dynamics
Posted: September 20th, 2021, 6:34 am
I think it's worth distinguishing between two different issues that are being discussed here. One is artistic expression: e.g., whether a passage is read emphatically or gently. These choices are left up to our readers and fall under the category of reading style, which PLs shouldn't comment on. The other issue is physical volume: whether the passage is loud or quiet in the recording. If there's a volume jump such that it hurts the listener's ears, or a volume drop such that a passage can't be understood without turning up the volume, that should be flagged in PL notes and fixed. It might seem that the two issues are connected, but it's not necessarily so. Whenever I PL a recording that can't be comfortably listened to at a constant volume, I ask the reader to apply dynamic range compression. In Audacity this can be done as follows:
Select the whole track (ctrl-A), go to Effects->Compressor, and use the following settings:
- lower the Threshold sliding bar to -20 dB (or -30 dB)
- check the box "Compress based on peaks"
- uncheck the box "Make up for gain..."
- keep defaults for the other settings.
This eliminates large jumps in volume, yielding more even dynamics. Audacity will remember these compressor settings for future tracks. After that, with the entire track still selected, use the Amplify effect with -4 in the Amplification box to reduce the volume by 4 dB (or whatever is needed to bring the average volume within our target range).
I use this effect for all my recordings. Other folks here have different Compressor settings they like to use. I believe all professional audiobooks are passed through dynamic range compression these days. I just finished listening to an old commercial audiobook, which sounded like the dynamics weren't compressed, and it was a challenge to listen to while walking out on the street. There was a lot of voice acting, which created a wide dynamic range, and I had to pause the recording whenever there was even minor ambient noise.
Dynamic range compression doesn't impinge on your artistic expression. The passages read emphatically still sound emphatic, and so forth. It simply makes the recording easier to listen to.
Michael
Select the whole track (ctrl-A), go to Effects->Compressor, and use the following settings:
- lower the Threshold sliding bar to -20 dB (or -30 dB)
- check the box "Compress based on peaks"
- uncheck the box "Make up for gain..."
- keep defaults for the other settings.
This eliminates large jumps in volume, yielding more even dynamics. Audacity will remember these compressor settings for future tracks. After that, with the entire track still selected, use the Amplify effect with -4 in the Amplification box to reduce the volume by 4 dB (or whatever is needed to bring the average volume within our target range).
I use this effect for all my recordings. Other folks here have different Compressor settings they like to use. I believe all professional audiobooks are passed through dynamic range compression these days. I just finished listening to an old commercial audiobook, which sounded like the dynamics weren't compressed, and it was a challenge to listen to while walking out on the street. There was a lot of voice acting, which created a wide dynamic range, and I had to pause the recording whenever there was even minor ambient noise.
Dynamic range compression doesn't impinge on your artistic expression. The passages read emphatically still sound emphatic, and so forth. It simply makes the recording easier to listen to.
Michael