A Brief Tutorial On Dynamics Processing; Common Questions Regarding Dynamics Processing - PRESONUS STUDIOLIVE 16.4.2 - V1.12 User Manual

5 Tutorials
A Brief Tutorial
5.3
on Dynamics Processing
The heart of the StudioLive is the Fat Channel dynamics section. What follows is an excerpt from
brief tutorial on dynamics processing written by PreSonus president and founder, Jim Odom. It is
included to help you get the most out of your StudioLive. This tutorial will take you through the ba-
sics of dynamics processing and will explain the various types of dynamics processors.
Common Questions Regarding
5.3. 1
Dynamics Processing
What is dynamic range?
Dynamic range can be defined as the distance between the loudest possible level to the lowest
possible level. For example, if a processor states that the maximum input level before distortion is
+24 dBu, and the output noise floor is -92 dBu, then the processor has a total dynamic range of 24
+ 92 = 116 dB.
The average dynamic range of an orchestral performance can range from -50 dBu to +10 dBu, on
average. This equates to a 60 dB dynamic range. Although 60 dB may not appear to be a large
dynamic range, do the math, and you'll discover that +10 dBu is 1,000 times louder than -50 dBu!
Rock music, on the other hand, has a much smaller dynamic range: typically -10 dBu to +10 dBu, or
20 dB. This makes mixing the various signals of a rock performance together a much more tedious
task.
Why do we need compression?
Consider the previous discussion: You are mixing a rock performance with an average dynamic
range of 20 dB. You wish to add an uncompressed vocal to the mix. The average dynamic range
of an uncompressed vocal is around 40 dB. In other words, a vocal performance can go from -30
dBu to +10 dBu. The passages that are +10 dBu and higher will be heard over the mix. However,
the passages that are at -30 dBu and below will never be heard over the roar of the rest of the mix.
A compressor can be used in this situation to reduce (compress) the dynamic range of the vocal to
around 10 dB. The vocal can now be placed at around +5 dBu. At this level, the dynamic range of
the vocal is from 0 dBu to +10 dBu. The lower level phrases will now be well above the lower level
of the mix, and louder phrases will not overpower the mix, allowing the vocal to "sit in the track."
The same points can be made about any instrument in the mix. Each instrument has its place, and
a good compressor can assist the engineer in the overall blend.
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