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Dynamic range normalizer

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Dynamic range normalizer

Dynamics Processing

The audio quality of compressed formats such as MP3 or AAC is often perceived as better or at least equivalent to so-called lossless formats or audio CDs even by trained listeners. This is the conclusion reached by the TrustedReview test platform in a blind test with several people.

TrustedReview points out that this is not an experiment with strictly scientific parameters. However, what was remarkable about the results was that the self-reported hi-fi enthusiasts among the test subjects were wrong to recognize the uncompressed piece of music.

Dynamic Compression

Already sophisticated coding

“I am not surprised by this result, because we reached a similar conclusion in our internal experiments. Encoding technologies are now so sophisticated that most people no longer hear any difference even when compressing at a lower data rate,” he explains. Bernhard, MP3 expert at Fraunhofer. Grill in conversation with press release.

“It would even go so far that a properly encoded 192 kbit / s AAC sound file is the best alternative to today’s audio CD, as the 16-bit resolution of the CD can be far exceeded.” For people who are particularly sensitive to audio and want to be absolutely sure, Grill recommends a data rate of 256 kbit / s for AAC and 320 kbit / s for MP3.

The development trend goes in two directions

According to Grill, the current trend in audio encoding is bi-directional. For one thing, it’s about getting even smaller files with low-quality compromises. “This currently plays an important role, especially with streaming services over cellular networks, as bandwidths are still low despite UMTS and retrieval of large amounts of data is still expensive in most countries. “explains Grill. The most promising encoding is the HE – AAC audio codec, also known as AAC +, which is a further development of the AAC standard used by iTunes, for example.

On the other hand, the developers are also targeting the best of music listeners and want to show that with the right encoding technology, even the last noticeable differences from Audio CD can be eliminated. “Meanwhile, record labels and sound engineers have also understood how to encode for excellent sound quality. Another advantage of existing encodings, such as MP3 or AAC, is that the processes behind them are constantly being improved,” he says. Grill. MP3 encoded at 128 kbit / s sounds much better today than 15 years ago.

The term “compression” is misleading

The Fraunhofer MP3 and AAC developers find the term “compression” misleading anyway. “This should not be confused with dynamic compression, that is, the weakening of noisy passages and the elevation of soft passages, which has always been a technological necessity, especially with famous records and in FM broadcasting.” In this regard, MP3 and AAC with dynamic range up to 24 bits are even better than audio CD, which is limited to 16 bits. This restriction is not removed with a lossless copy of an audio CD.

Mp4Gain offers a dynamic range normalize, that is, the weakening of the noisy passages and the elevation of the soft passages, which is the most modern.

Much more important for good sound quality or an attractive sound image is not the medium or file format used, but the speakers used. “These are still the worst adulterers in the entire chain,” says Grill.

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Dynamic Range and Bit Depth, those great strangers

Many times we listen to songs and they seem like absolute songs and other times they seem like a waste of time. To some extent it is because of the music that is heard. But today we are going a little further. I dare say that part of the fact that we end up liking it is due to the fact that there are two concepts that have not been taken into account in production lately.

I mean the Dynamic Range.

What is it? Well, it’s just the difference between the highest possible peaks and the noise threshold. Yes, there is always a noise basis, even in the best soundproof studio. And how does that affect what you hear is a great song? Very easy, since this variation in amplitude influences the sound intensity, how the song flows, the difference between strong and weak. The specific nominal amplitude of each equipment must also be taken into account, which is called the dynamic ceiling or Headroom. Normally it stays at 120Db, since it is the limit that integrated circuits allow. What we hear from all this is the SNR, signal noise ratio, that is, the relationship between residual noise and the average signal of the subject.

If we transfer this to our tasks as musicians, it means that no frequency that we are using within our theme should be fixed, which is called average, and that too much compression is bad too, since it can crush the sound, since applying a compressor decrease dynamic differences. This also includes mixing and normalization (which we will talk about later) where some resources can help us to make our theme cover the widest dynamic range in all its frequencies. For example: If the amplitude of the mid frequencies is reduced, approximately the frequencies of 250Hz, it is possible to boost frequencies of 5KHz.

Another resource that sometimes we fail when we are playing a synthesizer, whether analog or digital, or when we are mixing is Bit Depth or Bit Resolution / Quantization.

Bit Depth is the amplitude of variations of a sound wave. Translated into Christian, the number of bits recorded per sample. This affects the previously explained concept, dynamic range, since the greater the bit depth, the greater the possibility of working with wide dynamic ranges, which is called the rule-of-thumb. Since for example, if we work with 8-bit synthesizers, which are so fashionable, we are saying that this synthesizer, the wave that sends the output, only allows to register 256 variations in the amplitude of the wave. Let’s remember that 8 bits = 2 to 8. With this I don’t mean that an 8-bit synthesizer is bad, each one does its job, but there are many cases where pears are asked from the elm, when we all know that you have to go to the pear tree. I would like to emphasize this concept especially for we use analog synthesizers, drum machines, samplers. Since the bit depth within a PCM, the digital representation of an analog sound, recreates the maximum dynamic range, which means that the sound will be more real.

So let us return to the question asked above. How does this affect my theme to sound good? Well the bit depth limits the amount of dynamic range and signal noise ratio. This means that if we cover a higher bit resolution we will be able to interact with more precision within the theme that we are composing and therefore improve the output signal of the set.

Even so, I am sorry to be this party pooper, the bit depth problem comes from the fact that nowadays we use a format that has very low and bad compression, such as MP3 or WMA. Although you export at 24 bits, it does not mean that the MP3 / WMA has a bit depth of 24 bits, since you have mastered them at 24 bits but then it has been compressed and that is where it fails. This also happens even if we copy directly to a CD, since CDs are burned at 16 bits.