Better Sound for Video: Compression In-depth
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- Опубліковано 8 кві 2015
- One of the most important things you can do to improve the production value of your video and film projects is to make sure your audio is top-notch. And to do that, you probably need to loudness normalize to the right standard or recommendation for your intended distribution (web, mobile, TV, etc.) And to effectively loudness normalize, you will usually need to do a little compression.
But doing compression can be frustrating at first. I’ve produced a lot of pieces with audio compression that was poorly done.
So in this episode, let’s take another look at dialogue audio compression and some of the things you can do to keep it sounding natural and not over-done.
Some Free Compressor plugins that have RMS control law and/or soft knee features:
dlm sixtyfive (RMS, softknee compressor, VST): www.vst4free.com/free_vst.php?...
TDR KokeInikov (RMS, softknee compressor various formats for Mac and PC): www.tokyodawn.net/tdr-kotelnikov/
Visit us at learnlightandsound.com for more updates on how to improve your lighting and sound for video.
Also be sure to subscribe to get weekly episodes!
Gear used to produce this episode:
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Tascam DR-60DmkII Audio Field Recorder
Amazon: geni.us/YWLU
B&H Photo: www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product...
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Shure SM-58 Cardioid Dynamic Microphone (used for voice over)
Amazon: geni.us/2zDZKu
B&H Photo: www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product...
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Audio Technica AT4053b Hypercardioid Small Diaphragm Condenser Microphone
Amazon: geni.us/BJ7NlcN
B&H Photo: www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product...
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Focusrite Saffire Pro 24 DSP Audio Interface
Amazon: geni.us/JgPTvzD
B&H Photo: www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product...
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RØDE NTG4+ Shotgun Microphone (used only in the intro clip and I think there may be an issue with my copy. Working with RØDE to resolve…)
Amazon: geni.us/5oBRdJ7
B&H Photo: www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product...
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Music copyright Curtis Judd 2012
Ethics statement: Some of the links above are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, or other affiliate links.
I have watched quite a few compression tutorials and this is one of the best so far. Thank you!
+Christopher C. D. Wells Yes, Ozone 6 (standard) has the same dynamics plugin as advanced (with soft knee, envelope control law, etc). They sort of hid the comparison page: www.izotope.com/en/products/mixing-mastering/ozone/comparison/
Wow, very much demystified compression in a way that can be generally applied to many applications. Thanks, this is extremely useful as someone who recognises the language of audio editing but not the nuances of practically acheiving something through a solid, step by step workflow.
Thanks Joshua.
Thanks Curtis, this is the best explanation of compression I've seen, so helpful!
Thanks Andrew.
Tq
Very good information as always. Keep up the good work. Thanks.
Thanks Owen
Very interesting. Thanks
That is one awesome VST.
Thanks for your teaching
Nice video Curtis, you can get soft knee compression with the build in Dynamics processor when you tick the box that say spline curves.
Stephanus vermaak Ah, I missed that. Thanks!
I was about to mention this too but I see you beat me to it :)
This was great!
👍
Great tutorial, thank you!
Thanks!
Thank you for this, for those wondering this goes hand in hand perfectly with Curtis' "Loudness Normalization in Izotope RX5" video. I had questions after that one about compression, and this was explained, like the other video, in a way that was easy to follow. I know this is years old, but even years later, you're the only person I've found that teaches the facets of audio clearly and concisely. I owe you a pint good sir. Definitely have a sub.
Thanks Phillip!
Thank you for sharing! :)
👍
Thanks a lot, easy to understand.
+Tanker Shell Thanks!
Amazing tutorial, I would really love to see what else you do after compression though, maybe call it audio finishing?
Something Random Inc. Yes, agreed. Its in the queue. I need to fine tune things a little because my audio post workflow is not fast by any measure.
Thanks so helpful.
Samin S.Yousefnia Thanks!
Super thank you
👍
Another free compressor i like is MCompressor by Melda Production. Its included in a free effects bundle, there are some other useful plugins in the bundle. A paid compressor i like as well is the Fabfilter Pro C, I really like the visual graphs in the Pro C.
ThomasEarl79 Thanks Thomas. Fabfilter Pro does have the nicest visualizations I've seen.
Got it and makes sense. Thanks for prompt response. 1 last follow-up Q if I may. If one is mixing a bunch of different clips with slightly different loudness level, wouldn’t it be better to “level” first and then normalize?
It depends. Leveling doesn't always work well and inversely, normalizing doesn't always work well. Sometimes if there is a big dynamic range in a clip, leveling can create something which sounds rather messy by raising the noise floor pretty substantially on the parts which are boosted. Of course the entire noise floor is raised when normalizing but in my mind, that often can be addressed with things like noise reduction or Izotope RX dialogue isolate. I wish there was a clear, clean answer. But usually, I'll normalize clips to a reasonable LUFS target to get them in the same ballpark and then work from there. I might even apply a leveler after that.
Hi Curtis, thanks for the great tutorials. Could you please guide me how to handle the breaths?
That's a great topic for a future episode!
Very nice video again. Curtis, is there a software alternative for audition with similar workflow that you would suggest?
DaVinci Resolve is pretty good and there’s a free version and a paid version.
Agree with this being the best tutorial on compression. For me, it was the best because you tied it in with the loudness normalization, which made me understand better how to know when your threshold is enough. (All the other tutorials just move the threshold and say, that's good. But I don't know why). In the end, why did you bring the peak amplitude to -1 dB? I learned from other places that for dialogue, you'd want your levels to be from -12 to -15 dB. Music, from -18 to -22. Sfx -20 to -10 dB. I know everyone's numbers are different, but wouldn't -1 dB sound too loud in the end? What am I missing?
Thanks for watching. First, this one is a little old so I'd recommend you instead watch this series of newer videos: ua-cam.com/video/nOzZKEWJ5wk/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/lHNhxGojFRU/v-deo.html
The short answer is that I'm covering peak levels here. Most music is compressed and normalized to about -0.1 dB. I suggest leaving a little more headroom, I now suggest -1.5 to -2dB because once you encode your audio to a lossy format (for video or podcast), some headroom is lost. I hope you find the newer videos helpful.
Hi Curtis, helpful video..But i think you could have chosen a better threshold value and compression ratio using the native tube compressor..Jason Levine covers this really well in his Audio 101 series..
+Sandeep Sinha thanks for the feedback Sandeep.
ua-cam.com/play/PL1bWU8a3JcGl8Q91Fm9y5VL42hT1M37Pi.html the mentioned playlist above
If I understand correctly, the Ozone compresser you pulled up in the beginning is a fancy multiband compressor? For those using Reaper, ReaXComp does the same thing and is included for free :). It does not look as fancy though. It is RMS window based, but the control law cannot be changed the envelope or peak. There is a program-dependent release option, which I believe is similar to the adaptive release, in that it tunes the attack and release depending on the signal.
Again, another nice tutorial :)!
Thanks Roy. Thanks also for the Reaper info.
Hey! Very nice video Curtis! I have a question regarding the loudness normalization; In Audition you are able to just "run" a loudness normalization, most places i have looked only has an analyzer for LUFS, not an actual "run" button for the normalization itself. I use pro tools, any tips for a plugin that loudness normalizer that isn't too expensive?
The “not too expensive” is the hard part. I use Izotope RX Advanced which is quite expensive. I believe NuGen Audio has some loudness plugins as well but I suspect they’re also pricey. Will keep my eyes peeled for more affordable options.
Is there any way to streamline the workflow of this? Perhaps have it done directly on a portable audio recorder?
I'm just thinking for the videos we make, this would be really great, but compressing each little bit of dialogue on its own would be really tedious and time consuming.
Not sure if you know of any good techniques for that.
You could always just make this process a preset that you drag and drop onto every clip
AdventureArchives Excellent question and as +Something Random Inc. says, first thing you can do is create a effects rack preset that includes all the effects you want to apply. You'll still have to fine-tune the settings but that's a good start. There are also other apps that do batch processing like Izotope's RX4 though that's a pricey piece of code.
also i have access to nearly every plugin but i didnt find a compressor that works so well for dialogue where my main goal is do bring down the peaks for normalization and a little bit equalization
Hmm, in my course, I just use the tube modeled compressor and parametric EQ. What did you not like about them?
I'd like to thank you for your tuts. Always helpful and interesting. May I ask, how would you approach compression when dealing with an interview with a male interviewer and a female interviewee, where the male voice is louder, almost double the amplitude of the female? Thanks again.
Micheal G Thanks! First, if I have control over the production, I'll be sure to record the two with separate mics onto separate tracks. But if that isn't an option, there is a leveler in both Audition and Izotope RX4 which can help. And failing all that, manually increase the gain on the female parts by selecting each section manually. That's probably something that you'd only reserve for the most important projects because it is very tedious but an option nonetheless.
Curtis Judd God bless you and thanks a lot for your reply.
Great tutorial. Thanks Curtis very much. I've also saw you have Nectar installed as well. Would you recommend to work with Nectar directly instead of Ozone first using similar settings for the compressor. I have not seen in Nectar de knee control but there are interesting additional alternatives such as the De-esser function and also breath control.
+Domingo Sanna Hi Domingo, I like the de-breath and de-esser in Nectar, but I prefer the dynamics/compressor in Ozone because of the soft knee and adaptive release as well as other features. Ozone is definitely more feature rich. That said, Nectar is quite good as well and a lot less expensive so a good place to start.
+Curtis Judd Thanks Curtis so much. Crystal clear :-)!
I am a little confused between normalization and leveling. If you think that this topic could be of interest to others as well, a video on it would be greatly appreciated.
Normalization = moving all the audio samples in a clip up or down the same number of dB. Leveling is where you selectively boost quiet bits and attenuate louder bits in a clip.
I will most certainly trying that soon. Here is my question. If you happen to have a budget around 200-300 USD which shotgun mic would you buy. Second question is about lavaliers; can you suggest me a brand which can record 2 people voice, wireless lavalier around 100 usd?
Cheers!
Burak Kara I have the RODE NTG2 and it works well when recording into a proper XLR input. It does not work well when I use an XLR to 3.5mm adapter to feed it directly into my GH4 or Nikon D750. So it depends on whether you plan to use a recorder or camera with XLR inputs? Here is a review from a long time ago of the NTG2: ua-cam.com/video/GlQ32DwdpEw/v-deo.html For wireless, unfortunately, I'm not aware of any that are worth the price at around $100. Those all sound quite bad. But I do sometimes use a Zoom H1 with a lavalier attached to it in the pocket of the talent and that works quite well sort of like wireless for around $150. Of course you'll need to sync the audio in post but that's quite easy. Here's an example: ua-cam.com/video/RBxOLnVxg3A/v-deo.html Best wishes!
Great video. Can I use this for an audio production class?
+buckdag yes, as long as you stream it from UA-cam and provide a link to it here on UA-cam. Thanks!
In Audition CS6 you can zoom in and out of the dB-scale on the righthand side by "scrolling" using the mousewheel hovering over the scale. Is that still possible in Audition CC? Comes in handy to see how much clipping you have.
Cobinja Ah, yes, good point. Yes you can! Thanks for that reminder!
hi curtis, is the tube modeled compressor in audition still the one from izotope, or are the stock compressors not of a very good quality? i like the tube modeled one the most, because of its straight forward and easy to use interface. oliver j hughes said the stock ones are not the best quality though. many thanks for your reply curtis, your advises and help are very much appreciated
Hi Akhi, it looks like maybe Adobe have transitioned to their own tube modeled compressor at this point. I'm not 100% certain but I would not be surprised if they wanted to stop paying Izotope licensing fees now that they earn plenty of money from monthly subscriptions to hire their own developers. I haven't tested them extensively but they seem to sound ok. I've still mostly been using the Nectar compressor because I'm happy with its results.
What do you recommend for a order of operations in terms of noise reduction, compression, eq, and normalizing or match loudness?
EQ for correction, noise reduction, EQ for sweetening, compression for loudness.
Curtis, have you used Fairlight and how does it compare to Audition?
Yes, in fact I have an introductory course on Fairlight at school.learnlightandsound.com. It is still a little rough around the edges but maturing very quickly. I have high hopes that it will replace Audition for me, hopefully in the next couple of years.
Dear Curtis,
Thank you for your series, I found it very useful and educating and really appreciate your efforts. I have a question if you would be so kind to answer. With my small audio/video experience, I was asked to help in selection of recording equipment for a lecturer, who wants to record his lectures on his own. He talks in various settings for relatively large audiences (up to 300 people) using sound amplification and holding room microphone in his hand. From experience, he found that it is too difficult to arrange quality recording through the rooms' audio systems, according to him there are too many uncertainties in this venue. So, it seems a solution can be an additional lavalier mic on his lapel and a field recorder in his pocket, especially taking in account that he has one (Zoom H1). Having in mind this setting (large to medium rooms with sound amplification, which creates potential danger for appearance of echo in recordings through the second microphone) what would be the best choice for the microphone type here? I mean omnidirectional mono, stereo, whatever. He feels pretty comfortable with his Zoom H1 recorder and basically needs a good addition of small, preferably budget mic for this setting. From one of your videos I know that you suggested Giant Squid mic with Zoom H1 as a good combo. Any advice will be appreciated.
Thank you,
Sergei
Sergei Ma Hi Sergei. The Giant Squid or JK MicJ 044 are both ok with the zoom H1. Neither are amazingly sensitive so some post production work will be required to increase the loudness. If he's willing to budget a little more, the RØDE Lavalier is more sensitive and also works with the H1 if you purchase the 3.5mm Micon connector.
RØDE Lavalier: amzn.to/1NXVVYH
Micon Connector: amzn.to/1NXWhhX
JK MicJ 044 Review: ua-cam.com/video/RBxOLnVxg3A/v-deo.html
Curtis Judd Thank you. What if I select Auto Level on Zoom H1 side? Also, what do you think about that low freq noise cancellation feature of Zoom H1?
The auto level feature doesn't usually sound very good but definitely experiment with it to see if it works for the types of shooting you do. Usually it makes the silent parts noisy. Better to learn post processing techniques in my opinion. The high pass filter is good (some people call it low cut). That'll help reduce things like wind noise.
Hi Curtis. This is a question rather than a criticism... Your techniques seem to be destructive and permanent which leaves little room for correction in the future. Do you ever perform the same techniques in a non-destructive way, i.e. as an effects rack in the Multitrack viewport in Audition?
Hi Matthew, great question. The main reason I do that is for educational illustration. When you use an effects rack, you cannot see the change to the waveform until you apply the entire rack. When teaching like this, I prefer to show the effect on the waveform as we go along as it hopefully helps the audience see the effect each plugin has on the audio. Thanks!
Thank you for this video! I was wondering if you could answer this. When i upload music to youtube, it sounds okay, but if i upload to facebook, it sounds terrible. what can i do to make it sound better?
I'm pretty sure Facebook displays very low bitrate copies of what you upload.
Meant to say also, I'm afraid I don't know a way around that with Facebook. I expect they value uninterrupted playback over video quality.
I see! Thanks for your reply, Curtis!
hello Curtis Judd，
I have some question want to ask you，Can I run an XLR Condenser MIC through the phantom power and then into a mic amp?
Thank you ！
Yes
Question and im not expert still learning actually. Why is this done in Waveform isnt this considered destructive you can still run this izotope effect through multi track?
I used the waveform editor in this case to illustrate, visually, what happens with compression. You can, of course, do it non-destructively in multi-track.
Hey Curtis, I've seen in some of your videos that the Match Volume recommendation to -19 LUFS for mono and -16 LUFS for Stereo.
Sorry if this is a lame question, but considering a video for UA-cam/Vimeo and having a MONO file playing on both sides, that would fall as -19 or -16 LUFS?
Hi Leandro, that is technically dual mono which is the same as stereo for loudness target purposes so you would aim for -16 LUFS.
Awesome! Thanks :)
@@curtisjudd Just to clarify, I think you meant -16 LUFS if editing a dual-mono clip in the DAW. As opposed to editing a mono clip in the DAW intended for placement on the video timeline in an NLE, that will ultimately export a "stereo audio" (duplicated mono channels) video file, e.g. for YT, in which context loudness in the DAW should instead be -19 LUFS. Is that correct?
@@crawlinginfilm9683 Correct - when a single track, -19 LUFS. When dual mono or stereo, -16 LUFS.
What do I need to keep this happening on set? I use a tascam -10x and I plugged it in the dj soundboard. Any tips to fix this before on set? What do I need?
No, you can do all of this in post. Best wishes!
THANKS A LOT CURTIS
You're welcome!
@@curtisjudd just a question on a big big mistake I made before landing on these useful resources. On the Tascam 60d Mk2, I have an audio captured at -45db. Do you have a recommendation on how to safely amplify and noise reduce for broadcasting without affecting the audio quality?
@@nuel__________ Normalize and use a noise reduction plugin. It won't be great, but it might be usable.
@@curtisjudd thanks a lot. I used it to really go through the many classes and begot this audio. ua-cam.com/video/FgsGzNTQcrY/v-deo.html Looking forward to my next shoot to try out the recording at -12-18.
@@nuel__________ That's a good result given the recording level. Good work and happy recording!