Music & Audio Advice Compression and Dynamic Range 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does a sidechain input on a compressor allow you to do?
- Trigger compression from a different signal than the one being compressed (Correct answer)
- Bypass the compressor entirely
- Add reverb to the signal
- Increase the bit depth
Correct answer: Trigger compression from a different signal than the one being compressed
A sidechain lets an external signal control the gain reduction, as in ducking music under a voiceover.
Question 2: What is a limiter essentially?
- A compressor with a very high ratio that prevents peaks from exceeding a ceiling (Correct answer)
- A type of equalizer
- A noise gate
- A stereo expander
Correct answer: A compressor with a very high ratio that prevents peaks from exceeding a ceiling
A limiter uses an extreme ratio (often 10:1 or higher) to stop signal from passing a set ceiling.
Question 3: Why might you use parallel compression?
- To blend a heavily compressed copy with the dry signal for density without losing transients (Correct answer)
- To make the track quieter
- To remove low frequencies
- To create a mono signal
Correct answer: To blend a heavily compressed copy with the dry signal for density without losing transients
Parallel (New York) compression mixes a squashed duplicate under the original to add body while keeping dynamics.
Question 4: What problem does over-compression most commonly cause?
- A lifeless, flat sound with reduced punch and dynamics (Correct answer)
- Increased stereo width
- Higher sample rate
- Added harmonic distortion only in the bass
Correct answer: A lifeless, flat sound with reduced punch and dynamics
Squashing too much removes the natural loud-soft contrast, leaving the audio dull and fatiguing.
Question 5: A de-esser is a specialized compressor that targets what?
- Harsh sibilant 'S' frequencies in vocals (Correct answer)
- Low-end rumble
- Stereo imaging
- Tape hiss
Correct answer: Harsh sibilant 'S' frequencies in vocals
A de-esser is a frequency-selective compressor that tames sibilance around 5-8 kHz.
Question 6: What is the loudness war?
- The trend of mastering tracks ever louder, sacrificing dynamic range (Correct answer)
- A debate about speaker brands
- A type of compressor circuit
- A streaming royalty dispute
Correct answer: The trend of mastering tracks ever louder, sacrificing dynamic range
The loudness war refers to heavy compression and limiting used to make records as loud as possible, reducing dynamics.
Question 7: Streaming platforms normalize loudness using which standard?
- LUFS (Correct answer)
- PPM
- RMS only
- dBu
Correct answer: LUFS
Platforms like Spotify and YouTube use LUFS (Loudness Units Full Scale) targets to normalize playback levels.
Music & Audio Advice Compression and Dynamic Range 3
What does a sidechain input on a compressor allow you to do?