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Newbie questions for mixing/limiting audio
I am editing a video for DVD, and I do not know how much I should limit the volume, or how to really go about it properly. For ultimate clarity, should I use the Wave Hammer or another tool? Should music be limited to -12dB, or louder? Should all vocals be limited to -12dB? If I should use the Wave Hammer, is there a preset I should use? If not, should I bypass either the Compressor or the Volume Maximizer?
On the Compressor tab of Wave Hammer, how do I figure out what my threshold/ratio/output gain should be? How do I decide whether to use Auto gain compensate, or Use longer look-ahead? Should I change the Attack or Release times? Or Smart release?
For Volume Maximizer tab of Wave Hammer, should I use the same threshold as on the Compressor tab? How do I decide what my output level should be?
I really want to learn how to do this right once and for all. The last time I tried to use these tools for a DVD all my audio sounded really muddy. Your help is appreciated!
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1 Reply
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For Wave Hammer I would start with the [Sys] Master for 16-bit preset. This sets the compressor Threshold to -6db and I usually leave the Compressor tab alone as the preset is usually enough. On the Volume Maximizer tab set the Output level to whatever you want your final output to be limited to. This is where you would set it to -12db if that’s your target. If you see clipping on the Input meters, switch back to the Compressor tab and lower the Output gain until the clipping stops. The only other setting I would worry about is the Volume Maximizer Threshold. I would lower this from 0db only if there were sections that were too low that I wanted to bring up. Setting it lower makes the quiet parts louder. This really “squashes” the dynamic range so use it sparingly.
~jr
http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com
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