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Re: Re: automatic gain control

Subject: Re: Re: automatic gain control
From: Walter Knapp <>
Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2003 00:33:55 -0500
 wrote:
> In a message dated 1/8/03 12:58:02 PM Pacific Standard Time, 
>  writes:
> 
> 
> 
>>Some recordists even make perfectly fine 
>>recordings using Sony's automatic gain control, where the minidisc 
>>automatically varies the levels.  I think what this means is that the 
>>levels don't vary much from the original setting. 
>>
> 
> 
> I used to love automatic gain control until I started analyzing the 
> recordings on waveform or spectral view. Then you see the background sounds 
> going up and down as the bird sings loudly and stops. The machine is varying 
> the volume as the bird sings. Really an irritating result. My advice is DO 
> NOT use automatic gain control. 

I'd also say don't use automatic gain control. For exactly the same 
reason, the AGC is doing exactly what it was designed to do, but it's 
really much worse than what you can do with manual control.

Another to watch out for is some software will do this when you record 
sound into your computer. Or will have a option to do it. The same thing 
will happen there.

AGC was designed with the idea that the sound levels would stay constant 
for long periods, or at least would not have much variation. That's not 
what you get in nature recording. A quiet environment with periodic loud 
calls brings out the worst in them. I'd expect something like a concert 
to work better.

Walt






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