If your mixer and recorder limiters were off, what do you mean by "the phea=
sant was very close and hit the limiter a few times"?=0D
=0D
Peter Shute=0D
=0D
=0D
--------------------------=0D
Sent using BlackBerry=0D
=0D
________________________________=0D
From: =0D
To: =0D
Sent: Sat Mar 03 01:44:26 2012=0D
Subject: Re: [Nature Recordists] Pheasant call 7+ min=0D
=0D
=0D
=0D
>I find the problem of intermittent loud noises interesting, and I=0D
>take note for future reference of your decision not to try to=0D
>compress it.=0D
=0D
Peter,=0D
=0D
I normally record about 18dB low and bring the level up afterwards.=0D
What I tried to do was to use the Audacity compressor as a peak=0D
limiter, to restore the level between the pheasant calls but it did a=0D
more general compression which killed the recording.=0D
=0D
The other major problem was the recovery time after each peak which=0D
gave a pumping effect on everything else.=0D
=0D
> Would you have compressed it if it had only called once or twice?=0D
=0D
No. Perhaps I would do a manual edit on the peaks but that would have=0D
also sounded odd.=0D
=0D
> I've been wondering about turning on the limiter on my Sony PCM M10,=0D
> but haven't had time to test it. I'm wary of using something if I=0D
> don't know if it might wreck a recording. Does it only kick in when=0D
> the recording's about to be wrecked anyway, or does it affect=0D
> quieter sounds too?=0D
=0D
That's a good question but I'll keep my answer short. :-) It triggers=0D
on the peaks but brings everything down in level and, as above, there=0D
is a recovery time for everything else so you get a "hole" after each=0D
peak.=0D
=0D
I have the limiters on my mixer and recorders turned off to avoid the=0D
pumping effect if nothing else. The loudest pheasant peaks were in=0D
fact clipped by the digitiser in the recorder, but this is often=0D
acceptable. With door slams, thunder, gunshots, etc, a bit of=0D
distortion makes it sound better because your ears would be doing this=0D
anyway. I could have used the Audacity "hard limiter" (which is really=0D
a peak clipper) on the pheasant but that would have made it sound=0D
rough.=0D
=0D
The general answer is to record low with digital, as you can pull the=0D
level up a lot afterwards with no audible effect. You have about 3=0D
bits "spare" on 16 bit digitising, hence the 18dB mark, more if you=0D
have a noisy background. Once you've got compression or limiting and=0D
pumping after the peaks it can't be repaired.=0D
=0D
We've got too used to compression in all sorts of broadcasting, and=0D
commercials are extra compressed to sound louder. My pet hate is news=0D
reports with an automatic record which brings up the background mush=0D
and then they put it through a noise gate. Horrible.=0D
=0D
David=0D
=0D
David Brinicombe=0D
North Devon, UK=0D
Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum - Ambrose Bierce=0D
=0D
=0D
=0D
|