Blogging Ottinger (tim)Really Important Invention: Compressor for TV
Okay, a compressor is hardly a new idea. They’ve been available in stomp-boxes and rack-mount effects for musicians and studio pros for quite a long time. But this one is for TV. Imagine stopping those violent bursts of volume that occur between the stylish whispering of a “gritty” tv mystery or action flick and a sudden attack advertisement. No, it doesn’t turn off the ads, it just regulates the volume.
The columnist talked about losing dynamic range in movies, but I think that people have gotten a little carried away with dynamic range. I am old fashioned, and think the dialog (AKA “the story”) should be audible, not just the very expensive American-style explosion (where a plastic cigarette lighter dropped during a chase scene can launch automobiles in flaming aerial flips). I guess I’m not American enough. Again, with a proper compressor you don’t HAVE to destroy the dynamic range: bringing up the vocals a bit and bringing down the sfx isn’t an all-or-nothing enterprise.
I guess next will be a noise gate, so you can eliminate the dialoge (AKA “the story”) entirely while still hearing the sound effects in all their gory… er… glory.
