A limiter is basically a compressor that works at high ratios. There is no set rule as to what the ratio needs to be for it to stop being a compressor and start being a limiter. Some suggest 10:1, other 20:1, and others something else altogether. The high compression ratio is often combined with a fast attack to stop any sound getting past the set threshold. This is often useful for stopping clipping to occur. When the limiter is set to behave this way (i.e. stop the entire signal from reaching a set threshold) it is usually referred to as a “brick wall limiter”.

I’m trying out iZotopes new audio restoration software RX (previous post). You can expect a full-blown review of it somewhere down the road. For a first test I found a really noisy old blues recording (and a field recording on top of that) from the 1940’s called “Shetland Pony Blues” played by Son House. I really didn’t do much processing with it but the results were still very noticeable. If I would restore this song “properly” I wouldn’t have settled with this… and I might not even have removed so much at one time as I think the guitar might have lost a little of it’s high end frequencies.

Anyway, have a listen to them. The first file is the original and the second is the processed file. The difference is most apparent in the beginning.

 

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Steinberg are one of the major players in the DAW world. After a couple of bounces back and forth they’re now owned by Yamaha. Steinbergs product ranges from beginner music applications to mastering software to full-blown post production suites. Lets have a look at what could be interesting for podcasters.
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My intention was to start a series of posts last week on recording and editing with a couple of examples. Unfortunately a rather nasty cold held me back and I will hopefully be able to pull it off this week. So to get in the mood for these coming posts, this is what a recording should not sound like. A very nasty “broken” drum machine, tons of noise, tape hiss, scrathes… And a couple of chords.

As with all clips on Audival, you can use this for free in your podcast

 

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It was my intention to start a new series of posts this week with examples on editing and mixing a podcast, but a very nasty cold put a stop to that. Oh, well, guess it will have to wait until next week.

I have found some video content that you might find interesting though, it’s from db audioware, and it’s an example of ducking (my previous how-to post and my explanation of ducking)

Here’s the link:
Ducking on db audioware

BTW, don’t get the impression that you need their products to do this. Any compressor with side-chain functionality will do.

Ducking is an effect often used by DJs and in all kinds of broadcasting. It’s often achieved by the use of side-chain compression. Side-chaining is when you use the dynamic levels of one source to control the compression of your signal. It’s best described in example, for instance, it’s common to use this for the bass and kick drum. Compressing (thus lowering the levels) the bass when the kick drum enters to have them both fit together.

Reverb is a term used for describing the simulated effect of a sound taking place in a room. A lot of people confuse this with echo, or a more common type used in audio production - delay. The difference could be described like this: An echo or delay is a reproduction of a sound, while a reverb emulates the actual room, that is, the sound actually bouncing against all those walls back and forth several times. Think about it, if you’re standing in a church and yelling at the top of your lungs (do try this!) you will not only hear the echo of your voice, you will hear that it actually takes place in a building like that because that is what a church sounds like.