Opposite compressor?

Discussion in 'Mixing and Mastering' started by Usdllama, Mar 18, 2018.

  1. Blorg

    Blorg Producer

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    [​IMG]

    This is an expander -- compressor with threshold @-16 & 2 : 1 ratio (1 : 2 is compression, 2 : 1 is expansion) + Limiter. It is this:

    [​IMG]

    Limiter kicks in @ ~-8 in your pic; its ratio is infinity.
    I'm not sure where we keep missing each other:dunno:
     
  2. Blue

    Blue Audiosexual

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    This picture shows upward expansion and not upward compression.
    Upward compression ratios are always very soft,if not you would simply blow up your speakers!!!
    So Upward "limiting" doesn't exist and can't exist.In Ozone they call it "limiting" because another (phantom) limiter "limit" at 0 db,but on the picture the ratio 2.5/1 is upward expansion at a ratio of 2.5/1.
    Limiting compression would be a ratio (infinite)/1 !

    And upward Limiting is an extreme version of upward compression,so by definition it reduces the dynamic range.

    Open the fabfilter Pro-G (Expander/Gate plugin) and try the upward expansion algorithm.
    it is exactly what they call in Ozone "upward limiting".
     
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2018
  3. Blorg

    Blorg Producer

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    .
     
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2018
  4. mild pump milk

    mild pump milk Russian Milk Drunkard

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    Pro-MB is the answer.
    There are compression and expansion. And both can be upward and downward as I know. And soft/hard knee, ratio, attack, release, lookahead, 3 phase modes dynamic/linear/minimum. And other stuff.

    So, make your tests with signals and see what happens.
     
  5. No Avenger

    No Avenger Moderator Staff Member

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    @Blorg & @SquareDjay

    Ha, you both missed some things. :yes:

    1.: I was referring to
    2.: please have a look

    Limiter 0,4 to 1 look.jpg

    There's no ratio of 2 (or2.5):1, no phantom limiter and no expander. The (2.5):1 ratio depicted in the limiter section means 0.4:1, otherwise there would be no brackets (strange typing, I give you that).

    The little +16 on he lower left means the input signal is increased by +16dB. You can verify this in the upper right. Input peak -3.6 output peak +12.1. Sums up in +15.7 ~ +16.

    I didn't say anything about upward, downward, compression, expanding, or limiting, just showed the effect of a limiter ratio below 1:1 in Ozone.

    And BTW, for my little audio example I reduced the output to -16dB for processing.
     
  6. Blorg

    Blorg Producer

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    Let's walk it through, step by step, tell me the number you disagree with.
    1. From -32 to -16, 1:1 compression curve -- nothing happens; transparent. Output is identical to input X=Y. If the input signal never gets above -16, plug might as well not be there; it doesn't alter the sound.

    [​IMG]

    2. Pic below shows a compressor with threshold @-16 & ~2 : 1 ratio (expander).
    [​IMG]

    3. Pic below shows limiter kicking in, hard (threshold @ ~-9, circled).

    [​IMG]

    Tell me which number you disagree with, or explain why my approach is wrong.

    P.S. I can see one thing that might seem odd -- the limiter kicks in @ what appears to be 0dB. Thing to remember is that 0dB is not the highest possible level (with float processing). It's just a number, like any other. The important thing that happens @ (circled) is the curve goes horizontal -- increasing input level (X) will not increase the output (Y). That's limiting (or clipping).

    Thing Wikip calls "upward compression."
     
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2018
  7. MMJ2017

    MMJ2017 Audiosexual

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    yes

    https://fluxhome.com/products-mix-mastering/#listeProd


    you have compression, expansion, decompression and deexpansion and compansion


    DE-expansion would do just what you described.



    [​IMG]
    Pure Expander v3
    is a versatile tool to Clean Up Your Mix. By reducing the gain below threshold, Pure Expander gives you back the full control of the incoming material and making it easy to tighten up your recordings and mixes.




    [​IMG]
    Pure DExpander v3
    Is Intensifying the Sound Energy. Preserve and restore the natural character of the audio material on a track, a mix, or in a mastering situation, where the dynamics of the material is overtreated.



    [​IMG]
    Pure DCompressor v3
    is Restoring the Original Dynamics of the audio material. Bring back the natural dynamics and air on an overcompressed lifeless track and take full control of the dynamics again.
     
  8. No Avenger

    No Avenger Moderator Staff Member

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    @Blorg ???

    1 = yep :yes:
    2 = nope :no:
    3 = nope :no:

    Because:
    thresholds.jpg

    -16.0 = limiter threshold
    -82.7 = compressor threshold
    -130.0 = gate/expander threshold


    ratios.jpg

    limiter ratio = (2.5):1 means 0.4:1 = "upward limiting". Signal above mentioned threshold of -16 is increased by 2.5 (0.4 in -> 1 out)
    compressor ratio = 1.0:1 = no compression, neither up, nor down
    gate ratio = 1.0:1 = no gating/expanding, neither up, nor down

    There is no infinite limiting, look at the output, it's +12.1. The graphic in the middle is zoomed in, it's just a section. If zoomed out, the "red area" would go up to +12.1.
     
  9. Blorg

    Blorg Producer

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    This is a limiter:
    [​IMG]
    It *limits*.
    If a plug company decides to coin some terms, like "Upward Limiter" or "Quantum Unlimiter" to describe the curve previously known as expander, that's cool, though unnecessary -- we already have a word for that.
    The curve you posted, this:
    [​IMG]
    ...is limited in scope; shows -32 (dB?) to 0. There's no way to extrapolate those numbers -- they're simply not shown.
    Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
    The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
    Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun.
    The frumious Bandersnatch!

    TL;DR: "limiter ratio of 2.5 : 1 is called "mild compression," as are all ratios below, say, 20 : 1.
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2018
  10. No Avenger

    No Avenger Moderator Staff Member

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    :facepalm: in Ozone you can change the limiter ratio. Values from 1:1 and above have no brackets, like 1:1, 10:1 etc, values below 1 have brackets, like in (2.5):1. In the last case the number is to be seen as a divisor. So 1 divided by 2.5 = 0.4, means a limiter ratio of 0.4:1 and this is not limiting. I explained this several times and won't do it again.
    Again, last time for you, there is no compression and no limiting, in the meaning of reducing the input.

    again :facepalm:
    Yes, they are, but not in the detail you selected, but in the whole pic of the plugin, that I meanwhile posted twice.
    From top to bottom: limiter, compressor, gate

    interface.jpg

    I never said a limiter ratio less than 1:1 makes sense, is useful, or whatever. I just showed what it is.
     
  11. Blorg

    Blorg Producer

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    ^^ And again, I'm not sure why we keep missing each other, let's see if it's just semantics. Which lines do you disagree with?

    1. "A limiter allows signals below a specified input power or level to pass unaffected while attenuating (lowering) the peaks of stronger signals that exceed this threshold. Limiting is a type of dynamic range compression. Clipping is an extreme version of limiting."

    2. 1:1 ratio (Y = X) is represented by 45-degree line with m=1.

    2a. Ratio of (infinity) : 1 is represented by a horizontal line, m=0.

    3. Ratios of (infinity) : 1 are common in software limiters.

    4. If I can punch in numbers into my limiter plug, making it behave like a compressor/expander, I must invent new words, like "upward limiting," to describe this behavior. Because I'm using a limiter:cool:

    Edited
     
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2018
  12. No Avenger

    No Avenger Moderator Staff Member

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    What you keep missing is that it's neither my terminology, nor my plugin, nor I'm defending it. I just showed it. If you have complaints about it, turn to iZotope, please.
     
  13. Blorg

    Blorg Producer

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    I described what was happening here,
    [​IMG]
    Though we missed each other -- you thought I tried to describe what you did to get here (use a gate => compressor => limiter effects chain). Not what's actually happening.
    So you disagreed.
    Now I see the point you wished to make: a plug dev can call the same backend (compressor) by 2 different names,
    [​IMG]
    thus making it not just 2 identical compressors in a row, but a compressor & an upward limiter. Clever! :)
     
  14. Blue

    Blue Audiosexual

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    I say again this is upward expansion.
    Maybe Izotope call this processing upward limiting in Ozone but it's not that.On the picture the dynamic range is increased,so it's expansion processing !
     
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