audio compression

What is audio compression?

What is audio compression, and how does that affect your audio projects? Well, first off – we’re not talking about squeezing your favorite tunes into a tiny zip file (although that would be pretty impressive). Audio compression is actually the process of reducing an audio signal’s dynamic range, making it easier to listen to. 

Think of it this way – if your audio signal were a rollercoaster, compression would be the seatbelt keeping it from catapulting off the tracks into an explosion of sound. So, vocal compression settings are pretty much the audio glue that holds your voice over project together, making it sound polished and professional.

But, the challenge is the tricky process of finding the balance between too little and too much. And that’s where our team of experts at Voice123 comes in – our pros can help you achieve the perfect balance of clarity and compression under any circumstances. So, in this article, we’ll explain what is audio compression and how it’s used in voice over work to achieve a consistent, balanced sound that’s crucial for all successful sound projects. Let’s get this audio party started! 

What is audio compression

Essentially, it’s a process that’s used to control the dynamic range of an audio file so it’s easier to listen to and understand by attenuating the louder parts of the audio while leaving the quieter parts unchanged. This voice compression achieves balanced audio with a consistent volume that produces professional-sounding voice overs. Imagine listening to audio with a whisper, shout, silence, scream, whisper, repeat……it would both exhaust and deafen you. Now, loud words become softer and less blasting, and soft sounds become louder, so the actual words the voice actor speaks are clear, level, and audible. But which formats are incompatible with audio compression? 

Which of the following audio formats don’t use any compression techniques

Audio formats that don’t use any compression techniques are WAV (Waveform Audio File Format) and AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format). WAV files are uncompressed and offer high-quality audio recordings but require ample storage. And AIFF is a high-quality audio file format without compression techniques commonly used by audio professionals in the music and film industries.

WAV and AIFF also use a lossless audio format, which means they preserve the original data. This results in higher audio quality than compressed formats like MP3 or AAC. But it does also mean that files are larger. So, a three-minute MP3 song may be just 3-5 MB in size, but the same song in WAV or AIFF format is 30-50 MB or more. 

Professional audio engineers and musicians use WAV and AIFF for recording and editing because of their high fidelity and lossless nature. They are also commonly used for archiving audio recordings and mastering final audio mixes for distribution. This brings us to the topic of vocal compression. 

What is vocal compression

what is audio compression

Vocal compression makes the volume of a vocal performance more even and consistent by controlling the voice dynamics. Vocal compression reduces the range between the loudest and softest vocal so the audio doesn’t sound disjointed. And as a result, many engineers and producers use this type of compression for musical instruments. Now that you know what is vocal compression, you do need to exercise caution. When overdone, it can sound annoying to the listener. If the voice compression distorts the audio, it can make the background noises louder, like room ambiance or mouth noises. It also exacerbates sibilance and plosives (‘p’-sounds and ‘esses’). But all is not lost because that’s where vocal compression settings come in. 

What are vocal compression settings

Vocal compression settings include aspects like threshold, ratio, attack, release, and makeup gain. The threshold determines the level when vocal compression kicks in, while the ratio determines how much the louder parts of the signal are attenuated. The attack and release settings control how quickly the voice compression is applied and released. And makeup gain boosts the overall level of the signal after vocal compression.

For example, a high ratio with a fast attack and release suit a loud and aggressive vocal performance. In contrast, a lower ratio with a slower attack and release works better for a softer and more delicate performance. Experienced audio engineers can also use additional techniques like dynamic range, limiting, and multiband voice compression to refine the sound further.

Here’s more about each one:

Dynamic Range Compressionreduces the dynamic range of an audio signal. It compresses the peaks of the audio signal while leaving the quieter parts unchanged. This helps make the audio sound more consistent and easier to listen to, especially in noisy environments.

Limiting – prevents audio from going over a certain level. It’s handy in mastering, where it can help prevent clipping and ensure that the audio sound is consistent across different playback devices.

Multiband Compressiondivides the audio signal into different frequency bands and applies voice compression to each band separately. This allows for greater control over the audio signal’s dynamics and can be particularly useful in music production.

Final thoughts on audio compression

Audio compression is a powerful tool for reducing an audio signal’s dynamic range and achieving a balanced and professional sound in various audio productions. Although finding the right compression balance is tricky, now that you know what it is, you can use vocal compression settings like threshold, ratio, attack, release, and makeup gain to help achieve your desired sound. Remember also that over-compression leads to distorted and unpleasant sounds, so it’s best to use compression judiciously. 

But on that note, Voice123 has experienced, professional voice actors who know the exact vocal compression requirements for different voice over styles. When you post a project, you can select additional services, which include editing and compression (often referred to as ‘mastering’). So when you’re ready, head on over to our one-stop voice over portal to explore the pros that create vocal magic.

FAQs

What does audio compression do?

It reduces audio file size by removing or reducing redundant or irrelevant information and only retaining the most critical audio data.

Does compressed audio sound better?

It depends on the compression method and the desired trade-off between file size and audio quality. Lossless compression methods preserve audio quality, while lossy methods sacrifice some audio quality for smaller file sizes.

Does audio compression reduce quality?

The degree of quality loss varies depending on the compression method used and the bit rate chosen. Lossless compression doesn’t reduce audio quality, whereas Lossy reduces audio quality by discarding audio data for smaller file sizes.

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